5'6"  10st.2lb.
b. Southport 16 July 1925
d. Blackburn 25 October 1982
 

Debut 1 May 1948 (21y 289d) Final Game 31 August 1960 (35y 46d)
First Goal 21 April 1949 Final Goal 16 March 1957
CAREER: Wennington Road School;High Park;Blackburn Rovers Nov'47 (am) Mar'48-Feb'61.
INTERNATIONALS  England 17 apps
’50 v Spa.’51 v Sco,Yug,Arg,Por.’52 v Aut,Aut,Swi.’53 v NIr,Arg,Chl,Uru,USA.’54 v Wal,NIr,RoE,Hun.
FOOTBALL LEAGUE 6 apps ’50 v LoI,IL.’51 v LoI.’53 v LoI,Dan Com.’54 v IL.
ENGLAND B 3 apps ’50 v Hun,Hun,Ita.
 

FL         406 apps 20 gls                   1 og
FAC        26 apps   1 gl
Total   432 apps 21 gls et 30m      1 og
Penalty record  T 25 Sc 18 SV 1 M 5 Sc-R 1
Emergency goalkeeper  1 g 6 m 0 gls
LC         4 apps  et 30m

It is ironic that Bill Eckersley seemed destined to play only one game in the country's top division, his debut coming when the Rovers were already relegated. Good enough to play regularly for his country, Eckersley played almost his entire career in the second division with the Rovers, a remarkable demonstration of loyalty, although he spent the last year of his career playing where he belonged. He was spotted by the club after only a few appearances in junior football in Southport, where he drove a lorry, but had gained experience in war time football, playing with Wilf Mannion for the Palestine United Services team. An airborne member of the Royal Ulster Rifles he served most of the war in the Middle East. This developed him into a left back who oozed confidence. He had great quickness, tackled ferociously and brought the ball from the back far more than full backs of the time. A dressing room humorist about whom there are scores of anecdotes he enjoyed life and more than the occasional beer and cigarette. Despite his repute as a supreme classical footballer he found off field employment challenging and was a shopkeeper and then an insurance agent before he became a chauffeur. He died of cancer at a tragically early age, his ashes being scattered on the Ewood pitch. His daughter Janet Stoyel, started her own textile company, The Cloth Clinic, and was awarded an MBE in the 2010 honours list for her services to the textile and laser technology industries.