GoS-DB Players

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Greens on Screen started its life in 1999 before many of the football sites that we are familiar with today, including Plymouth Argyle's own official site. Greens on Screen is dedicated to the sights, sounds and history of Plymouth Argyle Football club. It is owned and run by the Plymouth Argyle Heritage Archive, a charity dedicated to the promotion, preservation, and display of the heritage of our great football club.

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Greens on Screen's first page was published in January 1999. Its early purpose was to bring Plymouth Argyle a little closer to those unable to see their team, and whilst it has changed a great deal over the years, its core themes - sights and sounds for Westcountry exiles - still stand. The site was very lucky to take on the content of Trevor Scallan's Semper Viridis in the summer of 2007, and in 2009 launched GoS-DB, a wealth of facts and figures from PAFC's history. A year later, we embarked on a complete history of Argyle, with much-valued contributions from chapter authors. Greens on Screen was taken over by its new custodians, The Argyle Archive, in 2024.

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Plymouth Argyle Heritage Archive.
April 2024

Can you help? This page is the result of the best endeavours of all concerned. If you spot a mistake or know of facts to add, or have a better photo, please get in touch using 'Contact Us' (top, right).

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BILLY WILLIAMS

Full Name: William T Williams

Came from: Lovell's Athletic Went to: Lovell's Athletic

First game: 08 June 1940 Last game: 08 June 1940

Appearances: 1 (1/0) Goals: 0

On Sunday 3rd September 1939, Britain declared war on Germany. Restrictions on travel and a ban on the assembly of crowds were immediately imposed, forcing the Football League to bring the 1939-40 season to an end. A few weeks later, seven regional competitions were introduced, including the South West Regional League. It was a time of great uncertainty for the players, with their wages reduced to a standard flat-rate allowance of 30 shillings a week (equivalent to £75 in 2011), and many found themselves unable to provide for their families. They were forced to find work elsewhere, and because employers were not always prepared to release them, League clubs across the country found it difficult to find a starting eleven for each match. As a result, clubs were permitted to use guest players, often amateurs in local leagues and sometimes professionals who, by then, had joined one of the Armed Services and were stationed in the area.

Williams was one of six players who made no conventional Football League appearances for Argyle, but did play for the first team in the South West Regional League. The Pilgrims were forced by the Football League to schedule two outstanding fixtures with Newport County on consecutive days at the end of the 1939-40 season. Argyle had already won the league title, so to save on costs it was decided that both games would be played in South Wales. Argyle struggled to find sufficient players, so Williams, a left-winger who played for Lovell's Athletic (a work's team for the Lovell's sweet factory in Newport), was hastily registered with the Football League and stepped into the side for the second game to make up the numbers. The only other game that Newport County played that year was a friendly against Lovell's on Christmas Day 1940 (a 'Xmas Day Challenge' match) at Somerton Park, to raise money to pay off a debt to Argyle for their travelling expenses to Newport for the 'double header' six months before. Williams appeared for Lovell's in that fundraising game and carried on playing for them for several more years, and also won two Welsh amateur caps in the 1946-47 season, both against England. The first came at Dulwich Hamlet in a 2-2 draw on 25th January 1947 and the second at Lovell's home ground, Rexville in Newport, in a 4-1 defeat on 29th March 1947. Lovell's continued to be Newport's second club until they were dissolved in 1969.

YOUR CONTRIBUTION

If you can add to this profile, perhaps with special memories, a favourite story or the results of your original research, please contribute here.

APPEARANCE DETAILS [reselect competitions]

The details below reflect appearances in all first-team competitions.

I'm very grateful to many who have helped write GoS-DB's player pen-pictures, and to Dave Rowntree, the PAFC Media Team and Colin Parsons for their help with photos. Thanks also to staff at the National Football Museum, the Scottish Football Museum and ScotlandsPeople for their valuable assistance.

The following publications have been particularly valuable in the research of pen-pictures: Plymouth Argyle, A Complete Record 1903-1989 (Brian Knight, ISBN 0-907969-40-2); Plymouth Argyle, 101 Golden Greats (Andy Riddle, ISBN 1-874287-47-3); Football League Players' Records 1888-1939 (Michael Joyce, ISBN 1-899468-67-6); Football League Players' Records 1946-1988 (Barry Hugman, ISBN 1-85443-020-3) and Plymouth Argyle Football Club Handbooks.

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