Billy Hamilton (footballer)
William Robert Hamilton (born 9 May 1957 in Gilnahirk, County Down) is a former Northern Ireland international footballer who played as a forward.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | William Robert Hamilton | ||
| Date of birth | 9 May 1957 | ||
| Place of birth | Gilnahirk, County Down, Northern Ireland | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1975–1978 | Linfield | 66 | (25) |
| 1978–1979 | Queens Park Rangers | 12 | (2) |
| 1979–1984 | Burnley | 200 | (58) |
| 1984–1987 | Oxford United | 92 | (25) |
| 1987–1989 | Limerick | 29 | (4) |
| 1989 | Coleraine | 1 | (0) |
| 1989 | Sligo Rovers | 18 | (4) |
| 1989–1992 | Distillery | 50 | (28) |
| Total | 468 | (146) | |
| National team | |||
| 1979–1989 | Northern Ireland | 41 | (5) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 1987–1989 | Limerick | ||
| 1989–1995 | Distillery | ||
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only | |||
Club career
At club level, Hamilton played for Linfield, QPR, Burnley, Oxford United,[1] Limerick,[2] Sligo Rovers, Coleraine and Distillery.
He joined Distillery as Player/Manager in December 1989, after leaving Limerick City of the League of Ireland Premier Division, having managed them to a third-place finish in the 1988–89 season. He made his playing debut for the Whites on 22 March 1990 and in his three seasons made 72 appearances and scored 33 goals including one hat-trick.
International career
Hamilton is best remembered by Northern Ireland fans as the man who crossed the ball for Gerry Armstrong to score for Northern Ireland in their famous win against the hosts Spain at the 1982 FIFA World Cup.[3] He played in every game and scored two goals in the second-round game against Austria,[4] and also played at the 1986 World Cup.[5] He also twice won the Home Internationals in 1980 and 1984, scoring the winning goal against Scotland. Northern Ireland never lost when Hamilton scored. In total, Hamilton played 41 games for his country, scoring five goals.
Management and coaching
Knee injuries forced Hamilton to end his playing career in February 1992, but he continued to manage Distillery until February 1995. He guided the club to the Gold Cup victory in the 1993/94 season.
Personal life
Hamilton has the distinction of designing a board game,[6] Billy Hamilton's Football Academy, which was released in 1985.
International goals
Scores and results list Northern Ireland's goal tally first
| Goal | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 16 May 1980 | Belfast, Northern Ireland |  Scotland | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1980 Home Internationals |
| 2 | 25 March 1981 | Glasgow, Scotland | Scotland | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1982 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 3 | 1 July 1982 | Madrid, Spain |  Austria | 1–0 | 2–2 | 1982 FIFA World Cup |
| 4 | 1 July 1982 | Madrid, Spain | Austria | 2–2 | 2–2 | 1982 FIFA World Cup |
| 5 | 21 September 1983 | Belfast, Northern Ireland | Austria | 1–0 | 3–1 | UEFA Euro 1984 qualification |
References
- Marshall, Tyrone (18 November 2014). "Billy Hamilton: Clarets move saved me from my Loftus Road hell". Lancashire Telegraph. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
- "Big Sam can complete unique Limerick 'hat-trick'". Limerick Post. 22 July 2016. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
- Billy Hamilton Statistics FIFA; Retrieved 25 January 2010
- "1982 World Cup: Billy Hamilton scores for Northern Ireland against Austria". BBC. 22 June 2016. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
- Beacom, Steven (5 June 2014). "Billy Hamilton: When Northern Ireland hit the World Cup big time". Belfast Telegraph. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
- Billy Hamilton's Football Academy. Board Game Geek; Retrieved 25 January 2010
Further reading
- Hugman, Barry (2005). The PFA Premier and Football League Players' Records 1946–2005. Queen Anne Press.
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