Roger Willis

Roger Willis
Personal information
Full nameRoger Christopher Willis[1]
Date of birth17 June 1967 [1]
Place of birthSheffield, England
Height6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)[1]
Playing positionMidfielder / Forward
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps†(Gls)†
198?–1988Dunkirk
1988–1990Grimsby Town9(0)
1990→ Boston United (loan)10(5)
1990–1992Barnet81(23)
1992–1993Watford36(2)
1993–1994Birmingham City19(5)
1994–1996Southend United31(7)
1996–1997Peterborough United40(6)
1997–2002Chesterfield135(21)
2002Peterborough United4(0)
2002Kettering Town2(0)
2002Stevenage Borough1(0)
2002–2003Cambridge City2(0)
2003Hucknall Town1(0)
2004St Albans City5(2)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.
† Appearances (Goals).

Roger Christopher Willis (born 17 June 1967) is an English former professional footballer who played as a midfielder or forward. He made more than 300 appearances in the Football League between 1989 and 2002 playing for seven different clubs.[2]

Career

Willis, a native of Sheffield generally known by his nickname, Harry, played for Nottingham-based non-league club Dunkirk before joining Grimsby Town in 1989.[3] He made ten first-team appearances for the Mariners in all competitions,[4] and spent time on loan to Boston United in the Conference,[5] before being sold to Barnet for £10,000 at the end of the 1989–90 season.[3]

In his first season with Barnet, Willis helped them to the Conference title and consequent promotion to the Football League.[3] A flourishing second season, in which he was one of the key players as Barnet reached the playoff semifinal,[6] earned him a move to Division One (second-tier) club Watford in October 1992 for a fee of £175,000.[3] After a relatively unsuccessful year with the Hornets,[7] he rejoined former Barnet manager Barry Fry, now at fellow Division one club Birmingham City, for a fee of £150,000.[3] Willis left for Southend United after ten months,[3] and went on to feature for Peterborough United before settling down for a five-year spell with Division Three (fourth-tier) Chesterfield, whom he helped to promotion in the 2000–01 season.[8]

Released by Chesterfield in 2002, he made a brief return to Peterborough, followed by occasional appearances for non-league clubs Kettering Town, Stevenage Borough, Cambridge City and Hucknall Town, before retiring from the game in February 2003.[9][10] He came out of retirement to play for St Albans City in 2004.[11]

Notes

    References

    Infobox statistics
    General
    1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Hugman, Barry J., ed. (2003). The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2003/2004. Queen Anne Press. p. 456. ISBN 1-85291-651-6.
    2. ↑ "Roger Willis". UK A–Z Transfers. Neil Brown. Retrieved 2 February 2012.
    3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Matthews, Tony (1995). Birmingham City: A Complete Record. Derby: Breedon Books. p. 135. ISBN 978-1-85983-010-9.
    4. ↑ "Roger Willis". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 2 February 2012.
    5. ↑ "Boston United Roll Call". Boston United FC – The Original Website. Ken Fox. Retrieved 2 February 2012.
    6. ↑ "The Barry Fry Years – Part Seven". History of Barnet F.C. Barnet F.C. Supporters Association. Retrieved 17 December 2008.
    7. ↑ Devon, Simon; Grant, Ian. "Roger 'Harry' Willis". Blind, Stupid and Desperate (a Watford F.C. fanzine). Retrieved 17 December 2008.
    8. ↑ "Roger Willis Back in Posh Colours For Trial Outing". Peterborough United F.C. 16 July 2002. Retrieved 18 December 2008.
    9. ↑ "Roger Willis's Career". UpThePosh.com (a Peterborough United fansite). Retrieved 17 December 2008.
    10. ↑ "Hucknall Lose Willis". NonLeague Daily. 11 February 2003. Retrieved 18 December 2008.
    11. ↑ "Player Profile: Roger Willis". NonLeague Daily. Retrieved 18 December 2008.