Wilbur Cush

Wilbur W. Cush (10 June 1928 – 28 July 1981) was a Northern Irish football striker.

Wilbur Cush

Personal information
Date of birth	(1928-06-10)10 June 1928
Place of birth	Lurgan, Northern Ireland
Date of death	28 July 1981(1981-07-28) (aged 53)
Place of death	Lurgan, Northern Ireland
Height	5 ft 5 in (1.65 m)
Position(s)	Half-Back / Inside-Forward
Youth career
	Shankill YMCA
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1947–1957	Glenavon
1957–1960	Leeds United	87	(9)
1960–1966	Portadown
1966–1968	Glenavon
International career
1950–1961	Northern Ireland	26	(6)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Billy Cush represented Northern Ireland at the 1958 World Cup, scoring the winning goal in their first ever final stages World Cup match, a 1–0 win over Czechoslovakia in Sweden.

He started his career in his native Northern Ireland with Glenavon F.C. In 1951/52 he helped Glenavon become the first club from outside of Belfast to win the Irish League and 5 years later followed it up with a second league title. In 1956/57, he was named as the Ulster Footballer of the Year. He moved to Leeds United in 1957 and took over the captaincy from recently departed Leeds legend John Charles. Cush was a very versatile player who could play at centre-back and centre-forward. His performances at Elland Road earned him his call up to Northern Ireland for the 1958 World Cup. Overall at Leeds he made 90 appearances and scored 9 goals. In 1960 he moved to Portadown F.C. later moving back to his first club, Glenavon F.C., as a player and later a coach. With his football career over, Wilbur became a butcher in Lurgan. He died in 1981.

Wilbur Cush was also a platoon Sergeant in the Ulster Special Constabulary. He served in Lurgan (J division County Armagh) and The Birches station County Armagh. He received the USC Long Service Medal.

See also

• Ulster Footballer of the Year

External links

• Wilbur Cush at Post War English & Scottish Football League A–Z Player's Transfer Database
• Profile`