William Terrence Hennessey (born 1 September 1942) is a Welsh former international footballer who gained 39 caps for Wales. He played as a defender and made 400 Football League appearances in the 1960s and 1970s with Birmingham City, Nottingham Forest and Derby County.[1]
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | William Terrence Hennessey | ||
| Date of birth | (1942-09-01) 1 September 1942 (age 81) | ||
| Place of birth | Llay, Wales | ||
| Position(s) | Defender | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1958–1959 | Birmingham City | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1959–1965 | Birmingham City | 178 | (3) |
| 1965–1970 | Nottingham Forest | 159 | (5) |
| 1970–1973 | Derby County | 63 | (4) |
| 1973 | Tamworth | 0 | (0) |
| International career | |||
| 1962–1972 | Wales | 39 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1974–1978 | Tamworth | ||
| 1978 | Tulsa Roughnecks | ||
| 1978–1980 | Shepshed Charterhouse | ||
| 1980–1981 | Tulsa Roughnecks (assistant coach) | ||
| 1981–1983 | Tulsa Roughnecks | ||
| 1986–1987 | Melbourne Croatia | ||
| 1987–1988 | Heidelberg | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
After his playing career, he managed a number of clubs, including Tulsa Roughnecks of the North American Soccer League, whom he led to the league championship in 1983.
He joined Birmingham City as a junior, going on to make 178 League appearances for them,[1] as well as being part of the team that won the 1962–63 Football League Cup.[2]
In November 1965, he was transferred to Nottingham Forest and became their captain. He transferred from Forest to Derby County in February 1970 for a fee of £100,000.[3] While at Derby he was part of the side that won the First Divisionin1971–72.[4] His role on the field varied. During his career Hennessey accumulated a total of 400 league appearances, as well as being capped by Wales on 39 occasions.[1]
Hennessey was forced to retire at the end of the 1972–73 campaign and initially went into coaching. After taking a position (for the second time) as an assistant coach of Tulsa Roughnecks in 1980,[5] he took over as manager mid-season in 1981, replacing Charlie Mitchell.[6][7]
In1983 Hennessey led Tulsa to the NASL championship, winning Soccer Bowl '83 by a 2–0 score over Toronto Blizzard.[8] However, the team's financial instability led him to resign after the season.[9]
Hennessey is the cousin of Wales goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey, who has over 100 caps for the national team.[10]
