Billy Gray (footballer)

William Patrick Gray (24 May 1927 – 11 April 2011) was an English professional footballer and manager who made over 500 Football League appearances in a variety of positions for Nottingham Forest, Chelsea, Burnley, Millwall and Leyton Orient. He began his short management career while still a player with Millwall and later managed Brentford and Notts County.[2] Gray was capped by England B at international level.[2]

Billy Gray
Personal information
Full name William Patrick Gray[1]
Date of birth (1927-05-24)24 May 1927
Place of birth Dinnington, England
Date of death 11 April 2011(2011-04-11) (aged 83)[1]
Place of death Aspley, England
Position(s) Forward, left back
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
0000–1947 Dinnington Colliery
1947–1948 Leyton Orient 19 (1)
1948–1953 Chelsea 146 (12)
1953–1957 Burnley 120 (30)
1957–1963 Nottingham Forest 201 (29)
1963–1965 Millwall 20 (1)
Total 506 (73)
National team
1950 England B 1 (1)
Teams managed
1963–1966 Millwall
1966–1967 Brentford
1967–1968 Notts County
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Club career

An outside right, Gray began his career with hometown Newcastle & District League club Dinnington Colliery and got his start in league football with Third Division South club Leyton Orient in May 1947.[2] He failed to make an impact at Brisbane Road, but made a surprise transfer to First Division club Chelsea for a nominal fee in March 1949.[2] Gray made 172 appearances and scored 14 goals in just over four seasons at Stamford Bridge,[3] before moving to First Division rivals Burnley for a £16,000 fee in August 1953.[2] He made 130 appearances and scored 32 goals during four seasons at Turf Moor.[4]

At age 30, Gray transferred to top-flight club Nottingham Forest for a £4,500 fee in June 1957.[5] In 1958, manager Billy Walker moved Gray from outside to inside forward and he became the team's playmaker and penalty taker, scoring three penalties in Forest's run to the 1959 FA Cup Final and setting up Tommy Wilson's winning goal in the 2–1 victory in the final over Luton Town.[2] Over time, Gray was moved to left back and proved effective in the position, before departing the City Ground at age 36 in November 1963.[2] In six seasons with Forest, Gray made 228 appearances and scored 35 goals.[6] He moved to Third Division strugglers Millwall as player-manager in November 1963 and after the club's relegation to the Fourth Division at the end of the 1963–64 season,[2] he played a bit-part role as a player in the Lions' immediate return to the Third Division at the first attempt.[7] Gray retired at the end of the 1964–65 season.[8] He made a brief comeback for Brentford Reserves in early 1967.[9]

International career

Gray won one cap for England B and scored in a 5–0 victory over Switzerland in January 1950.[2]

Managerial career

Gray took over Third Division strugglers Millwall as player-manager in November 1963 and despite relegation to the Fourth Division, he guided the club to successive promotions during the 1964–65 and 1965–66 seasons.[2] A falling-out with the club's directors led to his departure from The Den in May 1966, after promotion had been secured.[8] With five matches of the 1965–66 season still to play, Gray moved across London to take over as manager of Third Division strugglers Brentford, but failed to save the Bees from relegation to the Fourth Division.[10] He kept the cash-strapped club afloat in mid-table for the majority of the 1966-67 season,[11] before following chairman Jack Dunnett out of Griffin Park to Notts County in March 1967.[10] He remained at Meadow Lane until September 1968.[12]

Coaching and other roles

After leaving football management in 1968, Gray later worked as a groundsman at Meadow Lane and the City Ground.[2][10]

Personal life

Gray had three sons. His nephew was John Richardson, whom he managed at Millwall and Brentford.[13] On retirement from football management, Gray ran a grocery and off-licence on Wollaton Road in Nottingham.[5]

Honours

As a player

Nottingham Forest

As a manager

Millwall

Brentford

Career statistics

Player
Club Season League FA Cup League Cup Europe Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Chelsea 1948–49[3] First Division 2 0 — — — — 2 0
1949–50[3] 39 1 7 0 — — — 46 1
1950–51[3] 31 6 5 0 — — — 36 6
1951–52[3] 42 1 9 3 — — — 51 4
1952–53[3] 32 3 5 0 — — — 37 3
Total 146 11 26 3 — — — 172 14
Burnley 1953–54[4] First Division 42 19 3 1 — — — 45 20
1954–55[4] 40 8 1 0 — — — 41 8
1955–56[4] 31 2 6 1 — — — 37 3
1956–57[4] 7 1 0 0 — — — 7 1
Total 120 30 10 2 — — — 130 32
Nottingham Forest 1957–58[6] First Division 35 9 3 0 — — 0 0 38 9
1958–59[6] 40 7 9 5 — — 0 0 49 12
1959–60[6] 37 7 1 0 — — 3[lower-alpha 1] 1 41 8
1960–61[6] 30 3 1 0 2 0 — 1[lower-alpha 2] 0 34 3
1961–62[6] 34 2 2 0 0 0 2[lower-alpha 3] 0 2[6] 0 40 2
1962–63[6] 25 1 1 0 0 0 — 0 0 26 1
Total 201 29 17 5 2 0 2 0 6 1 228 35
Millwall 1963–64[16] Third Division 12 1 — — — — 12 1
1964–65[7] Fourth Division 8 0 0 0 1 0 — — 9 0
Total 20 1 0 0 1 0 — — 21 1
Career total 487 71 53 10 3 0 2 0 6 1 551 82
  1. 2 appearances and 1 goal in Anglo-Scottish Cup, 1 appearance in FA Charity Shield
  2. Appearances in Notts Association Cup
  3. Appearances in Inter-Cities Fairs Cup

Manager
Team From To Record Ref
GWDLWin %
Millwall 1 November 1963 8 May 1966 138 68 40 30 049.28 [17]
Brentford 2 May 1966 March 1967 42 15 12 15 035.71 [18]
Notts County March 1967 September 1968 51 15 13 23 029.41 [19]
Total 231 98 65 68 042.42 —

References
  1. "Billy Gray". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
  2. "Billy Gray: Footballer whose energetic midfield scheming helped Nottingham Forest to FA Cup glory in 1959". The Independent. 23 April 2011. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
  3. "Billy Gray". 11v11.com. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
  4. "BILLY GRAY – Clarets Mad". www.clarets-mad.co.uk. Digital Sports Group LTD. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
  5. "Forest FA Cup winner recalls Wembley triumph". Evening Post. Nottingham. 29 April 2009. Retrieved 25 October 2016.
  6. "The City Ground". thecityground.com. Retrieved 7 October 2019.
  7. "Millwall Season 64/65 Stats". www.millwall-history.org.uk. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
  8. "Back to Back Promotions 1964–1966". www.millwall-history.org.uk. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
  9. "Billy In Action". The Brentford & Chiswick Times. 27 January 1967.
  10. Haynes, Graham; Coumbe, Frank (2006). Timeless Bees: Brentford F.C. Who's Who 1920–2006. Yore Publications. p. 179. ISBN 978-0955294914.
  11. "Brentford results for the 1966-1967 season - Statto.com". Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
  12. Maggies, Up the. "Notts County FC season 1968/69". carousel.royalwebhosting.net. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
  13. Haynes 1998, p. 45.
  14. "Nottingham Forest | Club | History | History | FA Cup Final 1959". Archived from the original on 6 May 2009. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
  15. Haynes, Graham (1998). A-Z Of Bees: Brentford Encyclopaedia. Yore Publications. p. 82. ISBN 1-874427-57-7.
  16. "Millwall Season 63/64 Stats". www.millwall-history.org.uk. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
  17. "Millwall Managers". www.millwall-history.org.uk. Retrieved 7 October 2019.
  18. White 1989, p. 388-389.
  19. Billy Gray management career statistics at Soccerbase
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