Bill Collins (footballer, born 1920)

Bill "Buster" Collins

Personal information
Full name	William Hanna Collins
Date of birth	15 February 1920
Place of birth	Belfast, Ireland
Date of death	3 November 2010 (aged 90)
Playing position	Wing half
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps^†	(Gls)^†
1942–1945	Belfast Celtic
1945–1948	Distillery
1948–1949	Luton Town	7	(0)
1949–1951	Gillingham	51	(0)
1951–1956	Snowdown Colliery Welfare
Teams managed
1975	Gillingham (caretaker)[1]
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (goals)

William Hanna "Bill" Collins, also popularly known as Buster Collins (15 February 1920 – 3 November 2010)^[2] was a Northern Irish professional footballer. His clubs included Distillery, Belfast Celtic, Luton Town^[3] and Gillingham.^[4]

He later became reserve team manager at Gillingham, and in 1965 was appointed by manager Freddie Cox as the head of the club's newly organised youth scheme, a post he held for nearly twenty years.^[5] He served as first team trainer and kitman for a further ten years, finally retiring in 1993 at the age of 73. He has been cited as a major influence on the careers of future stars Micky Adams and Steve Bruce.^[6]

He died in 2010 at the age of 90.^[7]

References

1. Bradley, Andy (12 October 1985). "10 Years Ago". Gillingham F.C. Official Matchday Magazine.
2. Triggs, Roger (2001). The Men Who Made Gillingham Football Club. Tempus Publishing Ltd. p. 93. ISBN 0-7524-2243-X.
3. Post War English & Scottish Football League A – Z Player's Database
4. Post War English & Scottish Football League A – Z Player's Database
5. Triggs, Roger (2001). The Men Who Made Gillingham Football Club. Tempus Publishing Ltd. p. 94. ISBN 0-7524-2243-X.
6. Patrick Barclay (6 March 2004). "Adams and Bruce were Buster's premier pupils". Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 18 November 2007. Retrieved 27 September 2007.
7. "Gillingham stalwart Bill Collins dies". BBC. 3 November 2010. Retrieved 4 November 2010.