Wilbur Cush

{{Short description|Northern Irish footballer}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2024}}

{{more citations needed|date=December 2010}}

{{Infobox football biography

|name=Wilbur Cush

|image=

|image_size=

|caption=

|fullname=

|birth_date={{Birth date|1928|6|10|df=y}}

|birth_place= Lurgan, Northern Ireland

|death_date={{Death date and age|1981|7|28|1928|6|10|df=y}}

|death_place= Lurgan, Northern Ireland

| height = {{height|ft=5|in=5}}

|position= Half-Back / Inside-Forward

| youthyears1 = |youthclubs1 = Shankill YMCA

| years1 = 1947–1957 |clubs1 = Glenavon

| years2 = 1957–1960 |clubs2 = Leeds United |caps2 = 87 |goals2 = 9

| years3 = 1960–1966 |clubs3 = Portadown |caps3 = |goals3 =

| years4 = 1966–1968 |clubs4 = Glenavon

|totalcaps=|totalgoals=

| nationalyears1 = 1950–1961 |nationalteam1 = Northern Ireland |nationalcaps1 = 26 |nationalgoals1 = 6

}}

Wilbur W. Cush{{Cite web|url=http://nifootball.blogspot.com/2006/08/billy-cush.html|title=Billy Cush|last=Jcd|date=15 August 2006|website=NIFG|access-date=3 April 2017}} (10 June 1928 – 28 July 1981) was a Northern Irish football striker.

Billy Cush represented Northern Ireland at the 1958 World Cup, scoring the winning goal in their first ever final stages World Cup match, a 1–0 win over Czechoslovakia in Sweden.

He started his career in his native Northern Ireland with Glenavon F.C. In 1951/52 he helped Glenavon become the first club from outside of Belfast to win the Irish League and 5 years later followed it up with a second league title. In 1956/57, he was named as the Ulster Footballer of the Year.M. Brodie (ed.), Northern Ireland Soccer Yearbook 2009-2010, p. 102. Belfast:Ulster Tatler Publications He moved to Leeds United in 1957 and took over the captaincy from recently departed Leeds legend John Charles. Cush was a very versatile player who could play at centre-back and centre-forward. His performances at Elland Road earned him his call up to Northern Ireland for the 1958 World Cup. Overall at Leeds he made 90 appearances and scored 9 goals. In 1960 he moved to Portadown F.C. later moving back to his first club, Glenavon F.C., as a player and later a coach. With his football career over, Wilbur became a butcher in Lurgan. He died in 1981.

Wilbur Cush was also a platoon Sergeant in the Ulster Special Constabulary. He served in Lurgan (J division County Armagh) and The Birches station County Armagh. He received the USC Long Service Medal.