Billy Rees Explained

Billy Rees
Fullname:William Rees
Birth Date:10 March 1924
Birth Place:Blaengarw, Wales
Death Place:Bridgend, Wales
Position:Inside forward
Years1:1944–1949
Years2:1949–1950
Years3:1950–1956
Years4:1956–1959
Years5:1959–?
Clubs1:Cardiff City
Clubs2:Tottenham Hotspur
Clubs3:Leyton Orient
Clubs4:Headington United
Clubs5:Kettering Town
Caps1:101
Caps2:11
Caps3:184
Caps4:122
Caps5:?
Goals1:33
Goals2:3
Goals3:58
Goals4:58
Goals5:?
Nationalyears1:1949–1950
Nationalteam1:Wales
Nationalcaps1:4
Nationalgoals1:0

William Rees (10 March 1924 – 27 July 1996) was a Welsh professional footballer and Wales international.

Career

Rees was born in Pwllcarn Terrace, Blaengarw. He had been working as a coal miner while playing amateur football for Carn Rovers when he was spotted by Cardiff City manager Cyril Spiers. He made eighty-three appearances in wartime fixtures for the club, scoring seventy-four times, as well as appearing in a wartime international for Wales against England in May 1945.[1] With the Football League returning following the end of the war Rees became a major part of the side, helping them to promotion in the first season. He finished as top scorer the following year but at the end of the 1948-49 season his good form saw Tottenham Hotspur take him to London for £14,000, just weeks after winning the first of his four Wales caps against Northern Ireland.[2]

Early into his Tottenham career he suffered from a number of minor injuries which caused his form to severely dip and he found himself out of the side. He was quickly sold to Leyton Orient at the end of the season for £14,500. He managed to return to form with Orient and spent six years at the club before ending his career with spells at non-league sides Headington United and Kettering Town.[2]

Following his retirement from football he worked as a plant operator before later joining a pharmaceutical company based in Bridgend whilst living in nearby Llangeinor.

Further reading

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Wales 2-3 England . Welsh Football Data Archive . 2009-12-28 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120320215946/http://www.wfda.co.uk/international_details_wartime.php?id=14 . 2012-03-20 . dead .
  2. Book: Hayes, Dean . The Who's Who of Cardiff City . Breedon Books . 2006 . 159 . Derby . 1-85983-462-0.