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Billy
Bassett |
West
Bromwich Albion FC
16 appearances, 6 or 7 goals
P 16 W 12 D 2 L 2 F
64:
A 17
81% successful
1888-96
captain: none
minutes played: 1440 |
 |
|
Timeline |
| |
William Isaiah Bassett JP |
|
Birth |
Wednesday,
27 January 1869 in West Bromwich, Staffordshire [registered in
West Bromwich, March 1869]. |
|
|
According to the 1871 census,
William Isaiah is the third child of four to Charles and Rebecca (née Waites). They
live in Phoenix Street in West Bromwich. His father is a coal
merchant. |
|
|
According to the 1881 census,
and William I. now has two more younger brothers, they live at 48 Overend
Street in West Bromwich. Father is now a colliery agent. |
|
|
According to the 1891 census,
now a writing clerk, William I. is one of five children remaining with
their parents, now at 28 Nichols Street, West Bromwich. |
|
Marriage |
to Beatrice
Birch, Wednesday, 27 June 1900
[registered in West Bromwich, June 1900]. They had one son,
Norman William, and three daughters, Beatrice Marriott, Mary Doreen and
Joan Gwendoline |
|
|
According to the 1901 census,
William I. is now a licensed victualler, and married to Beatrice. He runs
the public house, the Anchor Inn at 303 High Street in West Bromwich. |
|
Bassett was a Freemason, a member of Noah's Ark Lodge, initiated on 15
April 1904. A licensed victualler living at 303 High Street. |
|
|
According to the 1911 census,
William Isaiah, still a victualler, is now running Dartmouth Hotel, 2
Paradise Street in West Bromwich, with his wife and three children.
Norman, Beatrice and Mary. |
|
|
According to the 1921 census,
William Isaiah, now a retired hotel proprietor, is now living at 132
Beeches Road in West Bromwich, with Beatrice and his four children (which
now includes Joan) and one servant. |
|
1936 Kelly's Directory of Staffordshire |
Bassett William Isaiah J.P. 81 Beeches Road.
Bassett was made a Justice of the Peace the previous year. |
|
Death |
Thursday, 8 April 1937 at
his home at Kelvedon, 81 Beeches Road in
West Bromwich, aged
68 years 71 days
[registered in West Bromwich, June 1937], of a
heart-attack. |
|
Obituary |
"Death of Billy Bassett.
"Mr W. I. Bassett, Chairman
of West Bromwich Albion F.C., died at his home to-day following a heart
attack. He was 68. Mr Bassett had been associated with the club for 51
years, first as a player, then as a director, and finally chairman.
Popularly known as Billy, he was an outstanding player of his day. Between
1889 and 1896 he played eight times for England against Scotland, and
during that period also appeared four times against both Wales and
Ireland. Altogether he played for England 16 times. In those days England
did not always put her full strength in the field against the countries
regarded as easy prey, otherwise this great outside right would have had
many more appearances. Very fast, and a clever dribbler, Bassett placed the ball
accurately with his passes, centres or shots, and in every way was a
brilliant wing forward. He helped West Bromwich Albion to win the F.A. Cup
in 1888 and 1892. The final ties in which Bassett was on the victorious
side both took place at Kennington Oval. On the first occasion Preston
North End, Albion's opponents on Saturday, were strong favourites and they
fell unexpectedly, and on the second Aston Villa were beaten in a great
Birmingham battle. In his early days Bassett's weekly wage was 7s 6d. He
played his last league match for the Albion on April 24, 1899. He had been
chairman since 1929."
"
- Birmingham
Daily Gazette, Friday, 9 April
1937. |
|
Funeral |
Monday, 12 April 1937
"The funeral will take
place on Monday, the internment will be at All Saints' Parish Church, West
Bromwich, after a service at St. Philip's Church, Beeches-road, at noon.
The service will be conducted by the Rev. W. G. Jordan, Vicar of
Darlington, Albion amateur International centre-forward of pre-war days.
He will be assisted by the Rev. Martin, of Smethwick, a personal friend of
the late Mr. Bassett."
- Birmingham
Daily Gazette, Friday, 9 April
1937. |
|
Probate |
"BASSETT
William Isaiah of Beeches-road
West Bromwich Staffordshire died 8 April 1937 Probate London 16
June to Beatrice Bassett widow William Ellery Jephcott journalist and Fred
Everiss company secretary.
Effects £51162 13s. 4d." |
|
Source |
 Douglas Lammings' An
English Football Internationalist Who's Who [1990] & |
|
Playing Career |
|
Club(s) |
After playing
for several amateur sides including Christ Church School FC, Oak Villa FC,
West Bromwich Strollers FC and Old Church FC, Bassett joined West Bromwich
Albion FC in August 1886, and was awarded the club captaincy, and despite
a rumour to join Everton FC for the 1896-97 season, Bassett remained with
Albion until he retired in April 1899. |
League History
261 appearances, 61 goals |
West
Bromwich Albion FC 1888-99, 261 appearances, 61 goals.
debut:
8 September 1888 Stoke FC 0 West Bromwich Albion FC 2.
last: 24 April
1899 Aston Villa FC 7 West Bromwich Albion FC 1. |
|
Club honours |
FA Cup winners
1887-88, 1891-92 (seven apps, two goals), runners-up 1894-95 (six,
1 gl);
Football League best finish:- fifth in
1889-90 (19 appearances, three goals) |
|
Individual honours |
'Finest
footballer in Britain' 1895 |
|
Distinctions |
On 28 April 1894, Bassett
became the first ever West Bromwich Albion FC player to be sent off, he
was dismissed for using "unparliamentarily language" in a friendly match
away at Millwall FC.
He also had a regular column in the Birmingham
Mail in 1905, reporting every week on the Black Country's football news, and continued to supply articles for many newspapers afterwards. |
|
Height/Weight |
5'
5½", 10st.
4lbs [1892],
5'
5½", 10st.
6lbs [1895]. |
|
Source |
Douglas Lammings' An English
Football Internationalist Who's Who [1990] & ENFA. |
|
England
Career |
|
Player number |
One of
five who became the 147th player
(150) to appear
for England. |
|
Position(s) |
Outside-right |
|
First match |
No. 34, 7 April
1888, Ireland 1 England 5, a British Championship match at Ulster
Cricket Ground, Ballynafeigh Park, Belfast, aged 19 years 71 days; |
|
Last match |
No. 58, 4 April
1896, Scotland 2 England 1, a British Championship match at
Celtic Park, Kerrydale Street, Parkhead, Glasgow, aged 27 years
68 days.
 |
|
Major tournaments |
British
Championship 1887-88, 1888-89, 1889-90, 1890-91, 1891-92, 1892-93,
1893-94, 1894-95, 1895-96; |
|
Team honours |
British
Championship winners 1887-88, 1890-91, 1891-92, 1892-93, 1894-95;
shared 1889-90 |
|
Individual honours |
FA
Tour of Germany 1899 |
|
Distinctions |
None |
|
Beyond England |
|
Bassett became an Albion director in 1905,
following the resignation of the previous board in its entirety. The club
was in deep financial trouble and had had a writ served upon them by their
bank, but Bassett and returning chairman Harry Keys rescued the club,
aided by local fund-raising activities.
Bassett became chairman in 1908, and helped
the club to avoid bankruptcy once more in 1910 by paying the players'
summer wages from his own pocket. He remained Albion's chair until
his death. -
An English Football Internationalists' Who's Who. Douglas Lamming
(1990). Hatton Press, p.135-6.
"In 1922
he was given a seat on the Board of Management of the Central League and
in
[April]
1930 he was appointed a member of the Management Committee of the
Football League, by virtue of which he also became a member of the Council
of the Football Association. Last season
[1936]
he was elected a member of the International
Selection Committee." - Birmingham Daily Gazette,
Friday, 9 April 1937. |
|
The Numbers |
|
parties |
Appearances |
comp. apps |
minutes |
| goals ave.min |
comp. goals |
captain |
|
17 |
16 |
16 |
1440 |
6 or 7 |
240 min or 206
min |
6 or 7 |
none |
|
minutes are approximation, due to the fact that many matches rarely stuck to exactly ninety minutes long, allowing time for injuries and errors. |
|
P |
W |
D |
L |
F |
A |
GD |
FTS
|
CS |
FAv |
AAv |
Pts
% |
W/L |
|
16 |
12 |
2 |
2 |
64 |
17 |
+47 |
0 |
4 |
4.00 |
1.063 |
81.3 |
+10 |
Match Record
|
Venue & Comp |
P |
W |
D |
L |
F |
A |
GD |
FTS
|
CS |
FAv |
AAv |
Pts
% |
W/L |
|
Home |
British Championship |
8 |
7 |
0 |
1 |
37 |
8 |
+29 |
0 |
3 |
4.625 |
1.00 |
87.5 |
+6 |
|
Away |
8 |
5 |
2 |
1 |
27 |
9 |
+7 |
0 |
1 |
3.375 |
1.125 |
75.0 |
+4 |
Tournament Record
|
British Championship Competition |
|
Type |
P |
W |
D |
L |
F |
A |
GD |
FTS |
CS |
FAv |
AAv |
Pts% |
W/L |
|
BC 1887-88 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
5 |
1 |
+4 |
0 |
0 |
5.00 |
1.00 |
100.0 |
+1 |
|
BC 1888-89 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
6 |
4 |
+2 |
0 |
0 |
3.00 |
2.00 |
50.0 |
=0 |
|
BC 1889-90 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
4 |
2 |
+2 |
0 |
0 |
2.00 |
1.00 |
75.0 |
+1 |
|
BC 1890-91 |
2 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
8 |
2 |
+6 |
0 |
0 |
4.00 |
1.00 |
100.0 |
+2 |
|
BC 1891-92 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
4 |
1 |
+3 |
0 |
0 |
4.00 |
1.00 |
100.0 |
+1 |
|
BC 1892-93 |
2 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
11 |
2 |
+9 |
0 |
1 |
5.50 |
1.00 |
100.0 |
+2 |
|
BC 1893-94 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
2 |
2 |
=0 |
0 |
0 |
2.00 |
2.00 |
50.0 |
=0 |
|
BC 1894-95 |
2 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
12 |
0 |
+12 |
0 |
2 |
6.00 |
0.00 |
100.0 |
+2 |
|
BC 1895-96 |
3 |
2 |
0 |
1 |
12 |
3 |
+9 |
0 |
1 |
4.00 |
1.00 |
66.7 |
+1 |
|
BC 1896-97 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
=0 |
0 |
0 |
0.00 |
0.00 |
00.0 |
=0 |
|
BC All |
16 |
12 |
2 |
2 |
64 |
17 |
+47 |
0 |
4 |
4.00 |
1.063 |
81.3 |
+10 |
|
All Competition |
|
Type |
P |
W |
D |
L |
F |
A |
GD |
FTS |
CS |
FAv |
AAv |
Pts% |
W/L |
|
BC |
16 |
12 |
2 |
2 |
64 |
17 |
+47 |
0 |
4 |
4.00 |
1.063 |
81.3 |
+10 |
|
16 |
12 |
2 |
2 |
64 |
17 |
+47 |
0 |
4 |
4.00 |
1.063 |
81.3 |
+10 |
Match History
|
Club: West
Bromwich Albion F.C. - 16 full appearances (1440 min),
6/7 gls |
F.A.
International Select Committee -
16 full appearances (1440 min), 6/7 glsx
|
Notes
____________________
CG
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|
England
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