BILLY LIDDELL'S parents were sceptical about their son's prospects of making a worthwhile living out of sport when the 15-year-old left home in Perthshire to seek fame and fortune with Liverpool Football Club. Football was hardly an extravagantly paid profession in the maximum wage days of 1938. So the Liddell's persuaded the Liverpool manager of the day George Kay to find young Billy a job with the club's accountants Simon Jude & Webb, so he might be better prepared for a valuable and fulfilling life. They were right of course. Their son was still in accountancy when he retired as assistant bursar at Liverpool University in 1984. And he did make a valuable contribution to society as a Justice of the Peace in Liverpool from 1958 to 1992, as a lay preacher and in voluntary work on behalf of youth clubs. But his parents could never have forseen the remarkable impact Billy Liddell was to make as a footballer. In 536 League and Cup games spanning 22 seasons at Liverpool, Liddell became one of the truly great names of Anfield. Some people even went as far as suggesting a change in name to 'Liddell-pool'. He had strength, pace, power of shot and boundless energy, ideal attributes for a man who could operate anywhere across the forward line, and scored 226 goals for Liverpool. But the quality Liddell's contemporaries spoke of most was his unshakable determination. No cause was ever lost to Billy Liddell. The late Joe Mercer, often Liddell's flow when he played for Arsenal and Everton, once said: "Billy was a great club player, so brave and such a strong runner. He did not know what fear was. He could go down the line, cut inside and give the ball a fearsome crack. "I used to get into a bit of trouble when I ran into Bill in front of the Kop at Anfield. But what did those fans want me to do, get out of his way?" The great Sir Matt Busby was also an admirer. He once said: "Bill was aggressive. He took opponents on and had the shooting power to finish things off." Roger Hunt, who succeeded Liddell as Liverpool's principal striker in 1960 said: "Billy was never afraid to have a crack at goal. So many of his goals were vital ones, equalisers and winners. He never knew he was beaten". Harry Johnston, the former Blackpool and England full-back, came up against Liddell on many occasions. He recalled: "Most defenders knew who was windy amongst the opposition attack but Billy never chickened out. He was big, strong, speedy and he played it hard but fair. He put his heart and soul into the game. He was a great competitor. "He wasn't a Matthews or a Finney. He was direct, no frills. Even when you had taken the ball from him he'd have another bite at you". Billy Beveridge Liddell joined Liverpool from Perthshire club Lochgelly Violets in June 1938 but he barely had time to find his way around Anfield before the Second World War intervened. He attempted to join the Territorial Army, together with two dozen other Liverpool players, in July 1939 but was told that at 17 he was too young. Eventually he registered for the Air Force, went to Cambridge as a trainee pilot and, thanks to his grasp of mathematics, was graded as a navigator. He continued his training in Rivers, Manitoba in Canada, working with Tiger Moths and Ansons. Like all professional footballers, he played whenever and wherever he could during the war and made his international debut for Scotland in 1942 four years before he played his first league game for Liverpool. Bill Shankly and Matt Busby were also in the Scotland side that beat England 5-4 at Hampden Park that day. Liddell made up for lost time when the war ended. He was Liverpool's leading goalscorer in eight out of nine seasons between 1949/50 and 1957/58. He also collected a total of 28 Scottish caps and a championship winners' medal with Liverpool. Yet, alone amongst his team-mates, he continued to work outside football. He explained in 1992: "When I came down to Liverpool from Scotland as a youngster I had a job lined up for me. My parents insisted I had something to fall back on if my soccer career fell through. "They thought football was too risky. I was good with numbers so I joined an accounting firm in Liverpool. "I made sure I was allowed to keep my job once I broke into the first team. I think I was the only one who did. I would train pre-season and then only twice a week when the season started. The rest of the time I worked". Liddell was still playing when he was selected to join the Liverpool Magistrates bench in 1958. At the time he was only the second professional footballer, after Ray Middleton of Chesterfield, to be so honoured. Two years later he retired from the professional game after an emotional testimonial game. A crowd of 38,789 packed into Anfield on a damp September night to watch Liverpool beat a team of international all stars 4-2, with Liddell scoring for the opposition. Liddell later recalled: "When I called it a day I was on 20-a-week plus a win bonus but money was worth a lot more then. The testimonial game netted me 6,000 and I was able to buy a house". Liddell's second retirement, from his job at the university did not follow until 1984, when he hung up his calculator at the age of 62 in order to see more of his wife Phyllis. Liddell, a non-drinker and non-smoker, remained remarkably fit throughout his life, taking up tennis and squash after retiring from football. His two sons and grandchildren live in the north east but Liddell remained in Aigburth. He said in 1992 after leaving the bench: "Liverpool is my home. I am an adopted Scouser and I'm very pleased I stayed". The city of Liverpool is very pleased he did. | 
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