| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | William John Anderson[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 24 January 1947 | ||
| Place of birth | Liverpool, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)[2] | ||
| Position(s) | Winger | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1962–1964 | Manchester United | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1963–1967 | Manchester United | 9 | (0) |
| 1967–1973 | Aston Villa | 231 | (36) |
| 1973–1977 | Cardiff City | 126 | (12) |
| 1975 | → Portland Timbers (loan) | 17 | (3) |
| 1977–1982 | Portland Timbers | 160 | (13) |
| 1979–1980 | Wichita Wings (indoor) | 18 | (15) |
| 1980–1982 | Portland Timbers (indoor) | 31 | (17) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
William John Anderson (born 24 January 1947) is an English former professional footballer who played as a winger. During his career, he made over 350 appearances in the Football League.[3]
He began his career as a youth player with Manchester United, making his professional debut at the age of sixteen. However, he struggled to establish himself in the first team, largely due to the emergence of George Best in his position, and was sold to Aston Villa in January 1967 for £20,000. Relegated in his first season, he later helped the club win promotion back to the First Division and made over 200 appearances in all competitions before joining Cardiff City in 1973.
With Cardiff, he won promoted to the Second Division and reached three Welsh Cup finals, winning two in 1973 and 1974. During the English summer break in 1975, he joined Portland Timbers in the North American Soccer League on loan and enjoyed the experience enough to return to the club on a permanent basis in 1977. He went on to make over 150 appearances for the side, spending a season on loan with indoor side Wichita Wings, before retiring.