Billy Rafferty

Who is Billy Rafferty?

William Henry "Billy" Rafferty is a retired Scottish footballer who played as a forward. He appeared in the Football League for Coventry City, Blackpool, Plymouth Argyle, Carlisle United, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Newcastle United, Portsmouth and Bournemouth, scoring 145 goals in 468 matches. He finished his career in Portugal with Farense and Louletano.

Rafferty began his league career with Coventry City after joining them from Port Glasgow but found opportunities few and far between. A move to Blackpool in 1972 saw him play and score more regularly before joining Plymouth Argyle a year later. With his striking partner, Paul Mariner, he became an important player in the Argyle side that won promotion to the Football League Second Division in 1975. Their partnership contributed 47 goals to the campaign, with Rafferty scoring 26.

He then joined Carlisle United where he continued to score regularly. He moved on to Wolverhampton Wanderers and Newcastle United before joining Portsmouth in 1980. At Portsmouth he once again became a key striker, winning the Third Division championship in 1983 before joining Bournemouth, which would be his last league club in England.