Billy Rafferty made 83 appearances for United, scoring 37 goals, and was undoubtedly one of the best strikers Carlisle have had.

Unfortunately, his only full season at Brunton Park in 1976/77 was one in which the club struggled and were eventually relegated.  Nevertheless, he stood out as one of the teams outstanding performers, and did his own growing reputation absolutely no harm at all as he consistently found the back of the net during his spell here.

William Rafferty was born in Port Glasgow on the 30 December 1950.  He was signed by Port Glasgow Rangers in 1966 and immediately drew the attention of the scouts.  At the age of 19 he finally made the decision to take the step into professional football and signed for Coventry City.  Despite two years of hard work he found it difficult to secure a regular first team spot, and he moved to Blackpool in October 1972 to work for Bob Stokoe.  A promising start at Bloomfield Road was ruined by a knee injury, and Rafferty had yet again to settle for playing only a bit part in first team affairs.

In March 1974 Plymouth signed him for £25,000 and soon realised they had landed an absolute bargain.  Rafferty exploded on the scene and made his mark as a regular goalscorer, as well as someone who could both hold up and link play.  Two excellent years with Argyle came to a surprising end when Carlisle manager Dick Young tabled a £25,000 bid in May 1976, and the club accepted.

Rafferty arrived with a bang.  The 1976/77 curtain raiser was the First Round First Leg League Cup tie away to Southport on August 14th, and Billy netted both goals in a 2-1 win that all but secured United's advancement to the next round.  He repeated the feat a week later as the League season got under way, with an away game at The Dell against Southampton.  A goal either side of half time for Rafferty gave United a creditable 2-1 victory against one of the Second Division's fancied sides.

Rafferty didn't miss a game all season, making 47 appearances League and Cup and scoring 20 goals.  His reputation as a finisher was enhanced greatly.  As the team struggled to stay afloat in Division Two, more often than not Billy's goals would be the only source of hope.

His strength and poise when leading the line were a fine example of footballing ability, and it was plain for all to see that in a team with more confidence he would have shone even brighter.  Despite his efforts up front the team could only manage a third from bottom finish and were relegated to Division Three.

The relegation brought a host of scouts to look at the player who was by far and away Carlisle's most valuable asset.  Having said that, he still had time to make a further 36 appearances for the club, scoring 17 more goals.  Probably his most memorable goal came in the 4-2 defeat at Old Trafford in the FA Cup Third Round replay, in front of 54,156 people on 11 January 1978.  Carlisle had held the might of Manchester United to a 1-1 draw at Brunton Park just 5 days earlier, so very nearly causing a shock.  Rafferty had been instrumental in giving the likes of Buchan, Greenhoff and Nicholl an absolute nightmare when they travelled North, and got his just reward with Carlisle's second goal in the return match.

Just over a month later he bid farewell to United when he signed for Wolves in an impressive £125,000 deal.  Fittingly, he scored in his last game for the club on 25th February 1978, a 2-2 draw against Colchester.  From Wolves he moved to Newcastle, and then south to Portsmouth.  His final move took him to Bournemouth and he ended his English playing career at Dean Court in 1985.  3 seasons in Portugal followed until, aged 38, he completely retired from football in 1988. He returned to England and settled in Carlisle, opening a small and successful business with his wife.

Billy Rafferty was up there with the best strikers the club has had.  Strong and resourceful, his quick thinking combined with his quick feet often meant chances were created from nothing.  Those who saw him play can often be found wondering what would have happened had Rafferty been part of the Division One side that so desperately needed a proven striker.  We'll never know, but there are no prizes for guessing that most believe we would not have been relegated.