Tony Naylor
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Anthony Joseph Naylor | ||
| Date of birth | 29 March 1967 | ||
| Place of birth | Manchester, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) | ||
| Playing position | Forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1989–1990 | Droylsden | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1990–1994 | Crewe Alexandra | 122 | (45) |
| 1994–2001 | Port Vale | 253 | (71) |
| 2001–2003 | Cheltenham Town | 74 | (18) |
| 2003–2004 | Telford United | 19 | (10) |
| 2005 | Port Vale | 0 | (0) |
| 2006 | Ashton United | 1 | (2) |
| Total | 469 | (146) | |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. |
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Anthony Joseph Naylor (born 29 March 1967) is an English former football player. He is best known for his spells at Port Vale and Crewe Alexandra in the 1990s. A consummate finisher, he posed a great threat inside the opposition's penalty area.
He moved to Dario Gradi's Crewe from non-league Droylsden in 1990, turning professional at the age of 23. After two successive promotion-hunting campaigns ended at the play-off stage, he helped the Alex to automatic promotion in 1993–94. His goals impressed John Rudge at nearby Port Vale, and a £150,000 deal was struck between the two rival clubs in 1994. He went on to spend the next seven years at Vale Park, playing in the Anglo-Italian Cup final in 1996, as well as the club's Football League Trophy success in 2001. Three times Vale's top-scorer, he left on a free transfer to Cheltenham Town in 2001. He helped Cheltenham to win promotion via the play-offs in 2002, before he entered the non-league scene with Telford United in 2003. He retired as a player in 2005, though would make brief a brief cameo at Ashton United in 2006.
Naylor began his career at non-league Droylsden. Having caught the eye of Crewe Alexandra boss Dario Gradi, the striker completed an £11,000 switch to the "Railwaymen" in March 1990. His new club went on to be relegated at the end of the season, however Naylor helped Crewe to the Fourth Division play-offs in 1991. Hopes of an immediate return to the third tier were then dashed after defeat to Scunthorpe United at the semi-final stage. He helped them into the play-off final the following year, at which point they lost out to York City in a penalty shoot-out at Wembley. On the way to the final he set a club record for most goals in a match when he scored five in a game against Colchester United on 24 April 1993. Promotion finally came in 1993–94, as Naylor's goals helped to assure Alex of the third automatic promotion place.
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