| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | William Whitehurst | ||
| Date of birth | 10 June 1959 | ||
| Place of birth | Thurnscoe, England | ||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||
| Playing position | Striker | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1977–1978 | Retford Town | ||
| 1978–1980 | Bridlington Trinity | ||
| 1980 | Mexborough Town | ||
| 1980–1985 | Hull City | 193 | (47) |
| 1985–1986 | Newcastle United | 28 | (7) |
| 1986–1988 | Oxford United | 40 | (4) |
| 1988 | Reading | 17 | (8) |
| 1988 | Sunderland | 17 | (3) |
| 1988–1990 | Hull City | 36 | (5) |
| 1990–1991 | Sheffield United | 22 | (2) |
| 1990 | → Stoke City (loan) | 3 | (0) |
| 1991–1992 | Doncaster Rovers | 22 | (1) |
| 1992 | → Crewe Alexandra (loan) | 10 | (0) |
| 1992 | St George-Budapest | 11 | (4) |
| 1992 | Hatfield Main | ||
| 1992 | Kettering Town | 4 | (0) |
| 1992 | Goole Town | ||
| 1992 | Stafford Rangers | 2 | (0) |
| 1992 | Mossley | 2 | (0) |
| 1993 | Glentoran | 6 | (4) |
| 1993 | South China | 4 | (1) |
| 1993–1994 | Voicelink | ||
| 1994–1995 | Frickley Athletic | ||
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals). |
|||
William "Billy" Whitehurst (born 10 June 1959 in Thurnscoe, South Yorkshire)[1] was an English professional footballer during the 1980s-1990s.
Whitehurst started his career playing for a number of local teams, one being Mexborough Town in the semi-professional leagues, whilst working for the local council as a bricklayer. He eventually made the move into the professional ranks with Hull City in 1980 and after a shaky start soon cemented his place as one of the most popular players to have ever played for the club. His upturn in form had not gone un-noticed and he joined Newcastle United in 1985 as their then record signing. Despite playing in a side featuring Peter Beardsley and Paul Gascoigne, the move did not work out and following a spat with his own supporters Whitehurst joined Oxford United, where it was rumoured he supplemented his football earnings by engaging in bare knuckle boxing bouts with local Gypsies.
The move there was similarly disappointing and Whitehurst became something of a footballing wanderer, playing for a further six football league clubs. Spells at Reading, Sunderland, Sheffield United, Stoke City, Doncaster Rovers, Crewe Alexandra and a second spell at Hull City produced mixed results. However, Whitehurst's hard man persona and colourful off field antics ensured he always caused a reaction and cemented his place as something of a cult figure within the game. Whitehurst ended his playing days abroad, playing in Northern Ireland, Australia and in Hong Kong with South China A.A. (1992–93) before a long-standing knee injury caused his retirement in 1993.
It has been printed in the press that both Vinnie Jones and Neil "Razor" Ruddock consider Billy as the toughest player they have come across. Glenn Roeder also stated on Sky Televisions Soccer AM that Billy was the hardest player he had experienced.
In his autobiography, "A Matter of Opinion" (Bantam Books 2000) the Scotland and Liverpool defender Alan Hansen says of Billy Whitehurst: "He was six feet tall and weighed more than thirteen stone and he knew how to exploit this. Indeed, because of his power in the air, aggression and courage, he was one of the opposing strikers who frightened me the most - and I do mean frightened".