Billy Hamilton (footballer)
Encyclopedia
William Robert Hamilton (born 9 May 1957 in Bangor
) is a former Northern Ireland
international footballer who played as a forward.
At club level, Billy played for Linfield
, QPR
, Burnley
, Oxford United
, Limerick
, Sligo Rovers
, Coleraine
and Distillery. Billy is best remembered by Northern Ireland fans as the man who crossed the ball for Gerry Armstrong
to score for Northern Ireland in their famous win against the hosts Spain
at the 1982 FIFA World Cup
. He played in every game and subsequently scored two goals himself in the second round game against Austria
, and also played at the 1986 FIFA World Cup
. He also twice won the British Home Championship
in 1980 and 1984, scoring the winning goal against Scotland
. Northern Ireland never lost when Billy scored. In total, Billy played 41 games, scoring 5 goals, for his country.
He is also remembered fondly by Distillery fans. He was a sensational signing by the club as Player/Manager in December 1989, after leaving Limerick City of the League of Ireland
, having managed them to a third place finish in the previous season. He made his playing debut for the Whites on 22 March 1990 and in his three seasons made 72 appearances and scored 33 goals including one hat-trick. Knee injuries forced him to end his playing career in February 1992, but he continued to manage the team up until February 1995. He guided the club to the Gold Cup
victory in the 1993/94 season.
Hamilton has the distinction of designing a board game, Billy Hamilton's Football Academy, which was released in 1985.
Bangor, County Down
Bangor is a large town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is a seaside resort on the southern side of Belfast Lough and within the Belfast Metropolitan Area. Bangor Marina is one of the largest in Ireland, and holds Blue Flag status...
) is a former Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland national football team
The Northern Ireland national football team represents Northern Ireland in international association football. Before 1921 all of Ireland was represented by a single side, the Ireland national football team, organised by the Irish Football Association...
international footballer who played as a forward.
At club level, Billy played for Linfield
Linfield F.C.
Linfield F.C. , is a semi-professional, Northern Irish football club, whose home ground is Windsor Park in Belfast, which is also the home of the Northern Ireland international team....
, QPR
Queens Park Rangers F.C.
Queens 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...
, Burnley
Burnley F.C.
Burnley 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...
, Oxford United
Oxford United F.C.
Oxford United Football Club is an English association football club based in Oxford, Oxfordshire. The club play in League Two, following promotion from the Conference National in May 2010. The club had been a non-League side since their relegation from the Football League in the 2005–06 season. The...
, Limerick
Limerick F.C.
Limerick Football Club is an association football club based in Limerick, Ireland. The club currently play in the First Division of the League of Ireland. The first Limerick FC was founded in 1937 and has had a number of guises through its history, known at different times as Limerick FC, Limerick...
, Sligo Rovers
Sligo Rovers F.C.
Sligo Rovers Football Club is a professional Irish football club playing in the Premier Division of the League of Ireland. The club was founded in 1928 and have been in the League of Ireland since 1934. The club is a co-operative venture, owned by the people of Sligo. Sligo Rovers have played at...
, Coleraine
Coleraine F.C.
Coleraine F.C. is a semi-professional, Northern Irish football club, playing in the IFA Premiership. The club, founded in 1927, hails from Coleraine, County Londonderry and plays its home matches at the Showgrounds. Club colours are blue and white...
and Distillery. Billy is best remembered by Northern Ireland fans as the man who crossed the ball for Gerry Armstrong
Gerry Armstrong (footballer)
Gerard "Gerry" Joseph Armstrong is a former Northern Ireland international footballer who played for Tottenham Hotspur....
to score for Northern Ireland in their famous win against the hosts Spain
Spain national football team
The Spain national football team represents Spain in international association football and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain. The current head coach is Vicente del Bosque...
at the 1982 FIFA World Cup
1982 FIFA World Cup
The 1982 FIFA World Cup, the 12th FIFA World Cup, was held in Spain from 13 June to 11 July. The tournament was won by Italy, after defeating West Germany 3–1 in the final.-Host selection:...
. He played in every game and subsequently scored two goals himself in the second round game against Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, and also played at the 1986 FIFA World Cup
1986 FIFA World Cup
The 1986 FIFA World Cup, the 13th FIFA World Cup, was held in Mexico from 31 May to 29 June. The tournament was the second to feature a 24-team format. Colombia had been originally chosen to host the competition by FIFA but, largely due to economic reasons, was not able to do so and officially...
. He also twice won the British Home Championship
British Home Championship
The British Home Championship was an annual football competition contested between the United Kingdom's four national teams, England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland from the 1883–84 season until the 1983–84...
in 1980 and 1984, scoring the winning goal against Scotland
Scotland national football team
The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...
. Northern Ireland never lost when Billy scored. In total, Billy played 41 games, scoring 5 goals, for his country.
He is also remembered fondly by Distillery fans. He was a sensational signing by the club as Player/Manager in December 1989, after leaving Limerick City of the League of Ireland
League of Ireland
The League of Ireland is the national association football league of the Republic of Ireland. Founded in 1921, as a league of eight clubs, it has expanded over time into a two-tiered league of 22 clubs. It is currently split into the League of Ireland Premier Division and the League of Ireland...
, having managed them to a third place finish in the previous season. He made his playing debut for the Whites on 22 March 1990 and in his three seasons made 72 appearances and scored 33 goals including one hat-trick. Knee injuries forced him to end his playing career in February 1992, but he continued to manage the team up until February 1995. He guided the club to the Gold Cup
Gold Cup
Gold Cup may refer to:In art and archaeology:* Royal Gold Cup, 14th century French cup in the British Museum* Rillaton Gold Cup, late Neolithic, from Rillaton Barrow in England* Ringlemere Cup, Bronze Age from EnglandIn horse racing:...
victory in the 1993/94 season.
Hamilton has the distinction of designing a board game, Billy Hamilton's Football Academy, which was released in 1985.
International goals
Scores and results list Northern Ireland's goal tally first.| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 16 May 1980 | Belfast Belfast Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly... , Northern Ireland Northern Ireland Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west... |
1-0 | 1-0 | 1980 British Home Championship 1980 British Home Championship The 1980 British Home Championship saw only the second undisputed victory for Northern Ireland in the British Home Nations international football tournament in 96 years of existence. It was also the first time since 1970 that Scotland agreed to travel to Northern Ireland, having refused to play... |
|
| 2 | 25 March 1981 | Glasgow Glasgow Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands... , Scotland Scotland Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the... |
1-1 | 1-1 | 1982 FIFA World Cup qualification 1982 FIFA World Cup qualification A total of 109 teams entered the 1982 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds, competing for a total of 24 spots in the final tournament, an increase from 16 in the previous World Cups... |
|
| 3 | 1 July 1982 | Madrid Madrid Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan... , Spain Spain Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula... |
1-0 | 2-2 | 1982 FIFA World Cup 1982 FIFA World Cup The 1982 FIFA World Cup, the 12th FIFA World Cup, was held in Spain from 13 June to 11 July. The tournament was won by Italy, after defeating West Germany 3–1 in the final.-Host selection:... |
|
| 4 | 1 July 1982 | Madrid Madrid Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan... , Spain Spain Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula... |
2-2 | 2-2 | 1982 FIFA World Cup 1982 FIFA World Cup The 1982 FIFA World Cup, the 12th FIFA World Cup, was held in Spain from 13 June to 11 July. The tournament was won by Italy, after defeating West Germany 3–1 in the final.-Host selection:... |
|
| 5 | 21 September 1983 | Belfast Belfast Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly... , Northern Ireland Northern Ireland Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west... |
1-0 | 3-1 | UEFA Euro 1984 qualifying |