Manchester City
Which team did Billy Murphy (footballer) play for from 1918 to 1926?
Billy Murphy ( footballer ) William Murphy ( 23 May 1893 – 7 January 1962 ) , often known as Spud Murphy , was an English footballer who played as a winger for Manchester City , Southampton , Oldham Athletic and Tranmere Rovers . A runner in his youth , Murphy became an amateur footballer when the outbreak of the First World War caused his running club to disband . In 1918 he signed amateur terms with First Division Manchester City , turning professional when competitive football resumed after the war . He made 220 appearances for the club , before joining Southampton in 1926 . He stayed on the south coast for three seasons , before returning to the north-west where he had spells with Oldham Athletic and Tranmere Rovers . Early career . Born in St Helens , Lancashire , Murphys speed gave him local renown in his youth , when he became known among pigeon keepers for the haste with which he reported the arrivals of birds . He was also a talented cross country runner , running for the Peasley Cross Harriers club . The club was disbanded at the start of the First World War , and Murphy turned his attention to football . Football career . Manchester City . He signed for Manchester City from Alexandra Victoria on 2 February 1918 , as an amateur . He made several appearances for the club in the wartime Lancashire League , including an appearance against Everton in which he scored in the first minutes to consign the Toffeemen to their first defeat of the season . When competitive football returned after the end of the war , Murphy turned professional , making his league debut against Bolton Wanderers on 13 September 1919 , and a further 37 appearances that season . In the 1919–20 season , Murphy scored nine goals in 41 appearances as Manchester City finished as runner-up in the league . his performances resulted in interest from the Irish Football Association , who prompted by Murphys Irish-sounding surname wrote to enquire about his birthplace . In his reply , Manchester City manager Ernest Mangnall wrote He comes from St Helens , where the pills come from . Murphy was a regular on the Manchester City left wing for six seasons , but by 1925–26 he was no longer first choice , making only nine appearances , and on 18 August 1926 , having scored 31 goals in 220 appearances for Manchester City , he joined Southampton for £350 . Southampton . Murphy was brought to the south coast by new manager Arthur Chadwick and , by Christmas 1926 , prospects looked good as the Saints were only two points behind the Division Two leaders , with Murphy linking up well with centre forward Bill Rawlings . A reporter for the local newspaper described Murphy as cute , quick and clever . The New Year saw a slump in the teams performances and by the end of the season they had fallen back to 13th place in the table . They did , however , have a good run in the FA Cup , reaching the semi-finals where they went out to Arsenal , with Murphy appearing in all the cup matches . In the 1926–27 season , in which he linked up well with Sam Taylor and Stan Woodhouse on the left , Murphy only missed one league match , scoring four goals . The following season saw Murphy continuing on the left-wing until early March when he lost his place to Stan Cribb . Although he regained his place for the start of the 1928–29 season , Cribb once again replaced him and Murphy only made the occasional appearance before being released at the end of the season , with Saints having recruited Johnny Arnold to fill the left wing position . In his time with the Saints , Murphy made a total of 81 appearances , scoring nine goals . Later career . After leaving the Dell he joined Oldham Athletic for £100 , with Reg Watson going in the opposite direction . He spent one season at Oldham , before joining his final league club Tranmere Rovers , after which he joined non-league Ellesmere Port Town . He died in January 1962 , aged 66 .