[Lord Snooty]

July 26:

The number one name on the Town players database is Billy Crinson, who played in goal for our first official match, the game against South Shields Adelaide on the 8th of August 1908 in the North Eastern League. And it was on this date in 1883 that Billy was born, in Sunderland.

He signed for Town after The Wedesday let him go in the summer of 1908. That first match, up in the north east, ended in defeat with Billy being beaten twice in a 2-0 loss. He played 26 times for Town in that first season, but then signed for Brighton in the Southern League for the next one.

He was working in the shipyards before he signed for t'Owls in the First Division in 1906, staying there for a couple of years before he signed for us. His Wendy debut came away at Man City and he kept a clean sheet in a 1-0 win, as the Sheffield Star reported that "but for a first-class display in goal by young Crinson Wednesday would scarcely have come back home with both points."

His last game for Town was on the last day of 08/09, away at Hebburn, a game that never finished. It was abandoned with the home team 3-0 up, because of a bad storm.  It was a midweek game and very dark towards the end of the match and with strong, driving sleet, the ref decided to call it off. They were awarded the points. I think Town would've been happy enough to get home as they had stayed overnight in the north east, playing Seaham White Star the previous evening, making up the fixture backlog after a particularly bad winter. That match ended in a 2-2 draw.

He played 13 times for Brighton before the war came and afterwards, he went back home to Sunderland. He went back to working in the shipyards as well and it was in Sunderland that he died in 1951 aged 67.

Here's a picture of the 1908/09 team. Billy's the one with the white collar and the flat cap on the back row. Stood next to him, on the left as we look, is Fred Walker the player/manager.