McLeod: William (Billy)

1906-1919 (Leeds City Player Details) (Leeds City War-time Guest Player Details)

Centre Forward

Born: Hebburn: 04-06-1887

Debut: v Wolverhampton Wanderers (a) 24-11-1906

5’9” 11st 7lb (1910)

Although of Scottish parents, he was born in North East England and though never honoured at International level, he twice came close to English representative honours. He was a non-playing reserve for England’s game against Wales in Cardiff in 1914 and occupied a similar position when the Football League played the Scottish League that year. He started his career with his local club Hebburn Argyle and then was with Southern Scottish club, Peebles Rovers, before joining Second Division Lincoln City in June 1906 for £25 and being immediately included in the first team. He scored on debut in a 4-3 win at Burton Albion on 1st September 1906 at Burton United on the opening day of the season He came to the notice of Leeds City when he scored the Lincoln goal in the 1-1 draw at Elland Road on 10th September 1906 and also at Sincil Bank in another 1-1 draw on 29th September 1906. He scored eight goals in thirteen League games at Sincil Bank before he was signed by Second Division Leeds City for £350 as a replacement for ‘Soldier’ Wilson in November 1906. It was a huge gamble on a twenty-one year-old, but it paid handsome dividends. He possessed a strong shot in either foot and showed heroic tendencies with his head when getting on the end of crosses. McLeod played more games and scored more goals than any other Leeds City player and was top scorer in nine successive seasons. His five goals at Hull City in a 6-2 win on 16th January 1915 is an individual scoring record for Leeds City and was only equalled by Gordon Hodgson when playing for Leeds United, but still remains as the benchmark for any Leeds team. He also scored four goals in an 8-0 home win over Nottingham Forest on 29th November 1913. McLeod played for Bradford Park Avenue in World War One, when he worked for an engineering firm in Bradford, and "in that time he scored six goals in twenty-four appearances in the 1915-16 season and topped the Avenue goalscorers the following season with twenty goals from twenty-six appearances" ("information of Tim Clapham (Bradford Park Avenue historian)"). He returned to Leeds City when peace returned playing for them in the final wartime season of 1918-19 and then on resumption of peacetime football in the 1919-20 season and continued scoring freely. He scored a hat-trick at Molinuex in a fine 4-2 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers in his, and the club’s, final game before being auctioned off with the rest of the squad at the Hotel Metropole in October 1919. He brought the highest bid of all the players, from First Division Notts County of £1,250, and he duly joined them. He went on to score nine goals in thirty League games and another two goals in three F.A. Cup ties in his first season at Meadow Lane as the Magpies were duly relegated. He scored only once in ten Second Division appearances for County in the 1920-21 season and he left for Midland League Doncaster Rovers in 1921, at the age of thirty-four, and finished his football career there.