By Gavan Bergin
At the start of the 1938/39 season Bill Fallon was the first choice left winger at Division Two Sheffield Wednesday FC. The previous season, Bill had performed heroics, scoring and setting up the goals that saved Wednesday from relegation. This season, things were different.
Bill played even better than before, he scored more goals and won more games and he helped make Wednesday a much better team. They started the season with two wins and a draw, and that put them fifth in the league.
On September 8th 1938, Wednesday played against Blackburn Rovers at Hillsborough. Blackburn were the best team in the league and they were expected to be tough opponents, but Bill was irrepressible. He scored the first goal in the first half, then he set up two goals in the second half, and for ninety minutes he ran the Blackburn defence ragged. Wednesday won 3-0 and went second in the league.
Two days after that, Wednesday played Tranmere Rovers at home, and Bill was excellent again. He helped set up Wednesday’s first goal, then he took the corner kick that made their second goal. They won 2-0, and that put them top of the league! However, there were more difficult days to come.
On September 17th 1938, Wednesday played away to Chesterfield, and they got a right rude welcome there. They went behind early and were still a goal down at half-time. Bill had created Wednesday’s best opportunities in the first half and he kept at it after the break. Three times in quick succession at the start of the second half he got himself a clear run on goal, hitting one shot over the bar, one shot against the bar and one shot into the net for the equaliser. That goal in the 50th minute put Wednesday back in the game but they weren’t in it for long and they ended up losing 3-1. In their next two games they drew with Swansea and lost against Bradford Park Avenue. That dropped them to fourth place. They were still flying high in the league but they had to start winning again.
On October 8th 1938, Wednesday played Manchester City at Hillsborough. It was an important game, and they needed to win it, not least for their supporters who hadn’t seen a home win for almost a month. But when the game kicked off, Wednesday played like a team that was destined to lose. City were by no means a great side, but they were made to look like world-beaters and it was no surprise when Wednesday conceded an early goal. For the rest of the first half, they were distinctly second best and their winless run seemed set to continue. Then, Bill stepped up to change the game. Just before half-time, he scampered free of the City defence and played an inch-perfect cross that set up the Wednesday equaliser. Then, five minutes into the second half, he broke in from the left wing and burst into the box, shaking off his marker to get on the ball and score. That 50th minute goal put Wednesday 2-1 up and not long afterwards they scored again. The final score was 3-1. They had the win they needed.
Everything was looking good. Their winless run was over and they were back on track when misfortune hit. The team was weakened by a wave of injuries and illness to players and Bill missed games for the first time that season. After beating Man City in early October Wednesday went five games without a win, and by early November they had plummeted to fourteenth in the league. They were out of the top five, out of the top ten and it seemed like the championship dream was over.
On November 17th 1938, Wednesday played Norwich City at Hillsborough. They went into that game with confidence dashed. They weren’t winning, they weren’t playing well, and their supporters surely feared the worst. Then the game started, and everything was alright with the world again. Wednesday attacked from the first kick to the last. Bill was tremendous, dashing and darting and twisting and turning and tormenting the Norwich defenders. He was too fast and too sharp and he was splendid on the ball. His passing and crossing were impeccable and he set up chance after chance for the strikers. He helped them score four goals in the first half and two in the second half, then he scored the seventh goal himself. Wednesday won 7-0!
That was an amazing win and it lifted Wednesday up the league table, but only into eleventh place. Time was running out now, they needed to keep winning and they needed their best players to keep playing their best football. That’s exactly what they got from Bill. His near-perfect game against Norwich was the first in a series of terrific performances
On November 26th 1938, Wednesday played away to Luton Town. Luton were a good team especially at home, whereas Wednesday had been awful away from Hillsborough. They had only one win in seven away games that season and, notwithstanding the thrashing of Norwich the week before, they travelled to Luton as slight underdogs. When the game started, Luton controlled possession and dominated in attack, while Wednesday defended in numbers and attacked on the break. Luton made the early chances and they took the lead in the 19th minute, then they poured forward in search of another goal, but Wednesday won the ball and caught them out with a long clearance down the middle that fell to Hunt and he scored the equaliser. A few minutes later Luton overcommitted going forward again, and when their attack was foiled the ball was cleared down the left to Bill who took it, raced away and crossed for Hunt to score the goal that made it 2-1 to Wednesday. That was the score at half time.
In the second half, the game followed the same pattern of play. Luton hadn’t learned their lesson- they kept attacking in waves and they kept getting picked off by counter-attacks. Within minutes of the restart, Wednesday made a break down the right that ended with Hunt scoring again to make it 3-1. Almost immediately after that, Bill got the ball on the left touchline, then he turned and sped towards goal and hit a low, hard shot from just outside the box that hit the inside of the far post on its way into the net. That goal made it 4-1 to Wednesday and they scored another goal before the end to win the game 5-1.
That victory moved Wednesday up to seventh in the league. They were back in the top ten and back in the running for the championship. They had a chance, but they had to make sure they didn’t throw it away with another run of bad results. That looked like it might happen when in their next two games they lost at home to Plymouth Argyle and drew away to Nottingham Forest. But those results didn’t do them much damage, and they stayed in the top ten.
On December 17th Wednesday played Burnley at Hillsborough, They went into that game in eighth place, but they hadn’t been playing well of late, and they couldn’t afford to slip up again. Yet they started slowly, and they had to fight hard to get into the game against Burnley who were a mediocre side at best. But gradually their superiority began to show: Bill wriggled free of the defence and hit a terrific shot that was deflected, before he broke through again and scored the first goal in the 20th minute. That broke the Burnley resistance, the goals kept coming and Wednesday won the game 4-1.
Bill’s strike against Burnley was his third goal in five games. He was in magnificent form and he was bound to be a crucial player for Wednesday in their charge for the league title.
Then, disaster struck.
On December 21st 1938, Bill was travelling in a car that skidded and crashed into a telegraph post in a snowstorm at Wadsley Bridge, Sheffield. He received severe head injuries in the accident, and he was out of football. No one knew when he’d be back, if ever….
Will Bill be back?
Did he ever play football again?
You’ll have to wait until the first NewsFour issue of 2025 to find out!
Don’t miss it!
Read more:
Bill Fallon – Part 1
Bill Fallon – Part 2
Bill Fallon – Part 3
Bill Fallon – Part 4
Bill Fallon – Part 5
