Controversial former Workington Reds chairman Bill Wilson is back in football in north Devon.
Wilson, now 66, was appointed chairman of Barnstable Town in January and is fighting to keep the club in the Southern League’s South Division.
At the moment they are rock bottom with just 15 points from 31 games and a goal difference of minus 71. They didn’t win their first game until beating Bideford 1-0 in the Christmas derby, just before Wilson took charge.
Wilson had a roller coaster two-year spell as Workington chairman during which time he oversaw the club’s promotion as champions of the North West Trains League under the management of Peter Hampton.
But he had brought in a number of high profile ex-League players, the most successful of which was Paul Stewart, the former Man City, Liverpool, Spurs and England star.
The club was deep in debt when he left and a local consortium who took over had to work hard to pull it back from the brink.
He has been largely out of the scene as far as Cumbria is concerned although his name was linked to a possible bid for Carlisle United about five years ago.
Carlisle-born Wilson, who owns three holiday parks in the region, moved to Devon in 2003.
Interviewed by the local newspaper after his appointment in January, Wilson said he was keen to develop youth football in North Devon – and would be prepared to put up to £1million into the Southern League club to bring back the good times.
Having stepped away from football to concentrate on his business, the 66-year-old said at the time it was during the lockdowns of the past two years that he decided he would like to get back involved in the game – following a bout of ‘soul searching’.
He spoke to Devon FA about how he could help improve facilities in North Devon, and to several clubs in the area, before deciding to put his money into Barnstaple, who have struggled in Division One South for four years now, escaping relegation by luck more than judgement at the end of the last two seasons as they were bottom when they were curtailed because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Barnstaple’s previous chairman Bob Chamberlain stepped down late last year after former manager Dean Edwards quit saying the club should consider voluntary relegation to the Western League.
Caretaker Kevin Darch took charge for the umpteenth time before experienced player Kevin Squire became the new manager in November.
Talking to the newspapers in Devon, Wilson explained his decision to get involved: “I moved down to Devon in 2003 to buy a holiday park and I was invited to speak to Exeter City at that time – but I didn’t take up that invitation and I have kind of been out of football now for a few years.
“I have three parks now down here in Devon – and over the last two years with COVID-19 everybody has suffered in some way or another. Most of my family are up in Carlisle so it has been a lonely two years and I did a bit of soul searching and decided I missed football.”
Wilson says he spoke to both Barnstaple and Bideford, along with a few other clubs in the region, and the Devon FA chairman Paul Morrison – and took his time over making a decision.
He said: “I have been following the North Devon football scene and the two senior clubs are obviously struggling and are in the doldrums.
“I did a bit of research and I spoke to both Barnstaple and Bideford, and I have been watching games for a number of months now.
“And because I come from a rural background myself, and I have always believed in youth development, I think there is a lot of potential, good young players, and there is a vacuum between when they reach 16 – they have nowhere to go.
“When boys are between 16 and 18 it is really important that there is a platform and somewhere to go and play at a decent level, so that they can still develop.
“So I am pledging up to a million pounds of my own money to get a 3G pitch, a replica of what they have got at the Devon FA HQ in Newton Abbot, and also get some hospitality so that we can be a venue and a community hub.”
Wilson talks passionately about the game, and his time as chairman at Workington, where future Premier League players Grant Holt and Glenn Murray were young players when he was there. Now he is keen to make Barnstaple a community club that is also serious about its first team.
“It’s about a legacy,” said Wilson. “When I am gone I would like to leave a legacy. I want to leave football in North Devon in a far better state and give opportunities for people who are younger and healthier than me to carry it on.”
“Obviously I watched both Barnstaple and Bideford – a few home games each – and I could see why Barnstaple were bottom of the league,” said Wilson.
“Although Kevin Squire has come in and stopped the heavy defeats, they are still defeats. So we clearly need to strengthen the first team in order to try and stay up. Although it would be a minor miracle, I still believe we can stay up.
“And I am already looking at players, and one of two experienced ones, to bring in to strengthen the team to stay up. At the same time, we will be building the foundations for the future over the next two to three years.”
