*** Welcome to piglix ***

Tommy Clare

Tommy Clare
Tommy Clare.JPG
Clare in his playing days
Personal information
Full name Thomas Clare
Date of birth 12 March 1865
Place of birth Congleton, England
Date of death 27 December 1929(1929-12-27) (aged 64)
Place of death Ladysmith, British Columbia, Canada
Height 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Playing position Right back
Youth career
1880–1882 Talke Rangers
1882–1883 Goldenhill Wanderers
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1883 Burslem Port Vale 0 (0)
1883–1897 Stoke 220 (4)
1897 Burslem Port Vale 21 (0)
1897–1898 Manchester City 1 (0)
1898–1901 Burslem Port Vale 18 (0)
Total 260 (4)
National team
1889–1894 England 4 (0)
Teams managed
1905–1906 Burslem Port Vale
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.

Thomas Clare (12 March 1865 – 27 December 1929) was an English international footballer, who played at right-back, and football manager.

He began his playing career with Stoke in 1883, having moved from Burslem Port Vale. He spent the next fourteen years with Stoke, playing 251 games in all competitions, helping them to the Football Alliance title in 1890–91. In 1897 he signed with Manchester City via Port Vale, before returning to Vale for a three-year spell in 1898, helping them to the Staffordshire Senior Cup on his arrival. He also won four England caps between 1889 and 1894. He was appointed as manager-secretary of Burslem Port Vale in 1905, a position he held for the next six years.

Clare was born in Congleton, Cheshire on 12 March 1865. He played his early football with Talke Rangers, Goldenhill Wanderers and Burslem Port Vale before becoming Stoke's first professional player in 1883.

He was captain of the Stoke side that were founder members of the Football League in 1888. Stoke finished at the bottom of the table in both 1888–89 and 1889–90 and in 1890 dropped down to the Football Alliance. Clare was absolved of any blame though, and referee Tom Bryan stated that "the backs and the goalkeeper are superior to any three men playing with one club".The following season, Stoke were champions of the Football Alliance and returned to the Football League, with Clare an ever-present. They then once again struggled, finishing second last in 1891–92, before finishing in mid-table in 1892–93. He claimed his first Football League goal on the opening day of the 1893–94 season, netting from a goalmouth scramble in a 4–1 defeat at Bolton Wanderers. From Christmas 1894 up until his departure in 1907 he played 82 consecutive league games. His final season with the club came in 1896–97. During his 12 seasons with Stoke, Clare made over 250 appearances and forged a decent defensive partnership with fellow full-back Alf Underwood.


...
Wikipedia

...