A joiner by trade having served his apprenticeship at Thorneycrofts, 18 year-old Bill Light had been keeping goal for a couple of the shipyards’ works-teams when he was spotted by Bert Shelley in the spring of 1932.

Shelley, who was about to swap a record-breaking career as a Southampton player for running the club’s new “nursery”, had found them a goalkeeper. Duly nurtured by Shelley, the young ’keeper turned pro 16 months later and made his debut soon after, as the first – and only – graduate from Shelley’s initial nursery. In his fourth game, however, Bill displaced his left knee cap and it would be more than a year before he regained his place.

He was now in possession – for another year, until West Brom whisked him off to the First Division for a fee of £2,000 – a record for a goalkeeper. The storm of protest that followed was predictable, even though cash-strapped Southampton had been selling off their stars – and also-rans, too – throughout the 1930s. Bill didn’t exactly flourish in his two seasons at The Hawthorns, where his 30 appearances included Albion’s record League defeat: 10-3 at Stoke in February 1937. Matthews tells the tale in his autobiography of how Bill came into the Stoke dressing room after the match to offer his congratulations but, as he was leaving couldn’t help mention to Matthews that Stoke had the rub of the green on the day as “your ninth goal was off-side”.

Happier days were to follow at Colchester United. He joined them as player-coach in 1938 and they won the Southern League in his first season. Then came the War, during which he he went back to his original profession at Vospers Shipyards in Wivenhoe, near Colchester while his younger brother, Wally, had a dozen games in the Saints’ goal. Bill himself remained at Colchester for the duration, but in 1945 he turned out, briefly, for Clacton.

In 1953, he returned to Colchester, now of the Football League, as trainer. Bill would remain in post until 1968 when he became a joinery instructor at Severalls Mental hospital. In his retirement, he was never far away from the sound of a whistle as he lived in Layer Rd, just a goal kick away from Colchester United’s ground.