GoS: Player Details

Greens on Screen started its life in 1999 before many of the football sites that we are familiar with today, including Plymouth Argyle's own official site. Greens on Screen is dedicated to the sights, sounds and history of Plymouth Argyle Football club. It is owned and run by the Plymouth Argyle Heritage Archive, a charity dedicated to the promotion, preservation, and display of the heritage of our great football club.

The site owes its existence to Steve Dean. Without Steve's dedication and commitment for over 25 years, GoS would not exist and be the valued and loved resource for all football fans that it is today. The site is truly the envy of many clubs, and we owe a huge debt to Steve for his tireless work, and continued support behind the scenes.

Greens on Screen's first page was published in January 1999. Its early purpose was to bring Plymouth Argyle a little closer to those unable to see their team, and whilst it has changed a great deal over the years, its core themes - sights and sounds for Westcountry exiles - still stand. The site was very lucky to take on the content of Trevor Scallan's Semper Viridis in the summer of 2007, and in 2009 launched GoS-DB, a wealth of facts and figures from PAFC's history. A year later, we embarked on a complete history of Argyle, with much-valued contributions from chapter authors. Greens on Screen was taken over by its new custodians, The Argyle Archive, in 2024.

Greens on Screen is an amateur website and proud of it. It is run by a team of volunteers from the Plymouth Argyle Heritage Archive (Argyle Archive). Without the hard work and much-valued contributions of these volunteers, running the site would not be possible. Greens on Screen is self-taught and as a result, a little bit quirky.

Greens on Screen remains advertisement free, which means we are grateful for the generous support of our donors and the work of our volunteers to help keep it free of promotions. If you would like to support the work of Greens on Screen, please consider donating to the Plymouth Argyle Heritage Archive.

GoS's sole aim is to be a service to fellow supporters, and we look forward to continuing to celebrate Argyle'ss history for many years to come.

Plymouth Argyle Heritage Archive.
April 2024

Can you help? This page is the result of the best endeavours of all concerned. If you spot a mistake or know of facts to add, or have a better photo, please get in touch using 'Contact Us' (top, right).

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BILLY RAFFERTY

Born: 30 December 1950

Came from: Blackpool Went to: Carlisle United

First game: 16 March 1974 Last game: 19 April 1976

Appearances: 101 (100/1) Goals: 40

Billy Rafferty formed one of the finest strike partnerships in Plymouth Argyle’s history alongside Paul Mariner, helping Tony Waiters’ side secure promotion from Division Three in the 1974-75 season. Signed from Blackpool in March 1974, the Glasgow-born striker saw his first season curtailed by knee problems before returning to become a central figure in Waiters’ emerging side.

A powerfully built, tireless centre-forward with surprisingly graceful movement, Rafferty provided the ideal foil for Mariner. Together they formed one of the Football League’s most formidable strike partnerships of the mid-1970s, with Rafferty scoring 23 league goals during the promotion campaign, plus a further three in the FA Cup. His outstanding performances earned him the Daily Express Third Division Player of the Year award.

Rafferty remained a key figure as Argyle adapted to life in Division Two, but his sale to Carlisle United for just £20,000 at the end of the 1975-76 campaign disappointed many supporters. He later played for Wolverhampton Wanderers, Newcastle United, Portsmouth and Bournemouth before finishing his career in Portugal with Sporting Clube Farense and Louletano Desportos Clube. Although he represented eight Football League clubs, Rafferty retained a special affection for Plymouth, where he scored 40 goals in 101 appearances across all competitions.

YOUR CONTRIBUTION

If you can add to this profile, perhaps with special memories, a favourite story or the results of your original research, please contribute here.

APPEARANCE DETAILS [reselect competitions]

The details below reflect appearances in all first-team competitions.

I'm very grateful to many who have helped write GoS-DB's player pen-pictures, and to Dave Rowntree, the PAFC Media Team and Colin Parsons for their help with photos. Thanks also to staff at the National Football Museum, the Scottish Football Museum and ScotlandsPeople for their valuable assistance.

The following publications have been particularly valuable in the research of pen-pictures: Plymouth Argyle, A Complete Record 1903-1989 (Brian Knight, ISBN 0-907969-40-2); Plymouth Argyle, 101 Golden Greats (Andy Riddle, ISBN 1-874287-47-3); Football League Players' Records 1888-1939 (Michael Joyce, ISBN 1-899468-67-6); Football League Players' Records 1946-1988 (Barry Hugman, ISBN 1-85443-020-3) and Plymouth Argyle Football Club Handbooks.