Billy Crone
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | William Crone | ||
| Date of birth | 1864 | ||
| Place of birth | Belfast, Ireland | ||
| Playing position | Defender | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1881-1893 | Distillery | 35 | |
| National team | |||
| 1882-1890 | Ireland | 12 | (1) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 1896-19xx | Distillery | ||
| 1897 | Ireland | ||
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals). |
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Billy Crone (born Belfast, 1864) also referred to as William Crone was an Irish footballer who played for Distillery and Ireland during the 1880s and 1890s. After retiring as a player he also coached both Distillery and Ireland. On February 20, 1897 he became the first coach in the history of modern football to take charge of a national team. Crone’s younger brother Bob Crone was also a notable footballer, playing for Glentoran, Middlesbrough, West Bromwich Albion and Notts County, as well as Distillery and Ireland. Crone, an all-round athletic, was also a useful cricketer and distance runner.
Contents |
[edit] Playing career
[edit] Distillery
Crone spent sixteen seasons at Distillery playing as a defender. His club team mates included fellow Irish internationals Olphert Stanfield, Jack Reynolds and Samuel Johnston. Crone could play anywhere across the back-line, but was most familiar as a left-back or left-half. He made 290 appearances for Distillery and helped the club win the Irish Cup four times. He also played for Distillery during the inaugural Irish League season of 1890-91 and went onto make 35 league appearances for the club before he retired in 1893.
[edit] Irish International
Between 1882 and 1890 Crone also played 12 times for Ireland. He made his debut on February 25, 1882, while still in his teens, in a 7-1 defeat to Wales. This was only Ireland’s second ever international. He remained a regular for Ireland throughout the following eight seasons. On April 7, 1888 he scored for Ireland in a 5-1 defeat to England. All of his 12 international appearances ended in defeat, a statistic which results in Crone holding the unfortunate record of finishing on the losing side more times then any other international player during the 1800s.
[edit] Coaching career
After retiring as a player, Crone became a coach at Distillery, a post he held for fifteen seasons. On February 20, 1897 he also took charge of the Ireland team for the 6-0 defeat against England. This was the first time in the history of modern football that a coach took charge of a national team.
[edit] Honours
Distillery
Player
- Irish Cup
- Winner 1883-84, 1884–85, 1885–86, 1888-89: 4
- Runner Up 1887-88: 1
- County Antrim Shield
- Winner 1888-89: 1
- Runner Up 1889-90: 1
- Belfast Charities Cup
- Runner Up 1883-84, 1889–90, 1891–92, 1892-93: 4
