Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | William Bradshaw | ||
Date of birth | April 1884 | ||
Place of birth | Padiham, England | ||
Position(s) | Left half | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | ( Gls) |
Padiham | |||
Accrington Stanley | |||
1903–1920 | Blackburn Rovers [1] | 386 | (36) |
1920 | Rochdale | ||
International career | |||
1910–1913 | England | 4 | (0) |
Managerial career | |||
1920 | Rochdale | ||
*Club domestic league appearances and goals |
William Bradshaw (born April 1884) [1] was an English football player and manager. Bradshaw played at both professional and international levels as a left half.
Born in Padiham, Bradshaw began his career with Padiham and Accrington Stanley. Bradshaw was a left-half, but was extremely adept at joining the attack and was referred to in one report as "being as good as having a sixth forward"; he was also an expert penalty-taker. [2] He signed for Blackburn Rovers in May 1903 for a fee of £20, [2] and spent 17 years at the club, scoring 36 goals in 386 appearances in the Football League before leaving in 1920. [3] During his time at the Ewood Park club, he helped them win the Football League championship in 1912 and 1914. [4]
In April 1920, he was released by Blackburn to become player-manager of Rochdale, but left that position in September of the same year. [2]
Bradshaw made his international debut in February 1910, and earned a total of four caps between then and 1913. [5] [6] He also represented the Football League on three occasions. [2]