| Billy Elson | |
| Fullname: | William Elson |
| Birth Date: | 1865 |
| Birth Place: | Burslem, England |
| Position: | Half-back |
| Years1: | 1886–1894 |
| Clubs1: | Burslem Port Vale |
| Caps1: | 97 |
| Goals1: | 6 |
| Clubs2: | West Manchester |
William Elson (1865 – 1937) was an English footballer. He played 241 games and scored 15 goals for Burslem Port Vale; however, 114 of these games were friendlies.
Elson most likely joined Burslem Port Vale in the summer of 1886.[1] After a slow start, he became a regular from January 1888 and was in the side that shared the North Staffordshire Charity Challenge Cup in 1891.[1] He played 16 Second Division games in 1892–93, in what was the club's first season in the English Football League. He played 26 league games in the 1893–94 season.[1] He scored his first Football League goal at the Athletic Ground on 4 December, in a 6–1 victory over Grimsby Town.[1] Five days later, after a match at Crewe Alexandra he was physically attacked. At that point, he challenged the crowd to "come on" one by one.[1] On 13 January, he claimed another goal in a 5–3 defeat at Burton Swifts.[1] He transferred to West Manchester in the summer of 1894.[1]
Source:
| Club | Season | Division | League | FA Cup | Other | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||||
| Burslem Port Vale | 1886–87 | – | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 11 | 1 | |
| 1887–88 | – | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 19 | 1 | 20 | 1 | ||
| 1888–89 | Combination | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 1 | 39 | 1 | ||
| 1889–90 | – | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 39 | 4 | 40 | 4 | ||
| 1890–91 | Midland League | 20 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 24 | 0 | 46 | 3 | ||
| 1891–92 | Midland League | 16 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 0 | 36 | 2 | ||
| 1892–93 | Second Division | 16 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 19 | 1 | ||
| 1893–94 | Second Division | 26 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 29 | 2 | ||
| Total | 97 | 6 | 8 | 1 | 135 | 8 | 240 | 15 | |||
Port Vale