 Barnes in 1907 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | William Edwin Barnes | ||
| Date of birth | (1879-05-20)20 May 1879 | ||
| Place of birth | West Ham, England | ||
| Date of death | 1962 (aged 82–83) | ||
| Position | Forward | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1895 | Thames Ironworks | 0 | (0) |
| 1896–1898 | South West Ham | ||
| 1896 | →Thames Ironworks (guest) | 0 | (0) |
| 1898–1899 | Leyton | ||
| 1899–1902 | Sheffield United[1] | 23 | (7) |
| 1902–1904 | West Ham United[2] | 49 | (5) |
| 1904–1907 | Luton Town | 101 | (12) |
| 1907–1913 | Queens Park Rangers | 234 | (37) |
| 1913–?? | Southend United | (?) | |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1914–1916 | Athletic Bilbao | ||
| 1920–1921 | Athletic Bilbao | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Billy Barnes (20 May 1879 – 1962) was a professionalfootballer fromWest Ham, Essex. Originally debuting forThames Ironworks, he moved toSheffield United and scored the winning goal in the1902 FA Cup final replay. Later on in his career he won twoSouthern Football League titles and took part in twoCharity Shield matches including the first time it was held. Once his playing career was over, he went on to manageAthletic Bilbao in Spain.
Barnes was born on 20 May 1879 in London. His father was a dockworker, while his mother owned a coffee shop inSilvertown.[3] His brother,Alfred Barnes, was aLabour Co-operative politician who went on to becomeMinister of Transport.[4]
Barnes began his career atThames Ironworks as a 16-year-old. He made at least five appearances for the Ironworks during the first half of the club's first season of existence in1895–96, before moving toSouth West Ham of theSouth Essex League. Later that season, Barnes returned to the Thames Ironworks team as a guest and played in the final of theWest Ham Charity Cup. The match required two replays and Barnes features in all three games, with the Irons eventually running out as winners. He joined fellow South Essex League clubLeyton as a professional in 1898.[5]
Sheffield United made it all the way through to the1902 FA Cup Final, drawing 1–1 withSouthampton in the match atthe Crystal Palace. For the replay,Walter Bennett was replaced with Barnes due to an injured ankle. After Sheffield went a goal up thanks toGeorge Hedley,Albert Brown equalized for Southampton. Shortly afterwardsAlf Common passed through to Barnes who went on to score the winning goal of the game.[6][7]
Barnes returned to the Irons, by then reformed asWest Ham United, in 1902. He spent two seasons with the club, playing in theSouthern League.[5]
Barnes made his debut on 2 September 1907.[8] During his time at QPR he appeared in the teams in both the1908 and1912 FA Charity Shield matches, after winning two Southern League titles.[4] 1908 was the first time the match was held. He also represented the league in a match against theScottish Football League.[4]
During the1908–09 season forQueens Park Rangers, Barnes was the team's top scorer having scored ten goals in both league and cup competitions. Although the team finished in fifteenth place in theSouthern League, they finished in second place in theWestern Football League.[9]
Barnes was named in a list of the top 100 Queens Park Rangers players of all time, constructed by the club's historian in 2007.[4][8]
Thames Ironworks
Sheffield United
Queens Park Rangers
Athletic Bilbao