William Cleary (20 April 1931 – 12 March 1991) was an English footballer who played at half-back for Sunderland, Norwich City, Wisbech Town, Port Vale, Boston United, and King's Lynn.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | William Cleary[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 20 April 1931[1] | ||
| Place of birth | England[1] | ||
| Date of death | 12 March 1991 (aged 59) | ||
| Position(s) | Half-back | ||
| Youth career | |||
| South Bank East End | |||
| Sunderland | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1953–1956 | Norwich City | 18 | (0) |
| Wisbech Town | |||
| 1957–1958 | Port Vale | 8 | (0) |
| Boston United | 0 | (0) | |
| Wisbech Town | |||
| King's Lynn | |||
| Total | 26+ | (0+) | |
| Managerial career | |||
| Wisbech Town | |||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Career
editCleary played for South Bank East End and Sunderland (without making a first-team appearance) before joining Norman Low's Norwich City in 1953. He played 18 Third Division South games for the "Canaries", as the Carrow Road club posted mid-table finishes in 1953–54, 1954–55, and 1955–56. He then played non-League football for Wisbech Town. He was signed again by Norman Low, now manager of Port Vale, in November 1957.[1] He played eight Third Division South and two FA Cup games in the 1957–58 season. Still, he failed to nail down a regular slot at Vale Park. He was transferred to Southern League side Boston United in July 1958.[1] He moved on to King's Lynn, before returning to old club Wisbech Town.[1] He became a coach, manager, and finally a director at the club.[1]
Career statistics
edit| Club | Season | Division | League | FA Cup | Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| Norwich City | 1953–54[2] | Third Division South | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| 1954–55[2] | Third Division South | 9 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 11 | 0 | |
| 1955–56[2] | Third Division South | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | |
| Total | 18 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 21 | 0 | ||
| Port Vale | 1957–58[2] | Third Division South | 8 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| Boston United | 1958–59[3] | Southern League North-West | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |