Bill Summerscales

William Charles Summerscales (born 4 January 1949) is an English former footballer who played in central defence for Leek Town, Rochdale, Stafford Rangers, and Newcastle KB United (Australia). He helped Port Vale to win promotion out of the Fourth Division in 1969–70.

Bill Summerscales
Personal information
Full name William Charles Summerscales[1]
Date of birth (1949-01-04) 4 January 1949[1]
Place of birth Willesden, London, England[1]
Height 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Position(s) Central defender
Youth career
North Staff's College of Tech'
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
196?–1970 Leek Town
1970–1975 Port Vale 129 (4)
1975–1977 Rochdale 87 (4)
1977–1978 Stafford Rangers
1978–1980 Newcastle KB United 54 (5)
Marquis
Total 270 (13)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Career

Summerscales played for North Staffordshire College of Technology and Leek Town, before joining Port Vale for a £400 fee in February 1970.[1] He played four times in the Fourth Division in the 1969–70 promotion campaign.[1] He played seven Third Division games in the 1970–71 season, and scored his first senior goal on 19 December, in a 3–0 win over Rochdale at Spotland.[1] He went on to score one goal (against Wrexham) in 28 games in the 1971–72 campaign.[1] He scored three goals in 50 matches in the 1972–73 campaign, including Vale's consolation goal in a 3–1 defeat to Newcastle United in the League Cup.[1] He came second to Ray Williams in that year's vote for the Port Vale Player of the Year award.[2] He scored once in 27 games in the 1973–74 season, before his run in the first team was brought abruptly to a halt on 12 January 1974, when he broke his neck during a 2–2 draw with York City at Vale Park.[1] After he returned to fitness, he had a new manager, as Gordon Lee left the club, and "Valiants" legend Roy Sproson took his place at Vale Park.[1] Summerscales featured 29 times in the 1974–75 season, and was dropped from the first team in March 1975 before he was given a free transfer two months later.[1] He moved on to Walter Joyce's Rochdale, and helped the "Dale" to finish 15th in the Fourth Division in 1975–76, and then 18th in 1976–77 under the stewardship of Brian Green. Summerscales scored four goals in 87 league games during his two seasons at Spotland. He then played in the Northern Premier League for Stafford Rangers before moving to Australia to join National Soccer League side Newcastle KB United; he later returned to England with Marquis.

Later life

Once he retired from the field, Summerscales became the under-15 coach at Stoke City and a committee member at Redgate United. He founded grocery company Morning Fresh in 1980 and moved into wholesaling five years later, ending the decade with four retail shops.[3]

Career statistics

Source:[4][5]

Club Season Division League FA Cup Other Total
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Port Vale 1969–70 Fourth Division 40000040
1970–71 Third Division 71000071
1971–72 Third Division 2414000281
1972–73 Third Division 4523021503
1973–74 Third Division 2204110271
1974–75 Third Division 2701010290
Total 1294121411456
Rochdale 1975–76 Fourth Division 4326020512
1976–77 Fourth Division 4423020492
Total 87490401004
Newcastle KB United 1978 National Soccer League 262——262
1979 National Soccer League 203——203
1980 National Soccer League 80——80
Total 5450000545
Career total 270132118129915

Honours

Port Vale

References
  1. Kent, Jeff (1996). Port Vale Personalities. Witan Books. p. 283. ISBN 0-9529152-0-0.
  2. Baggaley, Michael (7 April 2020). "Port Vale archive classic - Gordon Lee's men see off Charlton". Stoke Sentinel. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
  3. "Meet Our People | Freshview Foods Ltd". freshviewfoods.co.uk. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
  4. Bill Summerscales at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)
  5. "Players 1945-2019 10 OF 16". ozfootball.net. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
  6. Kent, Jeff (1990). "Surviving on a Shoestring (1969–1979)". The Valiants' Years: The Story Of Port Vale. Witan Books. pp. 227–257. ISBN 0-9508981-4-7.
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