Tony will be returning after many years to take part in the Club’s new Lounge Pass venture seeing a more relaxed experience prior to kick off at home matches, he will guesting for the game against Gateshead on Wednesday 20th August.
His professional football story: DOB: 14th May 1959 Also played for: Grimsby Town, Sunderland, Stoke City, West Bromwich Albion, Bradford City, Scunthorpe United, Mansfield Town Playing time at Rochdale: 1999–2002 89 League appearances (6 goals)
Through most of his career, Tony was a right-sided midfielder but in the later years of his career, he converted to right-back. In a career that spanned 26 years, he played no fewer than 931 league matches, which is the all-time record for matches played in the English league by an outfield player, in fact only one of two outfield players to play in English football to have ever passed 1000 games in competitive matches.
Playing career He began his career at his hometown Club Grimsby Town, where he made his first team debut as a 16 year old in October 1975, spent 11 years at Blundell Park, where he made his name as one of the most talented players outside the top division. In 1986, he left Grimsby, initially on a short loan spell at Sunderland before joining Stoke City on a permanent deal. Tony spent two and a half years at Stoke before being transferred to West Bromwich midway through the 1988/9 season before re-joining Grimsby in late 1991, his second spell at Blundell Park lasting three seasons, playing 423 league games for the Club. In 1994, he joined Grimsby’s arch-rivals Scunthorpe United, where he played two seasons before leaving at the end of the 1995/6 season, when it seemed like his career at league level had come to an end, however, after a short spell at non-league side Barrow, he was asked by Steve Parkin, a former teammate at Stoke City and West Brom, who had recently been appointed manager at Mansfield Town to become his assistant, this allowed him to continue his playing career and in early 1999, he played his 825th career league game, breaking Terry Paine’s record for career appearances by an outfield player.
Coaching career In the summer of 1999, Parkin resigned as Mansfield manager to take a similar job at Rochdale, once again he appointed Tony as his assistant and despite now being well past 40, he continued to play regularly, the final goal of his career was the winner in a 1–0 win at Swansea City on 9 October 2001 and his final professional appearance came the following month against Torquay United. He finally retired from playing in November 2001 when he and Parkin took up the same positions at Barnsley understandably feeling himself unequal to Division One football once more. He left along with Parkin some 11 months later but in August 2003 he returned to his old role at Rochdale under new manager Alan Buckley keeping his job when Buckley made way for Parkin on 31st December 2003 but left along with the latter three years later.
Honours: International career 1989 England B 2 appearances Tony was awarded an MBE in 2001 for his services to sport