| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | William Henry Fitchford | ||
| Date of birth | 1892 | ||
| Place of birth | Wolstanton, England | ||
| Date of death | April 13, 1966 (age 73–74) | ||
| Place of death | Melbourne, Australia | ||
| Playing position | Inside-left | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Porthill St. Andrew's | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1914–1923 | Port Vale | 89 | (13) |
| Glossop | |||
| Congleton Town | |||
| Stoke | |||
| Northern Nomads | |||
| Total | 89+ | (13+) | |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals). |
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William Henry (Billy) Fitchford (1892 – 13 April 1966) was an English footballer and cricketer.
Fitchford was an amateur with a good footballing brain, playing for Porthill St. Andrew's before he signed for Port Vale in March 1914. After serving as a Lieutenant in the First World War he finally made his debut for the club on 23 November 1918, being the only scorer for Vale in a 4–1 defeat at Burnley. He struggled to be given permission to miss work from his banking job to play in matches so was not played as often as he could have been. He did however, manage to score the only goal of the Staffordshire Senior Cup final against Birmingham City on 15 May 1920. He also was a part of the side that shared the North Staffordshire Infirmary Cup in 1922. He was released at the end of the 1922–23 season, having played 98 games (69 in the football league) and scored 14 goals (8 in the football league). Fitchford went on to play for Glossop, Congleton Town, Stoke and Northern Nomads.[1] He played Minor Counties Championship cricket for Staffordshire from 1922 to 1928.[2]