William John ‘Jack’ Hillman was an English goalkeeper who played for Burnley, Everton, Dundee, Manchester City and Millwall. He had a colourful and controversial career and firmly cemented his place in Lancastrian football history, mainly due to his role as goalkeeper in the Manchester City team that won the clubs first major trophy in 1904. We are lucky to have Hillman’s winners medal from the 1904 FA Cup on loan to us as part of the Players Foundation collection.

Hillman was born in Tavistock, Devon, on the 30th of October 1871 and began playing for the Young Pilgrims, a junior side affiliated with Plymouth Argyle, at the age of 19 in 1890. An impressive performance against the Burnley reserves prompted the Lancastrian Football League club to snap up this new talent and sign him, and he made his first team debut for Burnley in 1891. It was in Lancashire that he then went on to make his reputation as a strong goalkeeper with an unfortunate habit of getting into questionable situations.
Hillman played for Burnley from 1890-1895, making 100 appearances, before moving to Everton for the 1895-1896 season. Hillman was known as ‘Happy Jack’ during his time at Turf Moor but found himself unable to settle at Goodison Park, moving to Dundee from 1896-1898. He failed to find success there too, even being suspended by the club for ‘not trying’ halfway through the 1897-1898 season. This could be explained by the club being bankrupt and therefore unable to pay Hillman’s wages, and so unsurprisingly he left Dundee and returned to Turf Moor ready for the 1898-1899 season.
It was back at Burnley where the controversies around Hillman first began. In the 1899-1900 season the club were struggling to avoid relegation from the First Division. Their final match of the season was against Nottingham Forest, and they needed to win to stand a chance of survival. Before the match Hillman attempted to bribe the Forest players, offering them £2 each to ‘take it easy.’ At half time Hillman increased this offer to £5 each, but Burnley lost 4-0 and were relegated.
Unsurprisingly, the Forest secretary wrote to The FA after the game to complain about Hillman’s attempted bribery and he was summoned to a joint FA and Football League commission in Manchester. He claimed the whole thing was merely a joke inspired by suspicions around Forest’s 8-0 defeat against West Bromwich Albion a few weeks prior to the final fixture of the season, but The Football Association did not see the funny side. Hillman was banned for a season, and this is the earliest recorded case of match fixing in the history of English football.
Once his ban expired, Hillman returned to the Burnley team. He did not stay there for long, however, eventually being transferred to Manchester City in January 1902. Hillman made his debut for City on the 1st of February 1902 and was their number one in the net for the rest of the season. His spell of bad luck did not stay in Burnley, however, as the team were relegated at the end of the season. They spent just one season in the Second Division before being promoted as champions in 1903, then going on to finish in second place the following season. It was in this same season that a major part of the club’s history was achieved, with them winning the 1904 FA Cup, which was their first major trophy.
The 1904 FA Cup took place on the 23rd of April 1904 and was held at Crystal Palace, London, being the 10th final to be held there and the 33rd Cup Final overall. Manchester City faced Bolton Wanderers, a mid-table Second Division team, meaning most were anticipating a City win. Neither team had ever won an FA Cup final before, and it was clear that despite the different league standings of the two teams, both were gunning for the title. What followed was a close match with strong defensive play. Manchester City won 1–0 thanks to a Billy Meredith goal, but this goal was heavily disputed by those with Bolton sympathies who believed Meredith to be offside. The protests didn’t stand, and the victory gave Manchester City their first major honour.
It appeared Hillman’s fortunes had finally changed, and after the Cup Final victory he remained first choice keeper for City until 1905, with his appearances for the club adding up to 116. During the 1905–06 season he was replaced as first choice keeper by John Edmondson, but in this same season the Football Association investigated Manchester City’s accounts for bonuses, which though commonplace among leading football clubs, were not permitted under FA rules.
The FA chose to make an example of City, and Hillman was one of seventeen players suspended until 1 January 1907, and banned from representing the club again. He was also fined £50. It seemed his bad luck had well and truly returned. His ban on playing for City was rescinded in 1908, but he never played for the club again, joining Millwall Athletic in January 1907. His playing career soon came to an end due to an elbow injury, and he returned to Burnley but this time he went to the town as a confectioner, not a footballer.
After the First World War, he returned to Turf Moor as a trainer, cementing himself even further in northern football history. He died at home on the 16th of December 1952 and was buried at Burnley Cemetery.