Billy McClure
{{short description|New Zealand footballer}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name = Billy McClure
| image =
| fullname =
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1958|1|4|df=y}}
| birth_place = Liverpool, England
| height =
| position = Midfielder
| youthyears1 =
| youthclubs1 =
| years1 = 1974–1977
| years2 = 1977–1978
| years3 = 1979–1983
| years4 = 1983–1988
| years5 = 1988–1997
| clubs1 = Liverpool Reserves
| clubs2 = Persepolis
| clubs3 = Mount Wellington
| clubs4 = Papatoetoe
| clubs5 = Mount Wellington
| caps1 = 8
| caps2 = 4
| caps3 = 80
| caps4 = 100
| goals1 = 2
| goals2 = 1
| goals3 = 29
| goals4 = 23
| nationalyears1 = 1981–1986
| nationalteam1 = New Zealand
| nationalcaps1 = 30
| nationalgoals1 = 5
}}
William James S. M. McClure (born 4 January 1958) is a former footballer who represented New Zealand.
Club career
He played for Liverpool F.C. Reserves from 1974 to 1977.{{Cite web |url=http://www.liverweb.org.uk/archive.htm |title=Liverpool All Time Season Acrchive |access-date=6 March 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080725065603/http://www.liverweb.org.uk/archive.htm |archive-date=25 July 2008 |url-status=usurped }}
In 1977, he became the first foreign player in Iranian Takht-e-Jamshid Professional Soccer League.{{Cite web | title=بازیكنان خارجی در فوتبال ایران | url=http://www.tebyan.net/sports/specialreports/specialreports/2003/10/12/3870.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101206180836/http://www.tebyan.net:80/Sports/SpecialReports/SpecialReports/2003/10/12/3870.html | access-date=2025-07-02 | archive-date=2010-12-06}} He made 2 appearances for Tehran's giants Persepolis F.C. and scored one goal. However, he had difficulty making it to the starting lineups so he moved back to England.{{Cite web|url=http://www.magiran.com/npview.asp?ID=1198672|title = Magiran | روزنامه شرق (1385/06/16): از پسر متدین لیورپول تا کارگر شاکی پرسپولیس}}
He moved to New Zealand in 1979 and played for Mount Wellington in New Zealand from 1979 to 1997 with some years in between for Papatoetoe FC.{{Cite web|url=https://www.rsssf.org/players/nz-players-careers.html|title=New Zealand Players' Careers|publisher=RSSSF|accessdate=6 March 2009}}
International career
McClure made his full All Whites debut in a 0–0 draw with India on 1 September 1981.{{Cite web|url=http://www.ultimatenzsoccer.com/NZRepSoccer/id1559.htm|title=A-International Lineups|publisher=The Ultimate New Zealand Soccer Website|accessdate=5 March 2009}} Including friendlies he played 45 times for the All Whites, of which 30 appearances were official A-internationals in which he scored 5 goals,{{Cite web|url=http://www.ultimatenzsoccer.com/NZRepSoccer/id1708.htm |title=A-International Appearances – Overall |publisher=The Ultimate New Zealand Soccer Website |accessdate=5 March 2009 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090501185855/http://www.ultimatenzsoccer.com/NZRepSoccer/id1708.htm |archivedate=1 May 2009 }}{{Cite web|url=http://www.ultimatenzsoccer.com/NZRepSoccer/id1842.htm |title=A-International Scorers – Overall |publisher=The Ultimate New Zealand Soccer Website |accessdate=5 March 2009 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090616123344/http://www.ultimatenzsoccer.com/NZRepSoccer/id1842.htm |archivedate=16 June 2009 }} earning his final cap in a 2–1 win over Fiji on 19 September 1986.
He was a member of the All Whites at the 1982 FIFA World Cup in Spain
.[http://www.nzsoccer.com/page/1982_world_cup_team.html NZ 1982 World Cup] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081212000233/http://www.nzsoccer.com/page/1982_world_cup_team.html |date=12 December 2008 }}{{Cite web| url=https://www.fifa.com/worldcup/archive/edition=59/teams/team=43978.html| title=FIFA World Cup, Spain 1982 – Team = New Zealand| publisher=FIFA| accessdate=6 March 2009| url-status=dead| archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20091118161804/http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/archive/edition%3D59/teams/team%3D43978.html| archivedate=18 November 2009}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
{{FIFA player|53928|Billy McClure}}
{{New Zealand squad 1982 FIFA World Cup}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:McClure, Billy}}
Category:Footballers from Liverpool
Category:English emigrants to New Zealand
Category:English men's footballers
Category:Persepolis F.C. players
Category:Papatoetoe AFC players
Category:Expatriate men's association footballers in New Zealand
Category:Expatriate men's footballers in Iran
Category:New Zealand expatriate sportspeople in England
Category:1982 FIFA World Cup players
Category:New Zealand men's association footballers
Category:New Zealand men's international footballers
Category:Uni-Mount Bohemian AFC players