Born in Banbury, Wilson started his career at Southern League club Banbury United, before signing for Derby County in 1979 for £20,000, which remains the record transfer fee received by Banbury.Mike Williams & Tony Williams (2012) Non-League Club Directory 2013, p446 After Derby he played for Ipswich, Chelsea, Notts County, Bradford City, Walsall, and Northampton Town. At international level, Wilson played for Northern Ireland 42 times, scoring six goals. He is a former manager of Northampton Town, Bedford Town, Kettering Town and Hucknall Town. He was the manager of Corby Town until January 2008.
