Revolution
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All good things come to an end.
1.Billy leaves us with 117 League goals in 335 league games over his 3 spells.
2. Billy’s first appearance for us was as a sub in the 1-1 draw at home to Watford in 2004-5. His last was also as a sub, in the final game of last season at Birmingham, which we won 2-1 of course.
3. Overall, he’s made 377 competitive appearances and scored 129 goals. The breakdown:
4. In terms of club rankings, Billy is:
- 20th in all time league appearances, with 335, and third highest this century behind Nick Montgomery and Chris Basham.
- 9th in all time league goals scored, with 117, tied with his Grandad’s hero Jimmy Hagan.
- The leading scorer this century by miles. Ched Evans is second highest with 42 league and 5 FA Cup goals.
- The leading all time substitute appearance maker in league games (88) and overall (106).
5. Billy won player of the year twice, in 2015-16 and in 2016-17, the latter award being won jointly with John Fleck. He was the EFL League One player of the year in 2016-17 (an award he also won at Scunthorpe in 2006-07), and was in the EFL and PFA League One teams of the year in 2016-17 and the EFL and Championship teams of the year in 2018-19.
6. Billy is the only player to score 30 league goals in a season for United this century. His tally of 30 in 2016-7 made him the division’s top scorer for the only time in his career with us, and was the most scored by a Blades player since Keith Edwards in 1983-84. Billy is one of only 5 Blades players to score 30 league goals in a seaso. Edwards (twice) Jock Dodds, Harry Johnson and Jimmy Dunne (3 times) are the others.
7. Billy’s 129 Blades goals have been scored against 53 different teams. The most against one team is six, against both Wigan and Coventry. He has scored against Hull in the League, FA Cup and League Cup.
8. Billy is one of 7 Blades to have scored 20+ league goals in successive seasons. The others are Harry Johnson (4 straight seasons) Jimmy Dunne (4 straight seasons), Derek Pace (4 straight seasons), Jock Dodds (3 straight seasons), Alf Ringstead and Brian Deane.
9. Billy is one of 5 players to win 3 promotions with United, the others being John Fleck and Chris Basham (same promotions) Paul Stancliffe (1984, 1989, 1990) and Deano (1989, 1990, 2006).
10. Billy’s first goal for us was in the 5-0 League Cup win v Morecambe in 2007-08. His last was in the 3-1 FA Cup win v Wrexham this season. His first League goal was against Coventry in 2007-08, and his last vs Wigan this season.
11. By my reckoning, Billy is the 3rd player to make league appearances for us in 3 separate spells with the club. The other 2 are Brian Deane and Jon Harley.
12. Billy won us our first point in the PL in both 2019-20 and 2020-21 with his equalisers against Bournemouth and Fulham respectively, and his penalty v Newcastle secured our first win in 2020-21.
13. Billy scored 3 hattricks for the Blades, at home to QPR in a 3-0 win in 2008-09, at home to Wigan in 2018-19, and away at Villa in the 3-3 draw in 2018-19. He is one of four Blades players to score 3 or more goals in a league game and not finish on the winning side. The others are Leon Clarke, Len Allchurch and Jimmy Dunne (3 times!).
14. Billy’s 21 goals in 2015-16 were scored in 21 different games. He never scored more than 1 goal in a game.
15. Billy was booked 34 times in the League in his United career, and twice in the FA Cup. He was sent off once, in the 0-1 home defeat to Southampton in the PL in 2019-20.
16. I think I’m right in saying that Billy’s first goal scored from outside the penalty area for us was in the 3-1 win v Bradford in 2015-16. He scored twice from outside the area in the same game against Derby in 2017-18.
17. Billy has scored in the FA Cup for United in 3 different decades, a record he shares with Jimmy Hagan. He is the only player who has scored in the League Cup for us in 3 different decades.
18. Billy has scored against United 3 times, all for Doncaster in the 2010-11 relegation season. He scored both in a 2-2 draw at the Lane and one in a 2-0 defeat at the Keepmoat.
19. I have tried to stick with Blades related facts here but it is worth mentioning that Billy is of course the current top league scorer, with 249 goals over his career. This is 46th all time, and is also the most scored by a player this century. The only other current players with 200+ league goals are Harry Kane (227) and Jordan Rhodes (204).
20. I will miss him. A club legend, my son’s favourite player, and for me second only to Keith Edwards, his 20th century doppelganger in many ways. Good luck Billy, and thanks for the memories. A true Blade.
1.Billy leaves us with 117 League goals in 335 league games over his 3 spells.
2. Billy’s first appearance for us was as a sub in the 1-1 draw at home to Watford in 2004-5. His last was also as a sub, in the final game of last season at Birmingham, which we won 2-1 of course.
3. Overall, he’s made 377 competitive appearances and scored 129 goals. The breakdown:
| Season | Division | League app | League goals | FA Cup App | FA Cup Goals | League Cup App | League Cup Goals | Other App | Other Goals |
| 2004-05 | Ch | 0(2) | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 2007-08 | Ch | 21(8) | 4 | 2(2) | 0 | 3 | 2 | - | - |
| 2008-09 | Ch | 17(5) | 4 | 4 | 2 | 0(1) | 0 | | |
| 2009-10 | Ch | - | - | - | - | 1 | 1 | - | - |
| 2015-16 | L1 | 42(2) | 21 | 2 | 0 | - | - | 0(2) | 0 |
| 2016-17 | L1 | 44(2) | 30 | 0(1) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2017-18 | Ch | 28(6) | 13 | 2 | 1 | 0(1) | 0 | - | - |
| 2018-19 | Ch | 34(6) | 23 | 0(1) | 0 | 0(1) | 1 | - | - |
| 2019-20 | PL | 10(15) | 3 | 1(2) | 1 | 1 | 0 | - | - |
| 2020-21 | PL | 7(9) | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0(1) | 0 | - | - |
| 2021-22 | Ch | 30(9) | 14 | 1 | 0 | 1(1) | 1 | - | - |
| 2022-23 | Ch | 14(24) | 2 | 2(4) | 1 | 0(1) | 0 | - | - |
| Total | | 247(88) | 117 | 16(10) | 7 | 7(6) | 5 | 1(2) | 0 |
4. In terms of club rankings, Billy is:
- 20th in all time league appearances, with 335, and third highest this century behind Nick Montgomery and Chris Basham.
- 9th in all time league goals scored, with 117, tied with his Grandad’s hero Jimmy Hagan.
- The leading scorer this century by miles. Ched Evans is second highest with 42 league and 5 FA Cup goals.
- The leading all time substitute appearance maker in league games (88) and overall (106).
5. Billy won player of the year twice, in 2015-16 and in 2016-17, the latter award being won jointly with John Fleck. He was the EFL League One player of the year in 2016-17 (an award he also won at Scunthorpe in 2006-07), and was in the EFL and PFA League One teams of the year in 2016-17 and the EFL and Championship teams of the year in 2018-19.
6. Billy is the only player to score 30 league goals in a season for United this century. His tally of 30 in 2016-7 made him the division’s top scorer for the only time in his career with us, and was the most scored by a Blades player since Keith Edwards in 1983-84. Billy is one of only 5 Blades players to score 30 league goals in a seaso. Edwards (twice) Jock Dodds, Harry Johnson and Jimmy Dunne (3 times) are the others.
7. Billy’s 129 Blades goals have been scored against 53 different teams. The most against one team is six, against both Wigan and Coventry. He has scored against Hull in the League, FA Cup and League Cup.
8. Billy is one of 7 Blades to have scored 20+ league goals in successive seasons. The others are Harry Johnson (4 straight seasons) Jimmy Dunne (4 straight seasons), Derek Pace (4 straight seasons), Jock Dodds (3 straight seasons), Alf Ringstead and Brian Deane.
9. Billy is one of 5 players to win 3 promotions with United, the others being John Fleck and Chris Basham (same promotions) Paul Stancliffe (1984, 1989, 1990) and Deano (1989, 1990, 2006).
10. Billy’s first goal for us was in the 5-0 League Cup win v Morecambe in 2007-08. His last was in the 3-1 FA Cup win v Wrexham this season. His first League goal was against Coventry in 2007-08, and his last vs Wigan this season.
11. By my reckoning, Billy is the 3rd player to make league appearances for us in 3 separate spells with the club. The other 2 are Brian Deane and Jon Harley.
12. Billy won us our first point in the PL in both 2019-20 and 2020-21 with his equalisers against Bournemouth and Fulham respectively, and his penalty v Newcastle secured our first win in 2020-21.
13. Billy scored 3 hattricks for the Blades, at home to QPR in a 3-0 win in 2008-09, at home to Wigan in 2018-19, and away at Villa in the 3-3 draw in 2018-19. He is one of four Blades players to score 3 or more goals in a league game and not finish on the winning side. The others are Leon Clarke, Len Allchurch and Jimmy Dunne (3 times!).
14. Billy’s 21 goals in 2015-16 were scored in 21 different games. He never scored more than 1 goal in a game.
15. Billy was booked 34 times in the League in his United career, and twice in the FA Cup. He was sent off once, in the 0-1 home defeat to Southampton in the PL in 2019-20.
16. I think I’m right in saying that Billy’s first goal scored from outside the penalty area for us was in the 3-1 win v Bradford in 2015-16. He scored twice from outside the area in the same game against Derby in 2017-18.
17. Billy has scored in the FA Cup for United in 3 different decades, a record he shares with Jimmy Hagan. He is the only player who has scored in the League Cup for us in 3 different decades.
18. Billy has scored against United 3 times, all for Doncaster in the 2010-11 relegation season. He scored both in a 2-2 draw at the Lane and one in a 2-0 defeat at the Keepmoat.
19. I have tried to stick with Blades related facts here but it is worth mentioning that Billy is of course the current top league scorer, with 249 goals over his career. This is 46th all time, and is also the most scored by a player this century. The only other current players with 200+ league goals are Harry Kane (227) and Jordan Rhodes (204).
20. I will miss him. A club legend, my son’s favourite player, and for me second only to Keith Edwards, his 20th century doppelganger in many ways. Good luck Billy, and thanks for the memories. A true Blade.
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