Billy Turley
Encyclopedia
William Lee "Billy" Turley (born 15 July 1973) is an English
football goalkeeper who is currently playing at Southern League Premier Division side Brackley Town
.
in the 2006–07 football season, ahead of Chris Tardif
and continued to be during 2007–2009 under Darren Patterson
and then Chris Wilder
. He is liked by fans for his character and, despite the occasional error, including missing a penalty in the penalty shoot-out loss to Exeter in the playoff semi-final in 2007, has produced some crucial saves for Oxford United. His banter, with fans and players alike, has made him an iconic figure in the Oxford United goal.
In 2002, while playing for Rushden & Diamonds, Turley became the first British footballer to test positive for an anabolic steroid. He escaped with only a warning from the Football Association after claiming that he had ingested the banned substance nandrolone
unwittingly, suggesting that prescribed drugs could have triggered the positive result, and that a suspension would cause him distress due to personal problems. However, in 2004 Turley tested positive for the banned recreational drug cocaine
, and was this time sacked by Rushden & Diamonds and handed a six-month ban by the FA. Richard Caborn
, the sports minister at the time, questioned why the ban was not more severe, as in many other sports a second positive test would usually lead to a lifetime ban. On 29 May 2010 it was announced that Turley had signed for Southern League Premier Division team Brackley Town
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
football goalkeeper who is currently playing at Southern League Premier Division side Brackley Town
Brackley Town F.C.
Brackley Town Football Club are a football club based in Brackley, England, who play their home games at St. James Park. They were established in 1890. They have won the Hellenic League twice in their history...
.
Career
At Oxford United he was the first-choice goalkeeper under Jim SmithJim Smith (footballer)
James Michael "Jim" Smith is a retired English footballer and manager. As a player, he made 249 appearances in the Fourth Division of The Football League, representing Aldershot, Halifax Town, Lincoln City and Colchester United, and played for three-and-a-half years for Boston United of the...
in the 2006–07 football season, ahead of Chris Tardif
Chris Tardif
Christopher Luke "Chris" Tardif is a former professional footballer, who currently plays for Guernsey F.C. as a goalkeeper.Tardif began his career as a trainee with Portsmouth, turning professional in the 1998 close season...
and continued to be during 2007–2009 under Darren Patterson
Darren Patterson
Darren James Patterson is a Northern Irish former footballer and manager. As a player he was primarily a central defender who could also play at full back or as a defensive midfielder. He is the interim assistant manager at Bristol Rovers, where he has previously held the positions of Head of...
and then Chris Wilder
Chris Wilder
Christopher John "Chris" Wilder is an English former footballer, and current manager of Oxford United.Previously, he was the last manager of Halifax Town F.C., becoming their manager in July 2002 just after relegation from the Football League and remaining there until June 2008, when the club was...
. He is liked by fans for his character and, despite the occasional error, including missing a penalty in the penalty shoot-out loss to Exeter in the playoff semi-final in 2007, has produced some crucial saves for Oxford United. His banter, with fans and players alike, has made him an iconic figure in the Oxford United goal.
In 2002, while playing for Rushden & Diamonds, Turley became the first British footballer to test positive for an anabolic steroid. He escaped with only a warning from the Football Association after claiming that he had ingested the banned substance nandrolone
Nandrolone
Nandrolone is an anabolic steroid that may be present naturally in the human body, albeit in minute quantities of less than 0.4 ng/ml. Nandrolone is most commonly sold commercially as its decanoate ester and less commonly as a phenylpropionate ester...
unwittingly, suggesting that prescribed drugs could have triggered the positive result, and that a suspension would cause him distress due to personal problems. However, in 2004 Turley tested positive for the banned recreational drug cocaine
Cocaine
Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
, and was this time sacked by Rushden & Diamonds and handed a six-month ban by the FA. Richard Caborn
Richard Caborn
Richard George Caborn PC is a British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Sheffield Central from 1983 to 2010...
, the sports minister at the time, questioned why the ban was not more severe, as in many other sports a second positive test would usually lead to a lifetime ban. On 29 May 2010 it was announced that Turley had signed for Southern League Premier Division team Brackley Town
External links
- Profile on official Oxford United F.C. site