He holds the all-time appearance record for Huddersfield Town, scored the winning goal in the Wembley Cup final when the Terriers lifted the FA Cup for the only time in their history and made football history in the way he scored a goal.
And now he’s been honoured by Town fans at a special moment in the club’s history – 100 years since it won the First Division title three times in a row – which will be marked at Huddersfield’s home game against Wycombe this Saturday (April 11).
Billy Smith played for Town from 1913 to 1934, making 574 appearances – a club record – and scoring 126 goals which also puts him among Town’s all-time leading scorers.
Members of The 1908 Group were recently joined by Billy’s grandchildren, Liz Smith and Robert Smith, to lay a wreath at the player’s grave in Kirkheaton Cemetery. Both Liz and Robert are lifelong Huddersfield Town supporters.
The 1908 Group is an umbrella organisation for several Huddersfield Town supporters’ groups with the name referring to the year the club was founded.
The visit is the third in a series of acts of remembrance organised by the group to mark the centenary of Huddersfield Town’s unprecedented three consecutive First Division titles in 1924, 1925 and 1926.
Earlier this year, members travelled to London to lay a wreath at the grave of Herbert Chapman, the manager who led Town to the FA Cup in 1922 and the first two of those league titles, before visiting his statue outside Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium.
The group subsequently honoured Sir Amos Brook Hirst, the chairman who saved the club from extinction in 1919 and oversaw the golden era that followed, with a wreath-laying at his grave at Salendine Nook Baptist Church.
Billy was born in the colliery village of Tantobie, County Durham, in 1895, joining Huddersfield Town in 1913 as an 18-year-old from Hobson Wanderers, a team associated with the village of Hobson in County Durham.
He scored the only goal of the game, a penalty, in the 1922 FA Cup final against Preston North End at Stamford Bridge. It was the last final before Wembley opened in 1923.
Billy was a key figure in all three title-winning campaigns and, in October 1924, became the first player in English football history to score a goal directly from a corner kick in a 4-0 victory over Arsenal at Leeds Road.
He won three caps for England and was one of five Town players who featured in the infamous 1928 match at Wembley when Scotland’s ‘Wembley Wizards’ defeated England 5–1.
Billy made his final appearance in February 1934 against Sheffield United, marking the occasion with two goals. He died in April 1951, aged 55.
His son, William Conway Smith, also went on to play for Huddersfield Town with father and son becoming the first pair to each score over 100 goals in their respective careers.
A spokesperson for the 1908 Group said: “Billy Smith is one of Huddersfield Town’s most recognisable legends. He made a decisive contribution to the club’s most successful period, scoring the only goal in the 1922 FA Cup final and helping the side to three consecutive league titles.
“We were honoured to join Liz and Robert to mark the centenary of the Thrice Champions achievement and hope that more people will now learn about his extraordinary 21 years in the famous blue and white stripes.”
Billy’s grandson, Robert, said: “We’re incredibly proud of our grandad’s achievements. Although we never met him, our dad told us all the stories about his exploits – his penalty in the FA Cup final, scoring the very first goal direct from a corner kick in 1924.
“It’s been really special to mark his contribution with this wreath.”
Written by ANDY HIRST who runs his own Yorkshire freelance journalism agency AH! PR (https://ah-pr.com/) specialising in press releases, blogging, website content, copywriting and ghost-writing autobiographies.
