Billy Hamilton

Who is Billy Hamilton?

William Robert Hamilton is a former Northern Ireland international footballer who played as a forward.

At club level, Billy played for Linfield, QPR, Burnley, Oxford United, Limerick, Sligo Rovers, Coleraine and Distillery. Billy is best remembered by Northern Ireland fans as the man who crossed the ball for Gerry Armstrong to score for Northern Ireland in their famous win against the hosts Spain at the 1982 FIFA World Cup. He played in every game and subsequently scored two goals himself in the second round game against Austria, and also played at the 1986 FIFA World Cup. He also twice won the British Home Championship in 1980 and 1984, scoring the winning goal against Scotland. Northern Ireland never lost when Billy scored. In total, Billy played 41 games, scoring 5 goals, for his country.

He is also remembered fondly by Distillery fans. He was a sensational signing by the club as Player/Manager in December 1989, after leaving Limerick City of the League of Ireland, having managed them to a third place finish in the previous season. He made his playing debut for the Whites on 22 March 1990 and in his three seasons made 72 appearances and scored 33 goals including one hat-trick. Knee injuries forced him to end his playing career in February 1992, but he continued to manage the team up until February 1995. He guided the club to the Gold Cup victory in the 1993/94 season.