Bill Rawlings
William Ernest Rawlings (3 January 1896 – 25 September 1972) was an English footballer. A centre-forward, he scored more than 196 goals in 367 league games in a 15-year career.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | William Ernest Rawlings | ||
| Date of birth | 3 January 1896 | ||
| Place of birth | Andover, Hampshire, England | ||
| Date of death | 25 September 1972 (aged 76) | ||
| Place of death | Chandler's Ford, Hampshire, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||
| Position(s) | Centre-forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Andover | |||
| 1918–1919 | Southampton | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1919–1928 | Southampton | 327 | (175) |
| 1928–1929 | Manchester United | 35 | (19) |
| 1929–1930 | Port Vale | 5 | (2) |
| 1930 | New Milton | ||
| 1930–1933 | Newport (IOW) | ||
| Total | 367+ | (196+) | |
| International career | |||
| 1922 | England | 2 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
He began his career with Southampton in 1918, who were elevated from the Southern League to the Football League in 1919. He finished as the club's top-scorer eight times in nine seasons from 1920–21 to 1927–28, helping the Saints to win the Third Division South title in 1921–22 and to reach the FA Cup semi-finals in 1925 and 1927. He also won himself two England caps in 1922, both of which were from British Home Championship games. He signed with Manchester United in March 1928, and moved on to Port Vale in November 1929. He picked up a serious ankle injury while with the Valiants, and moved onto Newport via New Milton the following year, before retiring in 1933.