Bill Henderson (footballer born 1899)
Encyclopedia
William James "Bill" Henderson (11 January 1899–1934) was an English footballer who played at outside-right in the 1920s, spending most of his career with Southampton
.
, then playing in the North Eastern League
.
In October 1921, he moved to London, to join First Division
Arsenal
, for a fee of £1,000. Initially Henderson played as a centre forward, and deputised for Henry White
or Andrew Young; he made five appearances in 1921-22
, his debut coming against Huddersfield Town
on 22 October 1921.
He found first-team opportunities rare with the Gunners; he was moved out on to the right wing in 1922-23
with two appearances, but was unable to supplant long-serving former England
international, Jock Rutherford
. After 18 months at Highbury
, during which time he made seven appearances in total, Henderson dropped down to the Third Division South with Luton Town
in March 1923. He only made two appearances for Luton, before he was signed by Southampton
.
to Birmingham
in March 1922, the "Saints" had tried several players on the right, including Charlie Brown
, Robert Blyth
and Sammy Meston
, none of whom had any conspicuous success.
He soon made the outside-right berth his own and over the next five years he entertained The Dell crowd with his unconventional style of football. According to Holley & Chalk in "The Alphabet of the Saints", Henderson was "a puzzling player, not only to the opposition, but often to his own team-mates. He could make the most amazing runs, dribbling the ball through places where it did not seem possible". His foot-work was so convoluted that he was nicknamed "Tishy" after a famous race-horse of the day who crossed his legs as he ran. Henderson's play shifted "unaccountably, from the exquisite to sheer vaudeville".
In his first season at The Dell, Henderson made 23 appearances, scoring once in a 2–0 victory over Bradford City
on 11 February 1924. In the following season he made 34 league appearances, missing eight games through injury, when he was replaced by Tommy Broad
. Saints had a great run in the FA Cup
defeating Liverpool
in round 4, to reach the semi-final at Stamford Bridge
, where they were defeated 2-0 by Sheffield United
on 28 March 1925. In the semi-final Tom Parker
had a dreadful afternoon, first scoring an own-goal, then suffering a rare miss from the penalty spot (shooting straight at the 'keeper) before a mix-up between him and goalkeeper Tommy Allen
gave Sheffield their second goal.
In 1925–26, Henderson made 34 appearances, scoring three goals — he missed eight games through injury in October/November, when Cuthbert Coundon
stood in for him. By now, Henderson was developing a useful partnership with Arthur Dominy
on his inside, helping Bill Rawlings
at centre-forward to continue as the Saints top-scorer for the fifth of six seasons since the club joined the Football League
.
The 1926–27 season saw the Saints again have a great FA Cup
run reaching the semi-final, defeating Newcastle United
on the way. In the semi-final, played at Stamford Bridge
on 26 March 1927, Saints were eliminated 2-1 by Arsenal
with Saints' goal coming from Bill Rawlings
. In this match, Saints came up against Tom Parker who had had a nightmare in Saints' previous semi-final appearance two years earlier. This time Parker was on the winning side as Arsenal moved on to Wembley, losing to Cardiff City
in the final
.
In the League, Henderson had his most successful season, now playing with Dick Rowley
at inside-right, when he scored six goals (from 38 appearances), including a pair against Middlesbrough
in a 2–1 victory on 30 August 1926.
Henderson broke his arm in the fourth match of 1927–28 and missed a large part of the season, with Coundon again filling in for him. In Henderson's absence, the team struggled and finished the season only two points above the relegation zone.
In his five years at The Dell, Henderson made a total of 168 appearances, scoring ten goals.
for £200. He spent a season with Coventry, before returning to his home-town where he spent his final season back at Carlisle United
, now in the Football League Third Division North
.
shop, until his death in 1934, aged 35.
Southampton F.C.
Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club...
.
Early career
Henderson was born in Carlisle and started his professional career with his home-town club, Carlisle UnitedCarlisle United F.C.
Carlisle United F.C. is an English football club based in Carlisle, Cumbria, where they play at Brunton Park. Formed in 1904, the club currently compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system....
, then playing in the North Eastern League
North Eastern League
The North Eastern League was a football league for teams in the North East of England.The league was founded in 1906 and was initially successful, with teams defecting from the rival Northern Football Alliance to play...
.
In October 1921, he moved to London, to join First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
, for a fee of £1,000. Initially Henderson played as a centre forward, and deputised for Henry White
Henry White (footballer)
Henry Albert "Bert" White was an English footballer.-Playing career:White was born in Watford, Hertfordshire, and first played for Brentford as an amateur, before World War I intervened...
or Andrew Young; he made five appearances in 1921-22
1921-22 in English football
The 1921–22 season was the 47th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:The league underwent a major expansion for the second consecutive season, adding 20 teams from the Midlands and Northern England. They were placed in the new Third Division North, and the existing southern-based...
, his debut coming against Huddersfield Town
Huddersfield Town F.C.
Huddersfield Town Football Club is an English football club formed in 1908 and based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire. They currently play in League One...
on 22 October 1921.
He found first-team opportunities rare with the Gunners; he was moved out on to the right wing in 1922-23
1922-23 in English football
The 1922–23 season was the 48th season of competitive football in England.-Events:Liverpool retained the First Division title, but halfway through the season their manager David Ashworth left the club to take over at Oldham Athletic, who ended the season relegated.-Honours:Notes = Number in...
with two appearances, but was unable to supplant long-serving former England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
international, Jock Rutherford
Jock Rutherford
John "Jock" Rutherford , also known as Jackie Rutherford, was an English footballer.-Football career:Born in Percy Main, Northumberland, Rutherford was known for his longevity; he played nearly six hundred Football League and FA Cup matches, despite four seasons of football being cancelled due to...
. After 18 months at Highbury
Arsenal Stadium
Arsenal Stadium was a football stadium in Highbury, North London, which was the home ground of Arsenal Football Club between 6 September 1913 and 7 May 2006...
, during which time he made seven appearances in total, Henderson dropped down to the Third Division South with Luton Town
Luton Town F.C.
Luton Town Football Club is an English professional football club based since 1905 at Kenilworth Road, Luton, Bedfordshire. The club currently competes in the fifth tier of English football, the Conference National, for the third consecutive season during the 2011–12 season.Formed in 1885, it was...
in March 1923. He only made two appearances for Luton, before he was signed by Southampton
Southampton F.C.
Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club...
.
Southampton
In November 1923, Southampton paid Luton a transfer fee of £500 for Henderson's services in an attempt to cure their problems at outside-right. Following the transfer of Joe BarrattJoe Barratt
Josiah Barratt was an English professional footballer who played as a winger for various clubs in the 1920s.-Playing career:...
to Birmingham
Birmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
in March 1922, the "Saints" had tried several players on the right, including Charlie Brown
Charlie Brown (footballer)
Charles "Charlie" Brown was an English footballer who played at outside-right for Southampton and Queens Park Rangers in the 1920s.-Football career:...
, Robert Blyth
Robert Blyth
Robert Roberts Taylor Blyth was a Scottish professional footballer in the 1920s.-Football career:Blyth was born in Muirkirk Scotland – his father was the Portsmouth player Bob Blyth, who went on to manage Portsmouth from 1901 to 1904 and his cousins included Bill Shankly and Bob Shankly.He made...
and Sammy Meston
Sammy Meston
Samuel William Meston was a professional footballer who played as a winger for Tranmere Rovers as well as for Southampton, Gillingham and Everton.-Playing career:...
, none of whom had any conspicuous success.
He soon made the outside-right berth his own and over the next five years he entertained The Dell crowd with his unconventional style of football. According to Holley & Chalk in "The Alphabet of the Saints", Henderson was "a puzzling player, not only to the opposition, but often to his own team-mates. He could make the most amazing runs, dribbling the ball through places where it did not seem possible". His foot-work was so convoluted that he was nicknamed "Tishy" after a famous race-horse of the day who crossed his legs as he ran. Henderson's play shifted "unaccountably, from the exquisite to sheer vaudeville".
In his first season at The Dell, Henderson made 23 appearances, scoring once in a 2–0 victory over Bradford City
Bradford City A.F.C.
Bradford City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Bradford, West Yorkshire, playing in League Two....
on 11 February 1924. In the following season he made 34 league appearances, missing eight games through injury, when he was replaced by Tommy Broad
Tommy Broad
Thomas Higginson Broad was an English footballer who played at outside-right for various clubs in the first quarter of the twentieth century, spending the largest part of his career with Oldham Athletic and Bristol City.-Football career:...
. Saints had a great run in the FA Cup
FA Cup 1924–25
The 1924–25 FA Cup was the 50th season of the world's oldest football cup competition, the Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup...
defeating Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
in round 4, to reach the semi-final at Stamford Bridge
Stamford Bridge (stadium)
Stamford Bridge is a football stadium in Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, West London, and is the home of Chelsea Football Club. The stadium is located within the Moore Park Estate also known as Walham Green and is often referred to as simply The Bridge...
, where they were defeated 2-0 by Sheffield United
Sheffield United F.C.
Sheffield United Football Club is a professional English football club based in the city of Sheffield, South Yorkshire.They were the first sporting team to use the name 'United' and are nicknamed 'The Blades', thanks to Sheffield's worldwide reputation for steel production...
on 28 March 1925. In the semi-final Tom Parker
Tom Parker (footballer)
Thomas Robert "Tom" Parker was an English football player and manager.-Southampton:Born in Woolston, Southampton, Parker began playing with local sides, such as Sholing Rangers and Sholing Athletic, before joining Southern League side Southampton as an amateur in 1918, just before the end of the...
had a dreadful afternoon, first scoring an own-goal, then suffering a rare miss from the penalty spot (shooting straight at the 'keeper) before a mix-up between him and goalkeeper Tommy Allen
Tommy Allen (footballer)
Thomas "Tommy" Allen was an English professional goalkeeper who played for Southampton in the 1920s and later for Coventry City.-Early career:...
gave Sheffield their second goal.
In 1925–26, Henderson made 34 appearances, scoring three goals — he missed eight games through injury in October/November, when Cuthbert Coundon
Cuthbert Coundon
Cuthbert Coundon was an English footballer who played at outside-right in the 1920s, for Southampton and Wolverhampton Wanderers.-Football career:Coundon was born in Sunderland and represented Sunderland Schools...
stood in for him. By now, Henderson was developing a useful partnership with Arthur Dominy
Arthur Dominy
Arthur Albert Dominy was an English professional footballer, who played as an inside-forward, and football manager, spending most of his career with Southampton....
on his inside, helping Bill Rawlings
Bill Rawlings
William Ernest "Bill" Rawlings was an English footballer.-Playing career:Rawlings' career started in 1918 with Southampton, he stayed ten years with the club, from 1918 to 1928. His 193 goals places him third on the club's list of all-time goalscorers, behind Mick Channon and Matthew Le Tissier...
at centre-forward to continue as the Saints top-scorer for the fifth of six seasons since the club joined the Football League
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
.
The 1926–27 season saw the Saints again have a great FA Cup
FA Cup 1926–27
The 1926–27 FA Cup was the 52nd staging of the world's oldest football cup competition, the Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup...
run reaching the semi-final, defeating Newcastle United
Newcastle United F.C.
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...
on the way. In the semi-final, played at Stamford Bridge
Stamford Bridge (stadium)
Stamford Bridge is a football stadium in Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, West London, and is the home of Chelsea Football Club. The stadium is located within the Moore Park Estate also known as Walham Green and is often referred to as simply The Bridge...
on 26 March 1927, Saints were eliminated 2-1 by Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
with Saints' goal coming from Bill Rawlings
Bill Rawlings
William Ernest "Bill" Rawlings was an English footballer.-Playing career:Rawlings' career started in 1918 with Southampton, he stayed ten years with the club, from 1918 to 1928. His 193 goals places him third on the club's list of all-time goalscorers, behind Mick Channon and Matthew Le Tissier...
. In this match, Saints came up against Tom Parker who had had a nightmare in Saints' previous semi-final appearance two years earlier. This time Parker was on the winning side as Arsenal moved on to Wembley, losing to Cardiff City
Cardiff City F.C.
Cardiff City Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Cardiff, Wales. The club competes in the English football pyramid and is currently playing in the Football League Championship. Cardiff City is the best supported football club in Wales, averaging approximately 22,500 for...
in the final
FA Cup Final 1927
The 1927 FA Cup Final was won by Cardiff City, who beat Arsenal 1–0. It is most remembered for Arsenal goalkeeper Dan Lewis's mistake which led to the only goal of the game. It was also the first ever Cup Final to be broadcast by BBC Radio...
.
In the League, Henderson had his most successful season, now playing with Dick Rowley
Dick Rowley
Richard William Morris "Dick" Rowley was an Irish football Inside right who played for Southampton, Tottenham Hotspur and Preston North End, as well as representing the Irish national team.- Biography :...
at inside-right, when he scored six goals (from 38 appearances), including a pair against Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough F.C.
Middlesbrough Football Club , also known as Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Football League Championship. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August 1995, their third ground since turning professional in 1889...
in a 2–1 victory on 30 August 1926.
Henderson broke his arm in the fourth match of 1927–28 and missed a large part of the season, with Coundon again filling in for him. In Henderson's absence, the team struggled and finished the season only two points above the relegation zone.
In his five years at The Dell, Henderson made a total of 168 appearances, scoring ten goals.
Later career
After five years with Southampton, Henderson was sold to Coventry CityCoventry City F.C.
Coventry City Football Club, otherwise known as the Sky Blues owing to the traditional colour of their strip, are a professional English Football league club based in Coventry...
for £200. He spent a season with Coventry, before returning to his home-town where he spent his final season back at Carlisle United
Carlisle United F.C.
Carlisle United F.C. is an English football club based in Carlisle, Cumbria, where they play at Brunton Park. Formed in 1904, the club currently compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system....
, now in the Football League Third Division North
Football League Third Division North
The Third Division North of The Football League was a tier in the English association football league system from 1921 to 1958. It ran parallel to Third Division South with clubs elected to the League or relegated from a higher division allocated to one or the other according to geographical position...
.
After football
Following his retirement in 1930, Henderson remained in Carlisle, where he ran a tobacconistTobacconist
A tobacconist is an expert dealer in tobacco in various forms and the related accoutrements .Such accoutrements include pipes, lighters, matches, pipe cleaners, pipe tampers, ashtrays, humidification devices, hygrometers, humidors, cigar cutters, and more. Books and magazines, especially ones...
shop, until his death in 1934, aged 35.