For other people of the same name, seeBilly Lane,Billy Lane (angler), andBilly Lane Lauffer.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | William Henry Charles Lane[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1904-10-23)23 October 1904 | ||
| Place of birth | Tottenham, England | ||
| Date of death | 10 November 1985(1985-11-10) (aged 81)[2] | ||
| Place of death | Chelmsford, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)[3] | ||
| Position | Centre forward | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| London City Mission | |||
| Gnome Athletic | |||
| –1923 | Park Avondale | ||
| 1923–1926 | Tottenham Hotspur | 26 | (7) |
| 1923 | Summerstown | ||
| 1924 | Barnet | ||
| 1924 | Northfleet United | ||
| 1926–1928 | Leicester City | 5 | (2) |
| 1928–1929 | Reading | 6 | (2) |
| 1929–1932 | Brentford | 112 | (82) |
| 1932–1936 | Watford | 124 | (68) |
| 1936–1937 | Bristol City | 30 | (11) |
| 1937–1938 | Clapton Orient | 12 | (1) |
| 1938–1939 | Gravesend United | ||
| Total | 315 | (173) | |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1947–1950 | Guildford City | ||
| 1951–1961 | Brighton & Hove Albion | ||
| 1961–1963 | Gravesend and Northfleet | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
William Henry Charles Lane (23 October 1904 – 10 November 1985) was an Englishfootballcentre forward, best remembered for his time inthe Football League with Watford and Brentford, making over 120 appearances for each club.[1]
After playing for the London City Mission,Gnome Athletic and Park Avondale, Lane joinedTottenham Hotspur in 1922 for the first time but left the club without appearing in a senior match.[2] He went on to play forSummerstown and Barnet before re-joining Tottenham after a spell with the club's "nursery" teamNorthfleet United.[4] Lane, acentre forward, went on to feature in 36 matches and found the net on 12 occasions between 1924 and 1926.[5] Lane's time with Spurs came to an end after managerPeter McWilliam dropped him after Lane kicked the ball into the crowd after having a goal disallowed in a match versusPreston North End.[6] Lane had been courting the attention of theEngland selectors at the time, who were present at the match, but unimpressed with his behaviour. The incident ended Lane's chances of an international call-up and his Tottenham career.[6]
After leavingWhite Hart Lane, Lane appeared forLeicester City (joining for £2250),[5]Reading andBrentford, where he scored 89 goals in 123 appearances.[6] As of 2015, his record of seven leaguehat-tricks is second behind club record-holderJack Holliday and his 33-goal haul in the1929–30 season was a club record until Holliday broke it in1932–33.[7] Despite his excellent form for the Bees, Lane was transfer-listed by managerHarry Curtis, who needed the money from Lane's sale to fund the transfer ofMiddlesbrough playersJack Holliday,Bert Watson andBilly Scott.[6] Lane signed forWatford in a £1500 deal in 1932 and the following year scored ahat-trick in theFootball League in under three minutes againstClapton Orient on 20 December 1933, then a record.[6][8][9] He featured in a total of 136 matches for Watford in all competitions, scoring 77 goals and went on to have spells atBristol City, Clapton Orient and finallyGravesend United.[10]
In 1945, Lane turned down the manager's job at Clapton Orient to return to Brentford as acoach under Harry Curtis.[6] He remained with the Bees before going into management withGuildford City. He later moved on to manageBrighton & Hove Albion andGravesend & Northfleet.[8][10] He managed Brighton & Hove Albion to its first ever Football League title, as1957–58Third Division South champions.[5] After leaving Gravesend & Northfleet, Lane became ascout forArsenal and later returned to Brighton & Hove Albion in a similar role.[6] He was still working for Albion at the time of his death in 1985.[6]
Lane served as aPT instructor during theSecond World War.[6]