
Willie Humphries was Jimmy Hill's first signing as manager of Coventry City in April 1962. A right winger with mesmerising skill and a superb cross, the Belfast boy started his career with Ards in the Irish League and had a brief, unhappy spell at Leeds in 1958. From the start he terrorised Third Division left backs and was a major force in City’s 1963 FA Cup run and the following year’s promotion drive, both making and scoring goals and was voted Evening Telegraph player of the year in 1962.
His form with City won him a call-up to the Irish international team and he won 14 full caps, 10 whilst with City. By March 1965 he had lost his first team place at Coventry and Hill shrewdly sold him to Swansea for £14,000. He had three good seasons with the Welsh club and won a Welsh Cup medal. In 1968 he returned to Ulster to play for Ards again, winning an Irish Cup winners medal in 1969 and being voted Ulster Footballer of the Year in 1970 and 1972 and he became their player-manager in 1971. In 1974 he helped the club win all four Irish Cups and went on to serve the club as manager, director and Social Club manager until 1982. His tally of almost 600 games for the club is a record that will probably never be beaten.
Penalties (1 - missed)
1962-63
9 March 1963 v Queens Park Rangers H, missed
















































































































































































































































































Northern Ireland, 10 caps, 1 goal
1961-62
9 May 1962 Holland v Northern Ireland, Rotterdam, friendly, 4-0
1962-63
10 October 1962 Poland v Northern Ireland, Katowice, 1964 European Nations Cup Qualfying, 0-2, goal
20 October 1962 Northern Ireland v England, Belfast, British Home Championship, 1-3
7 November 1962 Scotland v Northern Ireland, Hampden Park, British Home Championship, 5-1
3 April 1963 Northern Ireland v Wales, Belfast, British Home Championship, 1-4
30 May 1963 Spain v Northern Ireland, Bilbao, 1964 European Nations Cup Qualfying, 1-1
1963-64
12 October 1963 Northern Ireland v Scotland, Belfast , British Home Championship, 2-1
30 October 1963 Northern Ireland v Spain, Belfast , 1964 European Nations Cup Qualfying, 0-1
20 November 1963 England v Northern Ireland, Wembley, British Home Championship, 8-3
1964-65
25 November 1964 Scotland v Northern Ireland, Hampden Park, British Home Championship, 3-2
1 previous cap with Ards and 3 further caps with Swansea Town (total 14 caps, 1 goal).