Billy Goldie

Billy Goldie was a left half who played for Fulham from 1904 until 1908. A dour and tenacious Scotsman, he was feared by many of his opponents. He won the First Division title in 1901 with Liverpool before his 4-year stint at Craven Cottage.

Before Fulham
Billy began his career at Hurlford Thistle in 1895 where he won two Ayrshire Cup medals, followed by a brief stint at Clyde.

His big move came at the tailend of 1897, when he was signed by Liverpool of the First Division and teamed up with his brother Archie, who had signed for them two years earlier. Initially playing as a full back, Billy eventually turned into a left half and became an ever-present in the Liverpool line-up, at one point playing in 119 consecutive matches for them.

He missed out on a Championship medal in 1899 as Liverpool finished runners-up to Aston Villa, but he received one two years later when he was ever-present in their title-winning side.

He was suspended by the Football League in August 1903 when he became involved in an illegal transfer scam alongside fellow Liverpool players John Glover and Sam Raybould. Portsmouth had been illegally paying the players to sign for them at the end of the 1902-03 season, and as a result the League banned them from playing for six months.

Fulham (1904-1908)
Upon the completion of his ban, Billy did not sign for Portsmouth but opted for Fulham instead. He signed for the club on 4 January 1904 and made his debut a week later in a 2-1 loss at home to West Ham United in a London League fixture.

Billy helped the club to two Southern League titles in 1905-06 and 1906-07. He played in every match during Fulham's FA Cup run to the quarter-finals in 1905 and to the semi-finals in 1908. He also gained a Western League runners-up medal with the club in 1907. During his entire stay with the club, he only missed a total of six League games.

His Scottish accent was so strong that at times his team-mates and the management could not understand him, and he needed an interpreter when he went before the FA disciplinary commission!

After Fulham
Billy moved to Leicester Fosse in August 1908 just after his younger brother John, joined Fulham from Hurlford Thistle. He went on to make 88 appearances for them before his retirement from professional football in 1911, aged 33.

He went on to own a pub in 1911 and played occasionally for Leicester Imperial, before returning back home to Hurlford in Scotland where he worked as a road surfaceman. He died in his hometown in February 1952 at the age of 74.