Billy Ions
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | William Greenwell Ions | ||
| Date of birth | 11 March 1994 (age 21) | ||
| Place of birth | Ashington, England | ||
| Height | 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)[1] | ||
| Playing position | Forward / Midfielder | ||
| Club information | |||
Current team | PS Kemi | ||
| Number | 9 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2009–2010 | Tenerife | ||
| 2010–2012 | Newcastle United | ||
| 2012−2013 | Leeds United[2] | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2013 | PS Kemi | 22 | (9) |
| 2013 | West Auckland Town | 1 | (0) |
| 2013–2014 | Newcastle Benfield | 5 | (0) |
| 2014– | PS Kemi | 55 | (30) |
|
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 7 November 2015. | |||
William Greenwell "Billy" Ions (born 11 March 1994) is an English[3][4] professional footballer who plays as a forward and captains Palloseura Kemi Kings in the Veikkausliiga.
Ions was born in Ashington, Northumberland and played youth football with CD Tenerife, Newcastle United, and Leeds United. After being released by Leeds United, Ions joined the Nike Academy. He started his professional career with PS Kemi.
Early life
Ions, born in Ashington, Northumberland, moved to the Canary Islands in Spain with his family at a young age. While in Spain, Billy idolised England national team star Wayne Rooney and Spanish forward Fernando Torres to whom he compared himself to.[5][6]
Club career
Early career
Ions first started playing football in Constância, and played in the School of Juan Miguel.
CD Tenerife
At the age of 15, Ions joined the youth setup at CD Tenerife.[7]
Newcastle United
In February 2010, Billy returned to England to join Newcastle United, the club he supported as a child. He made his Under-18's debut in a home match against Nottingham Forest.
Leeds United
Ions left on a free transfer to Leeds United in September 2012. While at Leeds, Billy played for the under-18 side.[2] He started in a match against Sunderland and scored a goal.
Nike Academy
Without a club, Billy joined the Nike Academy. During his time there he was mostly injured. While at the Nike Academy, Ions played in a friendly match against PS Kemi Kings whose attention he attracted after a good performance.[8]
Palloseura Kemi Kings
Billy joined PS Kemi Kings after his impressive performance against them in a friendly match with the Nike Academy. His manager after signing was fellow Englishman and former West Ham defender Tommy Taylor. For most of his time at the club he has played on the left wing.[9][10] In his second season at the club Ions helped PS Kemi reach promotion for the first time since 2011. In the 2015 season he had another successful year, gaining back to back to promotions with the club reaching the top division. Ions was voted best player of the league by other players at the end of the season.[11]
References
- ↑ "Newcastle United - Teams - Profiles - Academy - Academy Player Profile - Billy Ions". nufc.co.uk. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
- 1 2 "News". leedsunited.com. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
- ↑ "pelaaja". Keminwww.kemi.fi. 1994-11-03. Retrieved 2015-11-28.
- ↑ "Football : Billy Ions". Footballdatabase.eu. Retrieved 2015-11-28.
- ↑ "Billy’s Boot - Football - Tenerife - ISLANDCONNECTIONS.EU". islandconnections.eu. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
- ↑ "Billy Ions, un delantero prometedor, en las filas de la Escuela Juan Miguel.". Eldia.es. 2004-08-11. Retrieved 2015-11-28.
- ↑ "2014 Review: #6 Billy Ions". English football players abroad. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
- ↑ "Billy Ions". wordpress.com. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
- ↑ "Ykköseen noussut seura kartoittaa pelaajia – pari ex-liigapeluria neuvotteluissa". SuomiFutis. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
- ↑ "JJK vs PS Kemi". Betshoot. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
- ↑ "Pelaajat valitsivat vuoden parhaat kollegansa" (in Finnish). Finnish Football Players' Association. Retrieved 2 April 2016.