Lucas Billy Image 1 Wolverhampton Wanderers 1936

Description

Newport, Monmouthshire born inside forward (who played both sides) and later right half Billy Lucas began his football career with Brookside Athletic, and played for Treharris, from where he joined First Division club Wolverhampton Wanderers in October 1935, spending time with non league (nursery club?)  Shrewsbury Town later in 1935, but he didn’t make the Wolves first eleven before joining Swindon Town in May 1937, making his Football League debut at Notts County that August. He played two seasons for The Robins prior to the outbreak of the Second World War in September 1939, by when he had scored 18 goals in 82 appearances. His career was then interrupted by the War, during which Lucas’ first participation for Wales came in a wartime international match against England at Ninian Park on 9th May 1942, scoring the only goal of the match in a 1-0 victory. He went on to play in a further seven wartime matches for Wales, although these are unofficial matches.

After the War he returned to The County Ground and was an ever present during their first post-war campaign, scoring a career best 16 goals for Swindon, but in March 1948, after 39 goals in 161 matches for Swindon, Swansea Town manager Billy McCandless paid a then club record fee of £11,000 to bring him to The Vetch Field. His judgement was immediately rewarded as Lucas was a mainstay of the side that won the Third Division (South) Championship in 1949, although from 1950-51 Lucas increasingly appeared at right half for The Swans. He enjoyed five seasons in the Second Division and twice won The Welsh Cup with Swansea, scoring 35 goals in 213 matches. While with Swansea Lucas won his first full cap for Wales on 23rd October 1948 in a 3-1 defeat to Scotland in the 1949 Home Championship. He gained a total of seven caps for Wales, his final appearance coming on 1th5 November 1950 in a 4-2 defeat to England.

Lucas joined Third Division (South) hometown club Newport County as player-manager in December 1953 already aged nearly 36 and played for five seasons with The Exiles, making his 100th and final appearance for Newport at Southampton in April 1958, scoring 6 goals for County. Having hung up his boots he continued as Newport’s manager until April 1961, when he was succeeded by Bobby Evans, but he returned to the manager’s job in March 1962, although he was unable to save them from relegation to the Fourth Division. He remained Newport’s manager until February 1967 when he joined Swansea Town as they were fighting unsuccessfully against relegation, and he stayed with Swansea until March 1969. He finally re-joined Newport County for a third spell as manager in November 1970, working without wages for the first six months due to financial problems at the club, remaining in the post until January 1974, by when he had taken charge of Newport in 495 matches across eighteen seasons.