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Players Index Page Last Updated
25 November 2022
 
 

Tom Holford

Stoke FC

 1 appearance, 0 goals

P 1 W 1 D 0 L 0 F 4: A 0
100% successful
1903

captain: none
minutes played: 90

Timeline
  Thomas Holford
Birth 22 February 1878 in Hanley, Staffordshire [registered in Stoke-on-Trent, March 1878]. The 1939 register confirms his birthdate.
 

According to the 1881 census, Thomas is the fifth of six children to Thomas Henry and Anna Davis (née Edwards). Thomas is a potter's manager, his wife is a potter's sponger. They live at Sneyd Green in Burslem. Ann's widowed mother, also Ann, lives with them.
 

According to the 1891 census, Thomas is a potter's assistant. He is now the fourth of seven children at the home of his parents, his father still a potter's manager. They live at Oak House on Elder Road in Burslem.  His grandmother, Ann, still lives with them. She is 91 years old.
 

According to the 1901 census, Thomas now lives with his widowed mother and is the eldest of the four children left in the house. He is a potter's mould maker. They all live at 17 Grant Street in Burslem.
Marriage to Sarah Jane Platt [registered in Wolstanton, June 1903].
 

According to the 1911 census, Thomas is now married to Sarah Jane and they have two daughters, Lily and Annie. He is still a potter's mould maker, and they live at 14 Sneyd Street in Cobridge, Burslem. They census return reveals that they had lost a child in death.

 

According to the 1921 census, Thomas is still a mouldmaker (for Wiltshaw & Robinson Potteries) and is still married. With their two daughters and his own mother, Anna, they still live at 14 Sneyd Street.
  According to the 1939 register, Thomas and Sarah J. remain married and they still live at 14 Sneyd Street, Thomas is a football trainer.
Death 6 April 1964, aged 86 years 44 days [registered in Stoke on Trent, June 1964].

Source

Douglas Lammings' An English Football Internationalist Who's Who [1990] &

Playing Career
Club(s) Began his football career at Granville's Night School FC and Cobridge FC. He transferred to Stoke FC in 1899, making 248 league appearances, scoring thirty goals. Became a Manchester City FC player on 18 April 1908. After another 172 league appearances and 34 goals, he left to become the player-manager of Port Vale FC in 1914, having turned down the secretaryship of Stoke FC in April 1914. Guested for Nottingham Forest FC during the war. He gave up the managership in 1919 and eventually he retired from playing, aged 46 years, for The Valiants in 1924 having scoring once in 54 league outings.
Club honours Football League Division Two winners 1909-10;
Individual honours None
Distinctions None
Height/Weight 5' 5", 9st. 2lbs [1903]. 5' 6½", 10st. 8lbs [1921].

Source

Douglas Lammings' An English Football Internationalist Who's Who [1990].

Management Career
Club(s) Became the player-manager of Port Vale FC in 1914. He retired from playing for The Valiants in 1924, although he did act as trainer from July 1923. Served Port Vale in a vareity of capacities as coach, trainer, team manager again from 1933 until 30 September 1935, when he relinquished his position as team manager and trainer, becoming coach and chief scout. When Bill Frith resigned as manager of Port Vale on 12 October 1946, trainer Ken Fish took over as caretaker manager, with Holford acting as an advisor for him.

England Career
Player number One of seven who became the 278th player (279) to appear for England.
Position(s) Centre-half
Only match No. 77, 14 February 1903, England 4 Ireland 0, a British Championship match at Molineux, Waterloo Road North, St. Peter's, Wolverhampton, aged 24 years 357 days.
Major tournaments British Championship 1902-03;
Team honours British Championship shared 1902-03;
Individual honours None
Distinctions None

Beyond England
After he gave up the frontline part of the game, he became a Port Valescout, retiring in 1950. - An English Football Internationalists' Who's Who. Douglas Lamming (1990). Hatton Press, p.134.
 
 
Tom Holford - Career Statistics
Squads Apps comp. apps Mins. Goals goals ave.min comp. goals Capt. Disc.
1 1 1 90 0 0 min 0 none none
minutes are an approximation, due to the fact that many matches rarely stick to exactly ninety minutes long, allowing time for injuries and errors.

 

Tom Holford - Match Record - All Matches - By Type of Match
Type P W D L F A GD FTS CS FAv AAv Pts% W/L
Home - British Championship 1 1 0 0 4 0 +4 0 1 4.00 0.00 100.0 +1
All 1 1 0 0 4 0 +4 0 1 4.00 0.00 100.0 +1

 

Tom Holford - Match Record - Tournament Matches
British Championship Competition
Type P W D L F A GD FTS CS FAv AAv Pts% W/L
BC 1902-03 1 1 0 0 4 0 +4 0 1 4.00 0.00 100.0 +1
BC All 1 1 0 0 4 0 +4 0 1 4.00 0.00 100.0 +1
All Competition
Type P W D L F A GD FTS CS FAv AAv Pts% W/L
BC 1 1 0 0 4 0 +4 0 1 4.00 0.00 100.0 +1
All 1 1 0 0 4 0 +4 0 1 4.00 0.00 100.0 +1

 

Tom Holford - Match History
 Club: Stoke F.C. - 1 full cap

F.A. International Select Committee - 1 full capx

Age 24
1 77 14 February 1903 - England 4 Ireland 0, Molineux, Wolverhampton BC HW Start ch

Notes

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