W. G. Richardson

W.G. Richardson
Personal information
Full name	William Richardson
Date of birth	29 May 1909
Place of birth	Framwellgate Moor, County Durham, England
Date of death	29 March 1959 (aged 49)
Place of death	Perry Barr, Birmingham, England
Height	5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Position(s)	Centre forward
Youth career
	Horden Wednesday
	United Bus Company (Hartlepool)
Senior career*
Years	Team
1928–1929	Hartlepools United
1929–1945	West Bromwich Albion
1945–1946	Shrewsbury Town
Total
International career
1935	England
	*Club domestic league appearances and goals

William "Ginger" Richardson (29 May 1909 – 29 March 1959) often referred to as W.G. Richardson and by the nickname 'Ginger' to avoid confusion with teammate Bill Richardson, was an English professional footballer, who played as a centre forward.

He scored both goals for West Bromwich Albion when they won the 1931 FA Cup Final, beating their Midlands rivals Birmingham City 2–1.^[2]

He scored four goals within the space of five minutes, all within the first ten minutes of the match, for West Brom against West Ham United at Upton Park on 7 November 1931.^[3]

In the 1935–36 season, he scored 39 League goals, which is still West Bromwich Albion's club record for top scorer in the top division of the football league system. His total of 228 goals for the club in all competitions puts him third on the all-time scorers list behind Tony Brown and Ronnie Allen, and first in the goals-per-game list overall.

Richardson was the nephew of the English cricketer Tom Richardson.^{[citation needed]} In 2004, he was named as one of West Bromwich Albion's 16 greatest players, in a poll organised as part of the club's 125th anniversary celebrations.^[4]

Richardson died on the field of play, during a charity match between a City of Birmingham 'All Stars XI' and a Television celebrity team, having stepped in at the last moment when the playing staff of Birmingham City were placed under quarantine due to a polio outbreak, which would claim the life of another former cup finalist, Jeff Hall a fortnight later.

Honours

West Bromwich Albion

FA Cup winners: 1931
FA Cup Runner-up 1935

References

^ "West Bromwich Albion. Directors rely on reserves". Sunday Dispatch Football Guide. London. 23 August 1936. p. iv – via Newspapers.com.
^ Wallace, Sam (17 May 2008). "Redknapp's moment of triumph threatened by Welsh upstarts". The Independent. London.
^ Matthews, Tony (2012). West Bromwich Albion: The Complete Record. Derby Books.
^ "The wraps come off 125th anniversary mural". West Bromwich Albion F.C. 4 April 2004. Archived from the original on 2 February 2008. Retrieved 10 May 2008.

External links

William Richardson profile at TheFA.com
WG Richardson at Englandstats.com

This biographical article related to association football in England, about a forward born in the 1900s, is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

[1] "West Bromwich Albion. Directors rely on reserves". Sunday Dispatch Football Guide. London. 23 August 1936. p. iv – via Newspapers.com.

[2] Wallace, Sam (17 May 2008). "Redknapp's moment of triumph threatened by Welsh upstarts". The Independent. London.

[3] Matthews, Tony (2012). West Bromwich Albion: The Complete Record. Derby Books.

[4] "The wraps come off 125th anniversary mural". West Bromwich Albion F.C. 4 April 2004. Archived from the original on 2 February 2008. Retrieved 10 May 2008.

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