Billy Lucas

{{Infobox football biography

| name = Billy Lucas

| image =

| fullname = William Henry Lucas{{cite web

| title = Search 1984 to 2006 – Birth, Marriage and Death indexes

| url = http://www.findmypast.com/post84BMDSearchStart.action?redef=0&searchType=B

| publisher = Findmypast.com

| access-date = 2010-04-15

| archive-date = 2 July 2015

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150702185047/http://www.findmypast.com/post84BMDSearchStart.action?redef=0&searchType=B

| url-status = dead

}}

| birth_date = {{birth date|1918|01|15|df=y}}

| birth_place = Newport, Wales

| death_date = {{death year and age|1998|1918}}

| death_place = Wales

| height =

| position = Wing half

| youthyears1 =

| youthclubs1 =

| years1 = 1936–1937

| years2 = 1937–1948

| years3 = 1948–1953

| years4 = 1953–1958

| clubs1 = Wolverhampton Wanderers

| clubs2 = Swindon Town

| clubs3 = Swansea Town

| clubs4 = Newport County

| caps1 = 0

| caps2 = 141

| caps3 = 205

| caps4 = 93

| goals1 = 0

| goals2 = 32

| goals3 = 35

| goals4 = 6

| nationalyears1 = 1948–1950

| nationalteam1 = Wales

| nationalcaps1 = 7

| nationalgoals1 = 0

| manageryears1 = 1953–1961

| manageryears2 = 1962–1967

| manageryears3 = 1967–1969

| manageryears4 = 1970–1974

| managerclubs1 = Newport County

| managerclubs2 = Newport County

| managerclubs3 = Swansea Town

| managerclubs4 = Newport County

}}

William Henry Lucas (15 January 1918 – 1998) was a Welsh international footballer in the late 1940s and 1950s. During his career, Lucas made over 400 appearances in The Football League during spells with Swindon Town, Swansea Town and Newport County and attained seven caps for Wales as well as eight wartime caps. After his retirement from playing, he went on to manage two of his former clubs, Newport County and Swansea Town.

Playing career

=Club=

A wing half, he began his career with Wolverhampton Wanderers but left the club without making an appearance. Lucas instead joined Swindon Town where he established himself in the first team. His spell with the club was interrupted by the outbreak of World War II and, after just over one season with club following the return of The Football League in 1946, Swansea Town manager Billy McCandless paid a then club record fee of £11,000 to bring him to Vetch Field.{{Cite book | title = Wales The Complete Who's Who of Footballers Since 1946 | first = Dean P. | last = Hayes | publisher = Sutton Publishing Limited | year = 2004 | isbn = 0-7509-3700-9}} In his first season, he captained the side to the Division Three South title and in following years also won two Welsh Cup's.{{Cite web |url=http://www.swanseacity.net/page/PastPlayers/0,,10354~1251445,00.html |title=Past players |publisher=Swansea City A.F.C. |access-date=2010-04-15 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100309190207/http://www.swanseacity.net/page/PastPlayers/0%2C%2C10354~1251445%2C00.html |archive-date=9 March 2010 }} In December 1953 he joined Newport County as player-manager and made 93 appearances for Newport scoring 6 goals.{{Cite web |url=http://www.neilbrown.newcastlefans.com/player4/billylucas.html |title=Billy Lucas |publisher=Post War English & Scottish Football League A–Z Player's Transfer Database |access-date=2010-04-15}}

During the war he was a guest-player for Lovell's Athletic, the works team for Lovell's sweet factory in Newport, Monmouthshire, Wales.{{cite web |last1=Rutherford |first1=Andy |title=Lovell's Athletic: Lost Newport football club in team photos |url=https://www.southwalesargus.co.uk/news/18486353.lovells-athletic-lost-newport-football-club-team-photos/ |publisher=South Wales Argus |access-date=17 September 2021}}

=International=

Lucas' first participation for Wales came in a wartime international match against England at Ninian Park on 9 May 1942, scoring the only goal of the game in a 1–0 victory.{{Cite web |url=http://www.wfda.co.uk/international_details_wartime.php?id=7 |title=Wales 1-0 England |publisher=Welsh Football Data Archive |access-date=2010-04-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120320153555/http://www.wfda.co.uk/international_details_wartime.php?id=7 |archive-date=20 March 2012 |url-status=dead }} He went on to play in a further seven wartime matches for Wales before winning his first full cap on 23 October 1948 in a 3–1 defeat to Scotland in the 1949 British Home Championship. He gained a total of seven caps for Wales, his final appearance coming on 15 November 1950 in a 4–2 defeat to England.

Managerial career

Following his retirement from playing, Lucas became full-time manager of Newport County until 1961 when he resigned due to a lack of support and what he perceived as a general apathy surrounding the club.{{Cite web|url=http://www.newport-county.co.uk/archives/county_past/county_past_page.html |title=County past 1912 to 1989 |publisher=Newport County A.F.C. |access-date=2010-04-15 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080905131440/http://www.newport-county.co.uk/archives/county_past/county_past_page.html |archive-date=5 September 2008 }} He returned to the club a year later following the sacking of Bobby Evans after they finished bottom of the Third Division and spent another five years in charge before taking over at Swansea Town. Lucas later took charge of Newport for a third and final spell in 1970, working without wages for the first six months due to financial problems at the club, which lasted until 1974.

=Managerial statistics=

rowspan="2"\|Team !rowspan="2"\|Country !rowspan="2"\|From !rowspan="2"\|To !colspan="6"\|Record
class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
G	W	D	L	Win %
align=left\|Swansea Town \| Wales \|align=left\|February 1967 \|align=left\|March 1969 \| 96	33	24	39	{{#expr: 33/96 * 100 round 2}}
colspan="4"\|Total ! 96	33	24	39	{{#expr: 33/96 * 100 round 2 }}