Billy Marshall dies
Last updated : 23 April 2007 By Tony Scholes
 | Billy Marshall (fourth from left on back row) with the 1960 Lancashire Senior Cup Winners |
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Belfast born Marshall never established himself in the first team but was a regular, and captain, of our top reserve side in the late fifties and early sixties. He signed for Burnley from Distillery at the beginning of the 1953/54 season at the age of seventeen but he had a long wait before making his first team debut such was the strength of the squad.
That debut came in the 1959/60 Championship season when he deputised for Alex Elder at Nottingham Forest in a game we won 1-0 with a goal from Ray Pointer. Elder was back for the next game and in the following season Marshall made five more appearances, deputising in both full back positions for Elder and also John Angus.
His last first team appearance for Burnley came in March 1961 when he was one of ten reserve team players used in a home game against Chelsea, all but one of the first team were rested with a European Cup Quarter-Final and an FA Cup Semi-Final to come in the following week.
He won a Central League Championship medal and was twice in Burnley sides that won the Lancashire Senior Cup, a prestigious event back in the 1960s. His last game for the Clarets came in the 1962 final against Liverpool which was won 2-1.
He signed for Oldham in the summer of 1962 and two years later moved to Hartlepool. He retired from the game in 1966.
Our thoughts at this sad time are with Billy's family and friends.