William Louis "Billy" Sharp (born 5 February 1986 in
SheffieldSheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
) is an
EnglishEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
professional footballer who currently plays as a striker for Doncaster Rovers. He is now widely known for playing in a game for Doncaster Rovers against
MiddlesbroughMiddlesbrough 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...
two days after his two-day-old son's death. He scored the opening goal and celebrated by pulling up his shirt, with another shirt underneath reading 'That's for you son'.
Sheffield United
Sharp started at
Rotherham UnitedRotherham United Football Club are an English professional football club based in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, who compete in League Two, the fourth tier of English football. The club's colours have traditionally been red and white, although these have evolved through history...
as a schoolboy in the Academy after leaving his Sunday league team, but opted to join the
Sheffield UnitedSheffield 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...
Academy after
RotherhamRotherham United Football Club are an English professional football club based in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, who compete in League Two, the fourth tier of English football. The club's colours have traditionally been red and white, although these have evolved through history...
turned him away.
Sharp signed for
Sheffield UnitedSheffield 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...
as a schoolboy in 2002 but, after leaving the Academy, he failed to establish himself in manager Neil Warnock's squad. He made only two brief substitute appearances for United, the second and final of which coming in the last game of the 2004–05 season.
Rushden and Diamonds (loan)
In January 2005, he went on loan to
Rushden and DiamondsRushden & Diamonds Football Club was an association football club based in Irthlingborough, Northamptonshire, England. Formed by a merger of Rushden Town and Irthlingborough Diamonds in 1992, the club played in the Conference National following a short spell in the Football League at the start of...
. Despite playing only 19 times Sharp became a very popular figure. Scoring 9 goals, one of them a last minute winner in the 3–2 win over local rivals
Northampton TownNorthampton Town Football Club are an English professional football club based in Northampton, Northamptonshire. They currently play in Football League Two, the lowest league division, after being relegated from League One on the last day of the 2008–09 season...
, he helped prevent the club being
relegatedIn many sports leagues around the world, promotion and relegation is a process that takes place at the end of each season. Through it, teams are transferred between divisions based on their performance that season...
.
Scunthorpe United
After returning from his loan spell, Sharp made two substitute appearances for Sheffield United before he was sold to
Scunthorpe UnitedScunthorpe United Football Club is an English association football team based in the town of Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire, who play in the Football League One....
for £100,000 in August 2005. He soon became a firm favourite at Glanford Park scoring 24 goals in his first season with the League One club.
Sharp scored the 50th goal of his career in the 2–0 win at
Carlisle UnitedCarlisle 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....
on 9 December 2006. He was featured on ITV's
The ChampionshipThe Championship was a British football television programme featuring highlights from the Coca Cola Football League. It was almost always shown on Sunday mornings on ITV, presented by Matt Smith...
, and Scunthorpe United chairman
Steve WhartonJ. Steven Wharton is the chairman and majority shareholder of Scunthorpe United FC.-Football chairman:When he was four years old, his father, Jack, gave him £50-worth of Scunthorpe United shares....
claimed he would reject a bid of £2 million for Sharp.
Sharp broke the Iron's 45 year old club record for most goals scored in a season on 28 April 2007. Barrie Thomas was the previous holder.
Sharp netted 30 times in the league in the 2006–07 season guiding his team to promotion into the Coca Cola Championship. This was the highest total in the 4 leagues of England.
He scored a header in the televised defeat to
Aston VillaAston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...
, which only served to enhance his reputation across the nation. In all, he scored 56 goals in 95 games for Scunthorpe during his two seasons at
Glanford ParkGlanford Park is a football stadium in Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire, England, and the current home of Scunthorpe United. It is the smallest stadium by capacity in the Championship ....
.
With his goalscoring feats in the 2006–07 season, there was predictable interest from other clubs in Sharp, and a number of clubs made bids for the striker as the season ended.
Return to Sheffield United
Ultimately, lifelong Blades fan Sharp rejoined
Sheffield UnitedSheffield 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 4 July 2007 for a fee of around £2 million, a deal that also saw Sheffield United's
Jonathan ForteJonathan Ronald James Forte is an English-born Barbadian footballer who plays for Preston North End on loan from Southampton as a forward.-Club career:...
transferred to Scunthorpe. Sharp was allocated the number 24 shirt.
Sharp made his full Sheffield United first team debut in the opening game of the 2007–08 season, a 2–2 draw with
Colchester UnitedColchester United Football Club is an English football club based in Colchester. The club was formed in 1937, and briefly shared their old Layer Road home with now defunct side Colchester Town who had previously used the ground from 1910....
. He scored his first competitive goals for the club in September, scoring two against
MorecambeMorecambe Football Club is an English football club based in Morecambe, Lancashire. It plays its football in League Two, the fourth division of English football, having been promoted in 2007 for the first time in their history to the Football League. They played their home matches at Christie Park...
in a 5–0 third round
League CupThe Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
victory but had to wait until March to score his first league goal, in a 2–1 win at home against
Coventry CityCoventry 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...
. After finally breaking his duck he went on to score three more times before the end of the season.
Sharp started the 2008–09 season brightly, scoring a perfect hat-trick (header, right foot, left foot) in the Blades' first home game, against
Queens Park RangersQueens Park Rangers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in White City, Hammersmith and Fulham, west London. As the 2010-11 Football League Championship champions, they now play in the top tier of English football the Premier League, for the first time in 15 years...
. He scored the equaliser in a 1–1 home draw to
CoventryCoventry 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...
a few weeks later, but that proved to be his last league goal of the season. Sharp did score twice more in the
FA CupThe Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
including a goal against
Hull CityHull City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, founded in 1904. The club participates in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football...
during a fifth-round replay. During the same game, Sharp was incorrectly booked for
divingIn association football, diving is an attempt by a player to gain an unfair advantage by diving to the ground and possibly feigning an injury, to appear as if a foul has been committed. Dives are often used to exaggerate the amount of contact present in a challenge...
by referee
Peter WaltonPeter Walton , is an English professional football referee who officiates primarily in the Premier League, and former player in the United Counties League. He is based in Long Buckby, Northamptonshire, the town which he played his football for...
who later apologised for his mistake.
With the club rebuilding the team following their failure to gain promotion, Sharp was placed on the
transfer listThe Transfer market and Transfer list are common slang terms for the virtual arena in which football players are available for transfer to clubs.- Transfer market :...
in July 2009.
Doncaster Rovers
Sharp signed a season long-loan with
ChampionshipThe Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
club,
Doncaster RoversDoncaster Rovers Football Club is an English football club, based at the Keepmoat Stadium in Doncaster, South Yorkshire. The team currently competes in the Football League Championship, after being promoted via the League One play-offs in 2008, and have remained there since.The club was founded in...
on 1 September 2009. He was given the number 5 for the season, an unusual choice for a striker. He made his debut on 12 September against
ReadingReading Football Club is an English association football club based in the town of Reading, Berkshire who currently play in the Championship...
, he scored his first goal just two games later against former club, Scunthorpe United. With ten goals in seventeen games, meant interest came in from a number of clubs, and Sheffield United would allow the striker to move away during the January transfer market, with both Doncaster Rovers and fellow Championship club
BarnsleyBarnsley Football Club are a professional English football club based in the town of Barnsley, South Yorkshire. Nicknamed the Tykes, they were founded in 1887 under the name Barnsley St. Peter's...
reported to be looking to sign the striker. Near the end of the season, a knee injury stopped Sharp's season but however he still managed to finish with 15 goals in 33 league games.
During the summer transfer window, Sheffield United rejected an initial bid of what was though to be £1 million from Doncaster on 20 May, but they hadn't given up hope of signing the striker. On 29 June, Sharp rejected a move to relegated Premier League side
BurnleyBurnley Football Club are a professional English Football League club based in Burnley, Lancashire. Nicknamed the Clarets, due to the dominant colour of their home shirts, they were founder members of the Football League in 1888...
, despite the £1 million being accepted by United. Sharp finally signed for Doncaster Rovers on 7 July 2010 for £1.15 million, beating their record fee of £300,000 for
Matthew MillsMatthew Claude "Matt" Mills is an English footballer who currently plays for and is the current captain of Leicester City in the Npower Championship.-Southampton and Manchester City:...
from
Manchester CityManchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...
. Sharp signed a three-year contract, which kept him at Keepmoat Stadium till the summer of 2013.
Sharp made his second debut on 7 August, scoring in his first game back against
Preston North EndPreston North End Football Club is an English professional football club located in the Deepdale area of the city of Preston, Lancashire, currently playing in the third tier of English league football, League One...
. Sharp also managed to score against another of his former clubs, Sheffield United in a 2–0 victory for Rovers, but was forced off in the first half with a hamstring problem. It was later confirmed that he would be out for at least six weeks. In his return, against
Leicester CityLeicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester...
, Sharp managed to score a six minute opener at the
Walkers StadiumThe King Power Stadium is a football stadium which hosts home matches of English football club Leicester City. The all-seater stadium, inaugurated in July 2002, holds 32,500 and has the 19th largest stadium capacity in England. The stadium is named after King Power, a company owned by club owner...
. On 3 March 2011, Sharp told BBC Radio that he would need a hernia operation but would try to hold it till the end of the season so that he could reach a 20 goal milestone. Despite failing to reach this milestone, bids still came in for Sharp in the summer window, Doncaster rejected two bids, £2.3 million from
Ipswich TownIpswich Town Football Club are an English professional football team based in Ipswich, Suffolk. As of 2011, they play in the Football League Championship, having last appeared in the Premier League in 2001–02....
. Shortly after
SouthamptonSouthampton 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...
put a bid in for £3.25m which Sharp himself rejected.
On 2 November 2011, two days following the death of his two-day-old son, Sharp netted a superb volley to open the scoring in the 14th minute. He celebrated by taking off his jersey, unveiling an undershirt that read "That's For You Son" and was not awarded the usual yellow card for excessive celebration by referee Darren Deadman, for his emotional celebration. Doncaster lost the game to
MiddlesbroughMiddlesbrough 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...
3-1. Sharp scored another great goal on 7 November in his side's impressive 3-2 win against
IpswichIpswich Town Football Club are an English professional football team based in Ipswich, Suffolk. As of 2011, they play in the Football League Championship, having last appeared in the Premier League in 2001–02....
at
Portman RoadPortman Road is an association football stadium in Ipswich, Suffolk, England. It has been the home ground of Ipswich Town F.C. since 1884. The stadium has also hosted a number of England youth international matches, and one senior England friendly international match, against Croatia in 2003...
. The home fans even had a standing ovation and applauded Sharp as he celebrated his goal, with the player later stating that the gesture brought a smile to him.
Club statistics
| Club Performance | |Domestic Cup | |Continental | |Total |
| Season | Club | League | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| England | |FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
| League CupThe Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
| EuropeThe Union of European Football Associations , almost always referred to by its acronym UEFA is the administrative and controlling body for European association football, futsal and beach soccer....
| |Total |
| 2004–05 The 2004–05 season was the 125th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:*2004–05 was the first season to feature the rebranded Football League. The First Division, Second Division and Third Division were renamed the Football League Championship, Football League One and Football League...
|
Sheffield UnitedSheffield 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...
|
Championship The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
|
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
- |
- |
2 |
0 |
| 2004–05 The 2004–05 season was the 125th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:*2004–05 was the first season to feature the rebranded Football League. The First Division, Second Division and Third Division were renamed the Football League Championship, Football League One and Football League...
|
Rushden & DiamondsRushden & Diamonds Football Club was an association football club based in Irthlingborough, Northamptonshire, England. Formed by a merger of Rushden Town and Irthlingborough Diamonds in 1992, the club played in the Conference National following a short spell in the Football League at the start of...
|
League Two Football League Two is the third-highest division of The Football League and fourth-highest division overall in the English football league system....
|
16 |
9 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
- |
0 |
0 |
16 |
9 |
| 2005–06 The 2005–06 season was the 126th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:*The rebuilt Wembley Stadium was due to open in time for the FA Cup final in May. However, in August 2005, The Football Association reserved the Millennium Stadium as a backup, as there was some doubt whether...
|
Scunthorpe UnitedScunthorpe United Football Club is an English association football team based in the town of Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire, who play in the Football League One....
|
League One Football League One is the second-highest division of The Football League and third-highest division overall in the English football league system....
|
37 |
23 |
4 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
- |
2 |
1 |
45 |
24 |
| 2006–07 The 2006–07 season was the 127th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:* The number of divisions at Level 8 of the English football league system increased from four to five...
|
45 |
30 |
3 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
- |
0 |
0 |
50 |
33 |
| Total |
82 |
53 |
7 |
1 |
4 |
2 |
- |
2 |
1 |
95 |
57 |
2007–08The 2007–08 season was the 128th season of competitive football in England.-European competitions:In October 2007 Arsenal equalled the UEFA Champions League record victory with a 7–0 win over Slavia Prague at the Emirates Stadium. The record was broken the following month when Liverpool...
|
Sheffield UnitedSheffield 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...
|
Championship The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
|
29 |
4 |
4 |
0 |
3 |
2 |
- |
- |
36 |
6 |
| 2008–09 |
22 |
4 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
- |
- |
25 |
5 |
| 2009–10 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
- |
- |
1 |
1 |
| Total |
51 |
8 |
6 |
1 |
5 |
3 |
- |
- |
62 |
12 |
| 2009–10 |
Doncaster RoversDoncaster Rovers Football Club is an English football club, based at the Keepmoat Stadium in Doncaster, South Yorkshire. The team currently competes in the Football League Championship, after being promoted via the League One play-offs in 2008, and have remained there since.The club was founded in...
|
Championship The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
|
33 |
15 |
2 |
0 |
- |
- |
- |
35 |
15 |
| 2010–11 |
29 |
15 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
- |
- |
31 |
16 |
| 2011–12 |
9 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
- |
- |
9 |
4 |
| Total |
71 |
34 |
4 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
- |
- |
75 |
35 |
| Overall |
222 |
104 |
19 |
4 |
9 |
4 |
- |
2 |
1 |
252 |
113 |
External links