Player Details

Billy 'Salty' Halsall

Real Name: William Halsall
Normal Position: Goalkeeper
Born: 02/05/1897 (Birkdale, Southport)
Died: 23/01/1968 (Spring Valley, New York, USA)

Heritage Number: 405
Debut Match*: 27/12/1919 v Manchester United (Central League)
Last Match*: 11/10/1930 v Barrow (Football League)
* Qualifying Games

A first-team regular throughout the 1920s, he was one of the safest and most consistent ‘keepers in the Northern Section during this period. Known as ‘Salty’—a name that arose when he and his brothers went sea-bathing—he was an ever-present in 1922–23 and 1923–24, accumulating 103 consecutive League appearances. Surprisingly, he had played at either outside-left or centre-forward for his regiment during World War I. He possessed fine anticipation and his judgement was rarely at fault when rushing fearlessly out of his goal. Having displaced the experienced Frank Drabble early in 1921–22, he remained a one-club man, declining offers to join several First Division sides. His greatest performance came in his 350th first-team game—an F.A. Cup-tie at Bradford—when his skill and daring captivated the Park Avenue crowd. He made a record pre-war 334 League appearances, totalling almost 500 in all games, until forced to give up football through back injury. He later worked on the railways and was the guard when the last passenger train left the old Lord Street station in January 1952. After retiring, he settled in the United States where he lived with his daughter until his death at 70.

Profile reproduced with Permission from:
The Sandgrounders: The Complete League History of Southport F. C., by Michael Braham and Geoff Wilde (Palatine Books, 1995). ISBN 978-1-874181-14-9

Season: 1919/1920 [Back to Player Stats]
The player made an appearance in the following games:

Date	Home Club	Away Club	Score	Competition	Round	Match Date	Heritage Qualifying	Void
27/12/1919	Manchester United Reserves	Southport	1 - 1	Central League		27/12/1919	Yes	No
01/01/1920	Southport	Burnley Reserves	3 - 1	Central League		01/01/1920	Yes	No
03/01/1920	Liverpool Reserves	Southport	5 - 1	Central League		03/01/1920	Yes	No
10/01/1920	Southport	Bradford City Reserves	1 - 0	Central League		10/01/1920	Yes	No
17/01/1920	Chorley	Southport	1 - 1	Lancashire Junior Cup	Semi Final	17/01/1920	No	No
20/01/1920	Southport	Chorley	2 - 0	Lancashire Junior Cup	Semi Final Replay	20/01/1920	No	No
24/01/1920	Stockport County Reserves	Southport	2 - 3	Central League		24/01/1920	Yes	No
27/01/1920	Southport	Port Vale Reserves	2 - 1	Central League		27/01/1920	Yes	No
31/01/1920	Southport	Stockport County Reserves	7 - 0	Central League		31/01/1920	Yes	No
07/02/1920	Lancaster Town	Southport	0 - 1	Lancashire Junior Cup	Final	07/02/1920	No	No
12/02/1920	Preston North End Reserves	Southport	4 - 2	Central League		12/02/1920	Yes	No
14/02/1920	Bolton Wanderers Reserves	Southport	4 - 2	Central League		14/02/1920	Yes	No
21/02/1920	Southport	Huddersfield Town Reserves	1 - 1	Central League		21/02/1920	Yes	No
28/02/1920	Huddersfield Town Reserves	Southport	0 - 1	Central League		28/02/1920	Yes	No
06/03/1920	Blackpool Reserves	Southport	1 - 0	Central League		06/03/1920	Yes	No
13/03/1920	Southport	Stalybridge Celtic	1 - 2	Central League		13/03/1920	Yes	No
20/03/1920	Stalybridge Celtic	Southport	3 - 1	Central League		20/03/1920	Yes	No
02/04/1920	Southport	Everton Reserves	1 - 4	Central League		02/04/1920	Yes	No
10/04/1920	Aston Villa Reserves	Southport	3 - 0	Central League		10/04/1920	Yes	No
13/04/1920	Southport	Bolton Wanderers Reserves	0 - 1	Central League		13/04/1920	Yes	No
17/04/1920	Southport	Northern Nomads	0 - 2	Friendly		17/04/1920	No	No
24/04/1920	Southport	Tranmere Rovers	3 - 3	Central League		24/04/1920	Yes	No