Billy “Bongo” Smith MBE (Cumnock, Sheffield United)

[bluedragon]

Billy “Bongo” Smith is William Smith (Born Cumnock on 12 October 1942) who signed for Sheffield United from Cumnock in July 1965. He played 3 League/Cup games (1 goal) in the 1965/66 season. Someone thought that there might have been a Charlton Athletic connection but I cannot find one and would only know if he had played a first team game. Billy was capped at Junior level in 1965 after he returned to Junior football with Cumnock.

I understand that he may have been on Kilmarnock’s books early in his career and farmed out to another Junior club. I have a Junior player “Smith (Troon)” selected for the SJFA XI in 1963 and I am trying to find out if it is the same player.

Any help at all will be much appreciated.

[prorege]

Troon had a Smith in 1961/2 and 1962/3. I don't have a first name for him, I'm afraid.

[bluedragon]

Thanks Prorege. If there is only one Smith on Troon’s books at that time it looks like the Willie Smith shown in John Litster’s disk as signing for Kilmarnock from Troon in 1962 (possibly August) and then being released on 17 October 1962. It does not say he got re-instated at Troon but taking it all together I think that is probably sufficient to mark the “Smith (Troon)” in the Junior International records as “Willie? Smith (Troon)”.

So is Willie Smith Bongo Smith?

Certainly it ties in with what someone recalled that Bongo had a first taste of Senior football with Kilmarnock. If it is the same player he would have been 20 years of age when selected for the SJFA XI match in 1963. At 22 (almost 23) years of age he sounds quite old to be taking his first step into Senior football in England in 1965 and so an earlier connection with Kilmarnock sounds promising. I would have thought he might have been farmed out to Cumnock rather than Troon?