William "Bill" Cranston is a former professional footballer

Football (soccer)

Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...

 who represented Blackpool

Blackpool F.C.

Blackpool Football Club are an English football club founded in 1887 from the Lancashire seaside town of Blackpool. They are competing in the 2011–12 season of the The Championship, the second tier of professional football in England, having been relegated from the Premier League at the end of the...

, Preston North End and Oldham Athletic

Oldham Athletic A.F.C.

Oldham Athletic Association Football Club is an English association football club based at Boundary Park, on Sheepfoot Lane in Oldham, Greater Manchester. The club currently competes in the Football League One, the third tier of the English league...

 throughout his career.

Cranston was a centre back

Defender (football)

Within the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposition from attacking....

 who began his career at Blackpool, making 33 league appearances between 1961 and 1965. He joined Preston North End during the 1964-65

1964-65 in English football

The 1964–65 season was the 85th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:* After a three-way tussle for the League title between Manchester United, Leeds United and Chelsea, Manchester United came out on top and were crowned champions....

 season and made 87 League appearances and scored 1 goal for the Deepdale

Deepdale

Deepdale is a stadium in the Deepdale area of Preston, England, the home of Preston North End F.C. and, up to 2010, England's National Football Museum. Preston North End are one of the founder members of the Football League.- History :...

 club. He was named the club's Official Player of the Year

Preston North End Player of the Year Award Winners

Winners of the official Preston North End F.C. Player of the Year Award since its inception in 1967–68:...

 in 1969-70

1969-70 in English football

The 1969–70 season was the 90th season of competitive football in England.-First Division:Everton won their seventh title, finishing nine points clear of Leeds United with Chelsea in third and newly promoted Derby County in fourth...

 despite only making 16 appearances that season. He moved to Oldham Athletic in 1970.

Cranston is now a maintenance officer at Burnley

Burnley

Burnley is a market town in the Burnley borough of Lancashire, England, with a population of around 73,500. It lies north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River Brun....

Police Station.

External links

• Blackpool F.C.'s official website - Whatever happened to...
• Blackpool stats