William Hanna "Buster" Collins (15 February 1920 – 3 November 2010)[2] was an Irish professional footballer. His clubs included Distillery, Belfast Celtic, Luton Town[3] and Gillingham.[4]
Personal information | |||
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Full name | William Hanna Collins | ||
Date of birth | (1920-02-15)15 February 1920 | ||
Place of birth | Belfast, Ireland | ||
Date of death | 3 November 2010(2010-11-03) (aged 90) | ||
Position(s) | 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] | ||
*Club domestic league appearances and goals |
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]
Gillingham F.C. – managers | |
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