William (Billy) Butler was born in Atherton on 27th March, 1900. He became a coalminer and played football for Howe Bridge and Atherton Colliery before joining Bolton Wanderers in April 1920.

Charles Foweraker, the Bolton manager, built an excellent team that included Joe Smith, Billy Jennings, Jimmy Seddon, John Reid Smith, David Jack, Ted Vizard, Dick Pym, Alex Finney and Bob Haworth. The team went onto beat West Ham United 2-0 to win the 1923 FA Cup Final.

Butler, an outside right, won an he won an international cap for England against Scotland on 12th April 1924. The game ended in a 1-1 draw.

Butler was a member of the Bolton Wanderers team that beat Manchester City in the 1926 FA Cup Final. David Jack scored the only goal of the game in the 76th minute.

In 1929 Butler won his third cup-winners medal when Bolton beat Portsmouth 2-0. Butler scored the opening goal in the 79th minute.

Butler scored 65 goals in 407 games for Bolton Wanderers before being transferred to Reading in 1933. His new club was managed by his former teammate, Joe Smith.

When Smith moved to Blackpool in August 1935, Butler replaced him as player-manager of Reading. Butler retired as a player in 1934, having scored 13 goals in 56 games. He also managed Torquay United before emigrating to South Africa.

Billy Butler died in 1966.

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