{{short description|English footballer}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2016}} {{Use British English|date=April 2016}} {{Infobox football biography | name = Bill Summerscales | image = | caption = | fullname = William Charles Summerscales<ref name="kent"/> | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1949|1|4|df=y}}<ref name="kent"/> | birth_place = Willesden, London, England<ref name="kent"/> | height = {{height|ft=6|in=2}}<ref name="Kent6970">{{cite book|last=Kent|first=Jeff|title=The Valiants' Years: The Story Of Port Vale|publisher=Witan Books|year=1990|pages=227–257|chapter=Surviving on a Shoestring (1969–1979)|isbn=0-9508981-4-7}}</ref> | position = Central defender | youthyears1 = | youthclubs1 = North Staff's College of Tech' | years1 = 196?–1970 | clubs1 = Leek Town | caps1 = | goals1 = | years2 = 1970–1975 | clubs2 = Port Vale | caps2 = 129| goals2 = 4 | years3 = 1975–1977 | clubs3 = Rochdale | caps3 = 87 | goals3 = 4 | years4 = 1977–1978 | clubs4 = Stafford Rangers | caps4 = | goals4 = | years5 = 1978–1980 | clubs5 = Newcastle KB United | caps5 = 54 | goals5 = 5 | years6 = | clubs6 = Marquis | caps6 = | goals6 = | totalcaps = 270 | totalgoals = 13 }}

'''William Charles Summerscales''' (born 4 January 1949) is an English former footballer who played in central defence for Leek Town, Rochdale, Stafford Rangers, and Newcastle KB United (Australia). He helped Port Vale to win promotion out of the Fourth Division in 1969–70.

==Career== Summerscales played for North Staffordshire College of Technology and Leek Town before joining Port Vale for a £400 fee in February 1970.<ref name="kent">{{cite book|last=Kent|first=Jeff|title=Port Vale Personalities|publisher=Witan Books|page=283|year=1996|isbn=0-9529152-0-0}}</ref> He played four times in the Fourth Division in the 1969–70 promotion campaign.<ref name="kent"/> He played seven Third Division games in the 1970–71 season and scored his first senior goal on 19 December, in a 3–0 win over Rochdale at Spotland.<ref name="kent"/> He went on to score one goal (against Wrexham) in 28 games in the 1971–72 campaign.<ref name="kent"/> He scored three goals in 50 matches in the 1972–73 campaign, including Vale's consolation goal in a 3–1 defeat to Newcastle United in the League Cup.<ref name="kent"/> He came second to Ray Williams in that year's vote for the Port Vale Player of the Year award.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Baggaley |first1=Michael |title=Port Vale archive classic - Gordon Lee's men see off Charlton |url=https://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/port-vale-archive-classic-gordon-4029185 |access-date=9 April 2020 |work=Stoke Sentinel |date=7 April 2020}}</ref>

He scored once in 27 games in the 1973–74 season, before his run in the first-team was brought abruptly to a halt on 12 January 1974, when he broke his neck during a 2–2 draw with York City at Vale Park.<ref name="kent"/> After he returned to fitness, he had a new manager, as Gordon Lee left the club, and "Valiants" legend Roy Sproson took his place at Vale Park.<ref name="kent"/> Summerscales featured 29 times in the 1974–75 season and was dropped from the first-team in March 1975 before he was given a free transfer two months later.<ref name="kent"/> He moved on to Walter Joyce's Rochdale and helped the "Dale" to finish 15th in the Fourth Division in 1975–76, and then 18th in 1976–77 under the stewardship of Brian Green. Summerscales scored four goals in 87 league games during his two seasons at Spotland. He then played in the Northern Premier League for Stafford Rangers before moving to Australia to join National Soccer League side Newcastle KB United; he later returned to England with Marquis.

==Later life== Once he retired from the field, Summerscales became the under-15 coach at Stoke City and a committee member at Redgate United. He founded grocery company Morning Fresh in 1980 and moved into wholesaling five years later, ending the decade with four retail shops.<ref>{{cite web |title=Meet Our People {{!}} Freshview Foods Ltd |url=https://freshviewfoods.co.uk/meet-our-people/ |website=freshviewfoods.co.uk |access-date=20 July 2021}}</ref>

==Career statistics==

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;" |+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competition<ref>{{ENFA}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Players 1945-2019 10 OF 16 |url=http://www.ozfootball.net/ark/Players/STO.html#BillSummerscales |website=ozfootball.net |access-date=20 July 2021}}</ref> |- !rowspan="2"|Club !rowspan="2"|Season !colspan="3"|League !colspan="2"|FA Cup !colspan="2"|Other !colspan="2"|Total |- !Division!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals |- |rowspan="7"|Port Vale |1969–70 |Fourth Division |4||0||0||0||0||0||4||0 |- |1970–71 |Third Division |7||1||0||0||0||0||7||1 |- |1971–72 |Third Division |24||1||4||0||0||0||28||1 |- |1972–73 |Third Division |45||2||3||0||2||1||50||3 |- |1973–74 |Third Division |22||0||4||1||1||0||27||1 |- |1974–75 |Third Division |27||0||1||0||1||0||29||0 |- !colspan="2"|Total !129!!4!!12!!1!!4!!1!!145!!6 |- |rowspan="3"|Rochdale |1975–76 |Fourth Division |43||2||6||0||2||0||51||2 |- |1976–77 |Fourth Division |44||2||3||0||2||0||49||2 |- !colspan="2"|Total !87!!4!!9!!0!!4!!0!!100!!4 |- |rowspan="4"|Newcastle KB United |1978 |National Soccer League |26||2||colspan=2|—||colspan=2|—||26||2 |- |1979 |National Soccer League |20||3||colspan=2|—||colspan=2|—||20||3 |- |1980 |National Soccer League |8||0||colspan=2|—||colspan=2|—||8||0 |- !colspan="2"|Total !54!!5!!0!!0!!0!!0!!54!!5 |- !colspan="3"|Career total !270!!13!!21!!1!!8!!1!!299!!15 |}

==Honours== '''Port Vale''' *Football League Fourth Division fourth-place promotion: 1969–70<ref name="Kent6970">{{cite book|last=Kent|first=Jeff|title=The Valiants' Years: The Story Of Port Vale|publisher=Witan Books|year=1990|pages=227–257|chapter=Surviving on a Shoestring (1969–1979)|isbn=0-9508981-4-7}}</ref>

==References== {{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Summerscales, Bill}} Category:Footballers from the London Borough of Brent Category:People from Willesden Category:English men's footballers Category:Men's association football central defenders Category:Leek Town F.C. players Category:Port Vale F.C. players Category:Rochdale A.F.C. players Category:Stafford Rangers F.C. players Category:English expatriate men's footballers Category:Expatriate men's soccer players in Australia Category:Newcastle KB United players Category:English Football League players Category:Northern Premier League players Category:National Soccer League (Australia) players Category:English football coaches Category:Stoke City F.C. non-playing staff Category:English company founders Category:1949 births Category:Living people Category:20th-century English sportsmen