Season #2 | 1880-81 | Games #3 - #6
133 Seasons, 33 Managers, 980 Players, 5,654 Matches, Only One Aston Villa
Player #274
Appearances:
261
Starts:
261
Goals:
59
Seasons:
10
Source: Football card #23 Billy Kirton issued by D C Thomson for the Adventure comic under the Signed Real Photos series, 1921.
Source: Football card #23 Billy Kirton issued by D C Thomson for the Adventure comic under the Signed Real Photos series, 1921.
Billy Kirton
Position
Forward
From
1919-20
To
1928-29
IMAGE CREDIT
Billy Kirton
Seasons Quick-View
Seasons
Age*
22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 |
Division
D1 | D1 | D1 | D1 | D1 | D1 | D1 | D1 | D1 | D1 |
Appearances
261 |
38 | 36 | 41 | 32 | 45 | 37 | 24 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
Starts
261 |
38 | 36 | 41 | 32 | 45 | 37 | 24 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
Substitute
0 |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Unused
0 |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Goals
59 |
16 | 7 | 13 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
*Age on opening day of the season
FAC: FA Cup; FL: Football League; D1: Division 1; D2: Division 2; D3: Division 3; PL: Premier League; CH: Championship
FULL SEASON BREAKDOWN
William John Kirton
Birth Date
Wednesday, 2 December 1896
Birth Place
Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Tyne and Wear
Birth Country
England
Villa Youth
n/a
From
Transfer in
Leeds City
From
For
£500
On
October 1919
Previous Clubs
Todd’s Nook School |
Pandon Temperance FC |
Leeds City |
Loans Out
None
Transfer Out
To
Coventry City
For
£1,700
On
September 1928
Subsequent Clubs
Coventry City |
Source: Football card #23 Billy Kirton issued by D C Thomson for the Adventure comic under the Signed Real Photos series, 1921.
Source: Football card #23 Billy Kirton issued by D C Thomson for the Adventure comic under the Signed Real Photos series, 1921.
Villa Career
Seasons Active, Fee, Starts (Sub) | Goals |
1919-27 Aston Villa, £500, 261 | 59 |
STARTS
SUBS
GOALS
Played Under
George Ramsay led Management Committee |
Billy Smith led Management Committee |
First Squad Appearance
Saturday, 25 October 1919
Debut Appearance
Saturday, 25 October 1919
Middlesbrough (a), Division One
DEBUT
First Goal
Saturday, 15 November 1919
Final Appearance
Saturday, 2 April 1927
West Ham United (h), Division One
FINAL
Final Squad Appearance
Saturday, 2 April 1927
Honours
1919-20 FA Cup Winners |
Height
Foot
International Team
England
Died
17 September 1970, Aged 74
Billy Kirton
Player #274 for Aston Villa, William John Kirton, known as Billy Kirton played as an forward for the club.
Billy played for Villa between 1919-20 and 1926-27 making 261 appearances.
Billy was born in Newcastle-upon-Tyne on 2nd December 1896 and he made his debut appearance for Villa on the 25th October 1919 aged 22.
Villa had signed Billy from Leeds City earlier in the month of October 1919 for a fee of £500.
Billy had an immediate impact on the first team, making 32 League appearances and scoring at a rate of nearly a goal every other game in his first season.
Billy was also an ever present in the successful FA Cup campaign including playing in the FA Cup Final victory over Huddersfield Town in front of a crowd of 50,018 at Stamford Bridge in which Billy hit the 100’ winner.
Although 1919-20 proved to be Billy’s most prolific season however in each of his first 6 seasons he contributed over 30 appearances.
In a contemporary eulogy Billy was described thus:
“Newcastle-born, he came to Villa via [the defunct] Leeds City as a second-string acquisition who quickly turned out to be an important player. He would finish with 16 goals in his first season, having come from nowhere and selected only from November onwards. He was an ever-present from then to the end of the season. A believer in saying little and doing much, and could take knocks as well as score goals without making much fuss about it. A skilful player, he was capped for England in 1921 and was a Villa regular until 1926.
“He has been one of the most consistent of the Villa forwards, being a man of discrete method, with a keen eye for goal.”
Billy’s final appearance came on 2nd April 1927 aged 30 ahead of his move to Coventry City for a fee of £1,700.
Billy played under the George Ramsay led Management Committee.
Billy was a member of the Temperance Society and turned out for Pandon Temperance before graduating to professional footballer.
As a tee-total non smoker there was some irony in Kirton’s chosen post retirement profession - running a newsagent in Great Barr.
Billy passed away in Sutton Coldfield on 27th September 1970 aged 73.