*Indicates unconfirmed information. Figures in brackets after English team names indicate all appearances made and goals scored in competitive matches for Football League clubs from 1888 onwards. For Scottish League clubs the figures show details of all competitive appearances and goals scored from 1946/47 onwards.
Bill Roffey
Appearances: 71+2 Goals: 3
Date / Year of birth: 6th February 1954
Position: Left-back / Midfielder
Season of first appearance: 1991/92
Season of last appearance: 1994/95
Also played for: Crystal Palace (27,0), Orient (378+7,9), Brentford (13,1), Millwall (51+1,2), Barnet, Lexoes (Portugal), Canterbury City and Tonbridge Angels
Burly 5' 11" tall left-footed player born in Stepney, London who started his career as an apprentice at Crystal Palace during the 1970/71 season. Bill progressed through the Eagles' youth ranks, playing alongside future Margate players Vic Pain and Bryan Parry, and made his first team debut during the 1972/73 campaign. He made 27 senior appearances for Palace before being transferred to Orient in October 1973.
Bill went on to stay at Brisbane Road for almost 11 years and was part of the Orient side that reached the FA Cup semi-finals during 1977/78, as was his fellow future Margate team-mate Peter Kitchen. Bill made 385 first team appearances (seven as sub) for the O's and scored nine goals before being loaned to Brentford in March 1984. He scored once in 13 games there before the end of the 1983/84 campaign.
In August 1984 Bill left Orient for good and signed for Millwall where he spent the 1984/85 and 1985/86 seasons, making 52 appearances (one as sub) and scoring twice.
Millwall released him in the summer of 1986 and Bill didn't play again until he made three appearances for Conference club Barnet in October 1988.
He then spent three seasons in Portugal playing for Lexoes before retiring at the end of the 1990/91 campaign.
In the summer of 1991 Bill was persuaded to join Margate aged 37 by his old Orient team-mate Tommy Taylor who was in charge at Hartsdown Park. Peter Kitchen was also tempted out of retirement by Taylor at the same time. On 17.8.91, the opening day of the 1991/92 season, Bill made his debut at left-back as Margate went down 2-1 to Burnham at Hartsdown Park. He was then troubled by niggling injuries and only featured in five of the next ten games, once in a midfield role.
Having regained full fitness Bill enjoyed a good run in the Margate side from early October to the end of December 1991. He wore the number three shirt until moving into midfield for a home match against Canterbury on 26.12.91. Bill scored the only goal of the game that day - his first for the club - and the Thanet Times described it as "an absolute gem". The paper said it was a "tremendous volley (that) screamed into the roof of the net" from just outside the penalty area. Unfortunately Bill suffered a knee injury during the Canterbury game and missed six matches as a result but after returning as a substitute in a 2-2 draw with Fareham at Hartsdown on 18.1.92 he played regularly for the rest of the season. After featuring twice more in midfield Bill reverted to left-back for a 3-1 win at Andover on 22.2.92 and the Thanet Times said he "sprayed around some useful balls".
Bill's return to the number three shirt coincided with an unbeaten run of six games during February and March 1992 and on 29.2.92 he scored in a 5-0 home win over Erith & Belvedere. It was another superb strike from distance that the Times described as "a ferocious cannonball (that) zoomed just inside the far post". During the closing weeks of the 1991/92 campaign Bill played several games at right-back before reverting to a midfield role. On 5.5.92 he got Margate's goal with a fine low drive in a 3-1 defeat against Ramsgate in the annual Isle of Thanet Gazette Cup match at Hartsdown and Bill finished 1991/92 having scored three goals in 38 appearances (two as sub). He won Margate's 'Players Player of the Year' award for the season.
Bill played in some of Margate's friendlies ahead of the 1992/93 campaign but opted to join Canterbury for the start of the season proper. In the summer of 1993 he announced his retirement as a player but changed his mind almost immediately and continued playing for Canterbury. In March 1994 Bill became City's player-manager but he left the club in July 1994 and returned to Margate as manager, not intending to continue his playing career aged 40.
In an interview with the Isle of Thanet Gazette on the eve of the 1994/95 season Bill said "I realize what is required and being a positive thinker I hope to get that little bit extra out of all the lads". He added "It was Jimmy Bloomfield who has influenced me more than anyone else in football. He was in charge at Orient when I played there and he always treated people with respect. That rubbed off on me and I can truly state that he will be my mentor in management."
Bill's latest brief retirement as a player ended on 29.8.94 when he played as a centre-back as Margate lost 1-0 at Braintree and the Gazette said he was "outstanding in the centre of the defence" during a 3-1 home win over Tonbridge on 20.9.94. The Thanet Times described Bill as being "razor-sharp" at centre-back in a 1-0 defeat against visitors Kingstonian in an FA Cup tie on 8.10.94 and he'd played in 12 consecutive games before missing two matches in October 1994. After restoring himself to the side Bill was virtually ever-present until mid-January 1995 and displayed his versatility by playing in both full-back positions, in midfield and as a centre-back. During February and March 1995 he was in and out of the team but after playing at left-back in a 2-1 defeat at Witney on 4.4.95 Bill picked himself for Margate's next three games. The third of them - a 3-1 defeat at Tonbridge on 15.4.95 - turned out to be his last match as player-manager. Bill resigned afterwards and left the club having made 35 appearances without scoring during 1994/95.
In the summer of 1995 he returned to football when he became assistant manager at Tonbridge, working alongside Phil Emblem. Bill also made a handful of appearances as a substitute and before the end of the 1995/96 season he replaced Emblem as the Angels' manager. Bill was in charge of Tonbridge until resigning at the end of October 1997 and he had no further involvement in football after that.
|
SEASON (CLUB) |
FULL (MAX) |
SUB |
GLS |
FAC |
FAT |
SLC |
KSC |
| |
|
1991/92 (MFC) |
36 (52) |
2 |
3 |
SOUTHERN LEAGUE SOUTHERN DIV. (14TH OF 22) |
1QR |
3QR |
1R |
1R |
|
|
SEASON (CLUB) |
FULL (MAX) |
SUB |
GLS |
FAC |
FAT |
SLC |
KSC |
||
|
1994/95 (MFC) |
35 (55) |
0 |
0 |
SOUTHERN LEAGUE SOUTHERN DIV. (13TH OF 22) |
3QR |
1QR |
3R |
2R |