Tom Lyons

Alfred Thomas Lyons (5 July 1885 – October 1938) was an English footballer and cricketer. He played as a wicket-keeper for Staffordshire in the 1913 Minor Counties Cricket Championship.[2]

Tom Lyons
Lyons in a Port Vale squad photo in 1920
Personal information
Full name Alfred Thomas Lyons[1]
Date of birth (1885-07-05)5 July 1885[1]
Place of birth Hednesford, England[1]
Date of death October 1938 (age 53)[1]
Place of death Hednesford, England[1]
Position(s) Full-back
Youth career
Hednesford Town
Bridgtown Amateurs
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1907–1915 Aston Villa 217 (0)
1917–1922 Port Vale 71 (0)
1922–1923 Walsall 1 (0)
Total 289 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

He played for Aston Villa from 1907 to 1915, and then joined Port Vale in January 1917. Five years later he moved on to Walsall as a player-coach. He helped Villa to win the First Division in 1909–10 and the FA Cup in 1913. They also finished second in the league in 1907–08, 1910–11, 1912–13, and 1913–14, and was also on the losing side in the 1910 FA Charity Shield.

Playing career

Lyons played for Hednesford Town and Bridgtown Amateurs, before joining Aston Villa as a professional in April 1907 after a trial three months earlier.[3] The "Villans" ended the 1907–08 campaign in second place in the First Division, nine points behind champions Manchester United. They dropped to seventh spot in 1908–09, before being crowned champions of the Football League in 1909–10. He played at Stamford Bridge in the 1910 FA Charity Shield, which ended in a 1–0 defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion. Villa went on to finish the 1910–11 season in second place, just one point behind Manchester United. They then dropped to sixth in 1911–12, before finishing second in 1912–13 just four points behind champions Sunderland. He played against Sunderland in the 1913 FA Cup Final at Crystal Palace, which ended in a 1–0 victory for Villa. They then finished second in the league once again in 1913–14, finishing seven points behind champions Blackburn Rovers. Villa dropped to 14th place in 1914–15, and league football was suspended due to World War I. In his eight years at Villa Park, Lyons played 238 competitive games.

Lyons joined Port Vale, initially on guest terms, in January 1917.[1] He was a member of the side that lifted the Staffordshire Senior Cup and shared the North Staffordshire Infirmary Cup in 1920.[1] He played 32 Second Division games in the 1919–20 season, and played 32 league and FA Cup games in the 1920–21 campaign.[1] He was released from The Old Recreation Ground in the summer.[1] He had played a total of 146 first team games and scored three goals for the club. Lyons later played for Walsall in a player-coach capacity.[1]

Statistics

Source:[4]

Club Season Division League FA Cup Other Total
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Aston Villa 1907–08 First Division 2303000260
1908–09 First Division 1800000180
1909–10 First Division 3503000380
1910–11 First Division 2801010300
1911–12 First Division 2801000290
1912–13 First Division 3006000360
1913–14 First Division 3405000390
1914–15 First Division 2101000220
Total 2170200102380
Port Vale 1919–20 Second Division 3202100341
1919–20 Central League 80000080
1920–21 Second Division 3101000320
Total 7103100741
Walsall 1922–23 Third Division North 10000010
Career total 2890231103131

Honours
Aston Villa
Port Vale

References
  1. Kent, Jeff (1996). Port Vale Personalities. Witan Books. p. 179. ISBN 0-9529152-0-0.
  2. "Player profile: Alfred Lyons". CricketArchive. Retrieved 18 June 2011.
  3. "Aston Villa Player Database". www.astonvillaplayerdatabase.com. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
  4. Tom Lyons at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)
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