Former Southport FC manager Billy Bingham, who secured promotion for the Sandgrounders among a career otherwise littered with honours, has died aged 90.
Bingham passed away yesterday in his Southport care home after a period of illness.
Southport FC said they were “saddened” by the passing of Bingham, while preparing a full tribute to the legendary manager. The Southport FC Former Players Association said: “Our hearts are broken”.
Bingham managed the Sandgrounders for 128 games across three seasons, earning promotion to the Third Division, thanks in no small part to an unprecedented fitness regime imposed on the players.
The previous season, he guided the club through a stellar cup run, reaching the fifth round of the FA Cup.
“Bingham’s Boys” became one of the most celebrated sides in the club’s history.
Arguably Bingham’s greatest managerial achievement, however, is taking an unfancied Northern Ireland side to two successive World Cups.
He received an MBE for services to football in 1981 and FIFA’s “Centennial Order of Merit” in 2004
As a player, Bingham reached the pinnacle of English football, winning the First Division with Everton in 1963 – going on to manage The Toffees for three and a half years.