Arthur WILLIS
Full Back 1938-1954
Full name : – Arthur Willis
Born on 2nd February 1920 in Denaby Main, Conisbrough, South Yorkshire, England.
Height : 1.7m (5′ 7″)
Weight : 72.1kg (11st 5lbs)
Arthur Willis left the mines of South Yorkshire to move to London and sign for Tottenham as an amateur the day he turned 18, despite competition from Barnsley and Sunderland for his services.
Born outside Doncaster, Arthur’s reputation on the football pitch as a defender when he was a schoolboy brought him to Tottenham’s interest and his brother Annis was a left half who signed for the club as an amateur, but only made the ‘A’ Team after World War II.
His choice of Tottenham Hotspur saw him sign as an amateur in 1939 and he was sent to the club’s nursery team Northfleet United. Things did not go well there for him, as he suffered from gastro-intestinal ulcers and was told that he would not make a future in the game. He took on a job in a factory making aircraft in London with his father as his parents had moved to Edmonton, but Arthur still made it known that he wanted to play football, so Tottenham helped him get a place with Finchley. Through his good showing for the non-league club, Spurs offered him a war-time friendly appearance and with a good performance, Spurs gave him more chances. Starred as a guest player for Millwall during war-time and it took a good talking to by club trainer George Hardy to get Arthur to sign professional terms with Spurs for £2 each game and £10 signing on fee to give him the opportunity he so desired in 1944. Made a lot of appearances inw ar-time games for Spurs and also guested for Millwall.
Despite making a promising start in the first team at full back, Arthur found himself by first Sid Tickridge at the beginning of the 1947-1948 season and then by the signing of Alf Ramsey from Southampton in 1949. Willis had to be content with turning out for the reserves and waiting his chance, which came towards the end of the 1949-1950 season, when Charlie Withers picked up an injury and he stepped in to finish the campaign that ended with Spurs being crowned as Second Division champions.
With Withers gaining full fitness during the close season, Arthur had to battle to retain his place and his consistently solid displays earned him the majority of matches as the club went on to take the First Division title in 1950-51, under Arthur Rowe’s “Push and Run” philosophy.
Chosen to represent London against Brussels in a 1950 challenge match, Arthur was catching the eyes of the right people. After the league triumph, he took over as Spurs captain and was also called up for the England squad and won his one and only cap against France at Highbury in 1951. As his performances began to be appreciated for their energy and determination, he was selected for England’s match against France at Highbury on 3rd October 1951 in a 2-2 draw which saw him suffer a nervous start to the game, but playing his normal reliable style for the remainder, although he was not chosen to represent his country again.
A loyal player, Willis was in the Spurs first team on 160 occasions and played 73 war-time matches, while, during his time out of the first eleven, he featured in other teams at the club 149 occasions. In the reserves, he won a London Challenge Cup medal in 1948.
As he vied with Withers for the full back position, it was about 50-50 in terms of games that they played and when he felt that he needed to play more regular first team football, Arthur left to join former skipper Ron Burgess at Swansea Town in 1954, where he played until he retired from playing having turned out in 98 league games for the club. However, he took on the player-manager’s job at Haverfordwest in 1960 and later that decade shared the stewardship of a local working man’s club with being Tottenham’s scout in the South West of England.
Arthur Willis died on 7th November 1987 in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, Wales.
NICKNAME : –
Career Record
Club | Signed | Fee | Debut | Apps | Goals |
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR (Amateur) | 2nd February 1938 | – | – | 160 | 1 |
Northfleet United | 1939 | – | ??? | ?? | ?? |
Finchley | – | – | ??? | ?? | ?? |
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR (Professional) | January 1944 | – | 22nd January 1944 v Aldershot (Division -) (home/away) won/lost | 160 | 1 |
Swansea Town | September 1954 | – | ??? | 98 | 0 |
Haverfordwest | October 1960 | – | ??? | ?? | ?? |
Tottenham Hotspur career
144 League appearances (plus 1 abandoned game); 1 goal
16 FA Cup appearances; 1 goal
111 Other appearances; 1 goal
Honours
England international
1 full cap; 0 goals
Debut : – 3rd October 1951 v France (Festival of Britain match) at Highbury.
First Division Championship winner 1950-51 (THFC)
Second Division Championship winner 1949-50 (THFC)
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