- Birthdate: 11 August 1874
- Birthplace: Hurlford, Scotland
- Date of death: 28 November 1941
- Other clubs: Hurlford, Kilmarnock, Abercorn (1893-95)
- Signed from: Abercorn
- Signed for LFC: £35, 11.10.1894
- International debut: 07.04.1906 vs. England
- International caps: 1/0
- Liverpool debut: 25.03.1895
- Last appearance: 17.04.1909
- Debut goal: 16.02.1898
- Last goal: 11.03.1905
- Contract expiry: January 1910
- Win ratio: 47.93% W:174 D:69 L:120
- Honours: League Championship 1900/01, 1905/06; Second Division 1895/96, 1904/05
- League games / goals: 325 / 2
- Total games / goals: 363 / 3
Player Profile
Scottish-born left-back Dunlop first appeared in Liverpool's first team towards the end of the 1894/95 season and stayed at the club for no less than 15 years! Dunlop was a regular in the following season but was out of action with an ankle injury from late October to the end of February, but despite his absence Liverpool were promoted back to the First Division. Tom Wilkie and Archie Goldie, the latter incidentally born in the same suburb of Kilmarnock as Dunlop, proved to be a sound full-back pair, but Dunlop finally reclaimed his first-team place from Wilkie for the last seven matches of the 1896/97 season and became a regular in the side for the next decade and a prominent member of the squad who won Liverpool's first-ever first division title in 1901, a feat repeated five years later. In July 1911 he was appointed assistant trainer at Sunderland. Dunlop was the team's captain from 1899-1900.
According to Liverpool's match programme from 17 September 1904: "Dunlop plays a characteristic full-back game, and the familiar cry of on the Anfield ground 'Boot it, Dunlop' is fairly suggestive of his method of defence. There can be no two opinions of his ability to kick the ball from almost any position. Always keen and watchful on the field, he betrays his over-anxiety to repel the invader by his terrific lunges, and on his day, there is no more brilliant player than this same Dunlop. A better servant no club ever possessed, and though we may occasionally differ from him as to the methods he employs on the field, on one point we must all agree, that for downright single-mindedness of purpose Dunlop's tactics have never been questioned."
Appearances per season
A more detailed look at the player's appearances
Apps |
Minutes |
Opponent |
21 |
1890 |
Sunderland |
20 |
1800 |
Blackburn Rovers |
19 |
1710 |
Bury |
18 |
1620 |
Everton |
18 |
1620 |
Sheffield Wednesday |
17 |
1530 |
Nottingham Forest |
17 |
1530 |
Aston Villa |
17 |
1530 |
Sheffield United |
17 |
1530 |
Notts County |
16 |
1440 |
Derby |
16 |
1440 |
Stoke City |
16 |
1440 |
WBA |
15 |
1350 |
Newcastle United |
14 |
1260 |
Bolton Wanderers |
13 |
1170 |
Wolves |
12 |
1080 |
Manchester City |
12 |
1080 |
Preston North End |
9 |
810 |
Birmingham City |
7 |
630 |
Burnley |
7 |
630 |
Middlesbrough |
7 |
630 |
Manchester United |
7 |
630 |
Grimsby Town |
4 |
360 |
Glossop North End |
4 |
360 |
Port Vale |
3 |
270 |
Bradford City |
3 |
270 |
Arsenal |
3 |
270 |
Leicester City |
3 |
270 |
Bristol City |
2 |
180 |
Blackpool |
2 |
180 |
Southampton |
2 |
180 |
Lincoln City |
2 |
180 |
Barnsley |
2 |
180 |
Chesterfield |
2 |
180 |
Doncaster Rovers |
2 |
180 |
Burton Swifts |
2 |
180 |
Burton Wanderers |
2 |
180 |
Burton United |
2 |
180 |
Gainsborough Trinity |
1 |
90 |
Crewe |
1 |
90 |
Loughborough |
1 |
90 |
Hucknall St Johns |
1 |
90 |
Corinthians |
1 |
90 |
Brentford |
1 |
90 |
West Ham United |
1 |
90 |
Chelsea |
1 |
90 |
Oldham Athletic |
Total |
Venue |
178 |
Away |
178 |
Home |
7 |
Neutral |
Goals per season
A more detailed look at the player's goalscoring
Milestone Appearances
Milestone Goals
# |
Minute |
Date |
Against |
Stadium |
Competition |
1 |
0 |
16.02.1898 |
Newton Heath |
Anfield |
FA Cup |
Related Articles
Owen Collins looks at the players who have gained international recognition without necessarily making the grade at the club but particularly one name on this list is a great surprise given his success.
From the Sunderland Daily Echo on 15 April 1941.
From the Sunderland Daily Echo on 1 December 1941.
The Sunderland Daily Echo on 6 January, 1937.
Related Quotes
"There are some men who perform brilliantly in their various positions on the field, but there was never one who year in, year out has given such wholehearted service as Dunlop to Liverpool."
From the club programme on Billy Dunlop
Scrapbook
Biography in Liverpool match programme on 17 September 1904