Bill Collins (footballer, born 1920) explained

Bill Collins
Fullname:	William Hanna Collins
Birth Date:	15 February 1920
Birth Place:	Belfast, Ireland
Position:	Wing half
Years1:	1942–1945
Years2:	1945–1948
Years3:	1948–1949
Years4:	1949–1951
Years5:	1951–1956
Clubs5:	Snowdown Colliery Welfare
Caps3:	7
Goals3:	0
Caps4:	51
Goals4:	0
Manageryears1:	1975
Managerclubs1:	Gillingham (caretaker)^[1]

William Hanna "Buster" Collins (15 February 1920 – 3 November 2010)^[2] was an Irish professional footballer. His clubs included Distillery, Belfast Celtic, Luton Town^[3] and Gillingham.^[4]

He later became reserve team manager at Gillingham, and in 1965 was appointed by manager Freddie Cox as the head of the club's newly organised youth scheme, a post he held for nearly twenty years.^[5] He served as first team trainer and kitman for a further ten years, finally retiring in 1993 at the age of 73. He has been cited as a major influence on the careers of future stars Micky Adams and Steve Bruce.^[6]

He died in 2010 at the age of 90.^[7]

Notes and References

1. 12 October 1985. 10 Years Ago. Bradley. Andy. Gillingham F.C. Official Matchday Magazine.
2. Book: Triggs, Roger. The Men Who Made Gillingham Football Club. Tempus Publishing Ltd . 2001. 0-7524-2243-X. 93.
3. http://www.neilbrown.newcastlefans.com/luton/luton.html Post War English & Scottish Football League A – Z Player's Database
4. http://www.neilbrown.newcastlefans.com/gillingham/gillingham.html Post War English & Scottish Football League A – Z Player's Database
5. Book: Triggs, Roger. The Men Who Made Gillingham Football Club. Tempus Publishing Ltd . 2001. 0-7524-2243-X. 94.
6. Web site: Adams and Bruce were Buster's premier pupils. Daily Telegraph. 27 September 2007. 6 March 2004. Patrick Barclay. https://web.archive.org/web/20071118132027/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml?xml=%2Fsport%2F2004%2F03%2F07%2Fsfnpb207.xml. 18 November 2007. dead. dmy-all.
7. Web site: Gillingham stalwart Bill Collins dies. BBC. 3 November 2010. 4 November 2010.