Debut:
01/10/1892 v West Bromwich Albion (A) 0-0 (League Division One)
Farewell:
Transferred to ?, 05/1894, £
Passed Away:
PA
Biography
A few weeks before joining Newton Heath, Billy Hood was described as a "very unselfish player. He has plenty of speed and works hard. Good in front of goal". This was from his bio for the inter-counties tussle between Perthshire and Aberdeen in October 1891. He was arguably the best inside-forward in Perthshire, for he represented the county five teams in the space of two years.
At the time, Hood had been playing for Coupar Angus since 1887, and he signed for the Heathens in mid-November 1891 after his club had refused an earlier offer from an "English club". This coup apparently impressed one of the newspapers: "To Newton Heath belongs the honour of going furthest from home in search of players - do they employ an agent for the Orkney Islands and district?" Surprisingly, Heath used Hood as a left-half in his first few outings, not that it bothered him - he still cracked a brace on his debut as the Heathens battered Lincoln City 10-1 in the Football Alliance.
This was a sign of the things to come for the Scot as he would occupy all five forward positions, both right and left-half spots, as well as the right full-back berth in a 3-year stay in Manchester. He helped the Heathens to runners-up spot in the Alliance in 1891-92 (with 6 goals in 15 outings) which in turn earned them instant election to the First Division of the Football League.
Billy appeared in 20 of the 30 league games in 1892-93 as well as the crucial test match that preserved the club's top flight place, but he missed out on a Manchester Senior Cup medal as he was not in the lineup that defeated Bolton in the final. He saw less action in 1893-94 when he became a utility player, filling in different gaps in the team.
The 5' 9", 11 st, Scot played his last game for Heath against Liverpool on April 28th, 1894, before moving to nearby Stalybridge Rovers that summer. Hood served that Lancashire Combination side in 1894-95 only and he was not traced thereafter. Thanks to Charbel Boujaoude for his tireless researching effort & the correct information on William Hood. Biography kindly provided by Charbel Boujaoude.
