Roger Willis

Roger Christopher Willis (born 17 June 1967) is an English former professional footballer who played as a midfielder or forward. He made more than 300 appearances in the Football League between 1989 and 2002 playing for seven different clubs.

Roger Willis
Personal information
Full name Roger Christopher Willis[1]
Date of birth (1967-06-17) 17 June 1967 [1]
Place of birth Sheffield, England
Height 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)[1]
Position(s) Midfielder / Forward
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
198?–1988 Dunkirk
1988–1990 Grimsby Town 9 (0)
1990 → Boston United (loan) 10 (5)
1990–1992 Barnet 81 (23)
1992–1993 Watford 36 (2)
1993–1994 Birmingham City 19 (5)
1994–1996 Southend United 31 (7)
1996–1997 Peterborough United 40 (6)
1997–2002 Chesterfield 135 (21)
2002 Peterborough United 4 (0)
2002 Kettering Town 2 (0)
2002 Stevenage Borough 1 (0)
2002–2003 Cambridge City 2 (0)
2003 Hucknall Town 1 (0)
2004 St Albans City 5 (2)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Career

Willis, a native of Sheffield generally known by his nickname of Harry, played for Nottingham-based non-league club Dunkirk before joining Grimsby Town in 1989.[2] He made ten first-team appearances for the Mariners in all competitions,[3] and spent time on loan to Boston United in the Conference,[4] before being sold to Barnet for £10,000 at the end of the 1989–90 season.[2]

In his first season with Barnet, Willis helped them win the Conference title and consequent promotion to the Football League.[2] A flourishing second season, in which he was one of the key players as Barnet reached the playoff semifinal,[5] earned him a move to First Division (second-tier) club Watford in October 1992 for a fee of £175,000.[2] After a relatively unsuccessful year with the Hornets,[6] he rejoined former Barnet manager Barry Fry, now at fellow First Division club Birmingham City, for a fee of £150,000.[2] Willis left for Southend United after ten months,[2] and went on to feature for Peterborough United before settling down for a five-year spell with Third Division (fourth-tier) Chesterfield, whom he helped gain promotion in the 2000–01 season.[7]

Released by Chesterfield in 2002, he made a brief return to Peterborough, followed by occasional appearances for non-league clubs Kettering Town, Stevenage Borough, Cambridge City and Hucknall Town, before retiring from the game in February 2003.[8][9] He came out of retirement to play for St Albans City in 2004.[10]

References

Infobox statistics

  • Football League clubs: "Roger Willis". UK A–Z Transfers. Neil Brown. Retrieved 23 May 2018.
  • Boston United: Harman, John, ed. (2005). Alliance to Conference 1979–2004: The first 25 years. Tony Williams. pp. 125, 132. ISBN 978-1-869833-52-7.
  • Barnet (Conference): Harman (ed.). Alliance to Conference 1979–2004. pp. 71, 75.
  • Kettering Town: Harman (ed.). Alliance to Conference 1979–2004. pp. 372, 380.
  • Stevenage Borough: Harman (ed.). Alliance to Conference 1979–2004. pp. 649, 652.
  • Cambridge City: "Goals and Games 02/03". Cambridge City F.C. Retrieved 2 February 2012.
  • Hucknall Town: "Player Details: Season 2002–2003". SoccerFacts UK. Retrieved 2 February 2012.
  • St Albans City: "Roger Willis profile". St Albans City F.C. Archived from the original on 24 February 2010. Retrieved 2 February 2012.

General

  1. Hugman, Barry J., ed. (2003). The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2003/2004. Queen Anne Press. p. 456. ISBN 1-85291-651-6.
  2. Matthews, Tony (1995). Birmingham City: A Complete Record. Derby: Breedon Books. p. 135. ISBN 978-1-85983-010-9.
  3. "Roger Willis". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 23 May 2018.
  4. "Boston United Roll Call". Boston United FC – The Original Website. Ken Fox. Retrieved 23 May 2018.
  5. "The Barry Fry Years – Part Seven". History of Barnet F.C. Barnet F.C. Supporters Association. Retrieved 23 May 2018.
  6. Devon, Simon; Grant, Ian. "Roger 'Harry' Willis". Blind, Stupid and Desperate. Retrieved 23 May 2018.
  7. "Roger Willis back in Posh colours for trial outing". Peterborough United F.C. 16 July 2002. Archived from the original on 17 July 2011. Retrieved 23 May 2018.
  8. "Roger Willis: Career history". UpThePosh.com. Chris Wilkinson. Retrieved 23 May 2018.
  9. "Hucknall lose Willis". NonLeague Daily. 11 February 2003. Archived from the original on 15 August 2012.
  10. "Player Profile: Roger Willis". NonLeague Daily. Archived from the original on 15 August 2012.
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