Heaton: William Henry (Billy)

1937-1949 (Player Details) (Leeds United War-time Guest Player Details)

Outside Left

Born: Holbeck, Leeds: 26-08-1918

Debut: v Liverpool (a): 28-09-1946

5’6” 10st (1946)

A product of Ingram Road School, Holbeck, not far from Elland Road, Heaton played for Leeds City Boys and Yorkshire Schools before joining United from Whitkirk in December 1937. He won amateur international and FA XI honours at Leeds after serving with the Army in India in World War Two. He had not made the Leeds first team before the War, but scored three goals in twenty-three appearances during the War years. He made his debut for Leeds at Outside Left in the 1940-41 North Regional League game at Barnsley on 2nd November 1940 which Leeds lost 0-3 and he then played in the 2-1 home win over Middlesbrough the following week but did not play again until Middlesbrough were again the visitors as United went down 2-3 in the 1941-42 Football League Northern Section (First Championship) game. He also played in a 2-4 defeat at Huddersfield Town in the same campaign. He also made guest appearances for Bradford Park Avenue during the Second World War. It wasn’t until the 1945-46 Football League Northern Section campaign that he played again, when after playing his first game of the season in a 0-0 home draw with Stoke City on 29th December 1945, he only missed two games from then until the end of the season scoring three goals in nineteen appearances. He featured on a fairly regular basis after the war, alternating with Dennis Grainger, Tom Hindle and Jimmy Rudd for the left wing berth. A £7,000 transfer took him to Southampton in February 1949, where he made fifteen appearances without scoring. He left Southampton in the summer of 1949, when he refused to move house down south. He opted to play for Stalybridge Celtic in September 1949. The Saints held on to his registration until he joined Rochdale in November 1950, but after only five games he retired to work for a Leeds slating and roofing company and played Non-League football with Witton Albion. He died in Leeds on 16th January 1990.