| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | William Elson | ||
| Date of birth | 1865 | ||
| Place of birth | Burslem, England | ||
| Date of death | 1937 (aged 71–72) | ||
| Position(s) | Half-back | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1886–1894 | Burslem Port Vale | 97 | (6) |
| West Manchester | |||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
William Elson (1865 – 1937) was an English footballer. He played 241 games and scored 15 goals for Burslem Port Vale; however, 114 of these games were friendlies.
Career
Elson most likely joined Burslem Port Vale in the summer of 1886. After a slow start, he became a regular from January 1888 and was in the side that shared the North Staffordshire Charity Challenge Cup in 1891. He played 16 Second Division games in 1892–93, in what was the club's first season in the English Football League. He played 26 league games in the 1893–94 season. He scored his first Football League goal at the Athletic Ground on 4 December, in a 6–1 victory over Grimsby Town. Five days later, after a match at Crewe Alexandra he was physically attacked. At that point, he challenged the crowd to "come on" one by one. On 13 January, he claimed another goal in a 5–3 defeat at Burton Swifts. He transferred to West Manchester in the summer of 1894.
Career statistics
Source:
| Club | Season | Division | League | FA Cup | Other | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| Burslem Port Vale | 1886–87 | – | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 11 | 1 |
| 1887–88 | – | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 19 | 1 | 20 | 1 | |
| 1888–89 | Combination | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 1 | 39 | 1 | |
| 1889–90 | – | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 39 | 4 | 40 | 4 | |
| 1890–91 | Midland League | 20 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 24 | 0 | 46 | 3 | |
| 1891–92 | Midland League | 16 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 0 | 36 | 2 | |
| 1892–93 | Second Division | 16 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 19 | 1 | |
| 1893–94 | Second Division | 26 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 29 | 2 | |
| Total | 97 | 6 | 8 | 1 | 135 | 8 | 240 | 15 | ||
Honours
Port Vale
- North Staffordshire Charity Challenge Cup: 1891 (shared)
References
- ^ Kent, Jeff (1996). Port Vale Personalities. Witan Books. p. 95. ISBN 0-9529152-0-0.
- Billy Elson at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)