Tony Ford (footballer, born 1959)

Anthony Ford MBE (born 14 May 1959) is an English former footballer. Through most of his career, Ford was a right-sided midfielder, but in later years, he was converted to right-back. In a career that spanned 26 years, across four decades, Ford played 931 league matches, which is the all-time record for matches played in the English league by an outfield player. He is one of three outfield players in English football to have ever passed 1,000 games in competitive matches (league and cup), the others being Scott McGleish[2] and Graham Alexander.[3]

Tony Ford
MBE
Personal information
Full name Anthony Ford
Date of birth (1959-05-14) 14 May 1959
Place of birth Grimsby, England
Height 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)[1]
Position(s) Midfielder
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1975–1986 Grimsby Town 355 (55)
1986Sunderland (loan) 9 (1)
1986–1989 Stoke City 112 (13)
1989–1991 West Bromwich Albion 114 (14)
1991–1994 Grimsby Town 68 (3)
1993Bradford City (loan) 5 (0)
1994–1996 Scunthorpe United 76 (9)
1996–1999 Mansfield Town 103 (7)
1999–2001 Rochdale 89 (6)
Total 931 (108)
National team
1989 England B 2 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Career

Playing career

Ford began his career at his hometown club Grimsby Town, where he made his first-team debut as a 16-year-old in October 1975. He 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. He first had a short loan spell at Sunderland, and later joined Stoke in a permanent deal.

Ford spent two and a half years at Stoke, before being transferred to West Bromwich Albion midway through the 1988–89 season. After three years at The Hawthorns, he rejoined Grimsby in late 1991. His second spell at Blundell Park lasted three seasons, and he left the club at the end of the 1993–94 season, having played 423 league games for the club, which at the time placed him second on the club's career appearance list behind Keith Jobling.

In 1994, Ford joined Grimsby's arch-rivals Scunthorpe, where he played two seasons. After a short spell at non-league side Barrow, he was asked by Steve Parkin, a former teammate at Stoke and West Bromwich Albion, who had recently been appointed manager at Mansfield, to become his assistant. This allowed Ford 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. He again appointed Ford as his assistant, and, aged 40, Ford 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,[4] and his final professional appearance came the following month against Torquay United.[5]

He retired from playing in November 2001 when he and Parkin took up the same positions at Barnsley. Both were sacked by the club eleven months later, but in August 2003 he returned to his former role at Rochdale under new manager Alan Buckley. He kept his job when Buckley made way for Parkin on 31 December 2003, but was sacked along with the latter three years later.

He went on to work for his former club Grimsby Town as a scout, but was relieved of his duties in May 2011.

Career statistics

Source:[6]

Club Season League FA Cup League Cup Other[A] Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Grimsby Town 1975–76 Third Division 150100000160
1976–77 Third Division 6000200080
1977–78 Fourth Division 342101000362
1978–79 Fourth Division 45161030004916
1979–80 Third Division 375409400509
1980–81 Second Division 284101031335
1981–82 Second Division 357301032429
1982–83 Second Division 374313030465
1983–84 Second Division 428104000478
1984–85 Second Division 426316100518
1985–86 Second Division 343103020403
Total 3555519233511341865
Sunderland (loan) 1985–86 Second Division 9100000091
Stoke City 1986–87 Second Division 416502011497
1987–88 Second Division 447204040547
1988–89 Second Division 270202010320
Total 1121390806113514
West Bromwich Albion 1988–89 Second Division 111000000111
1989–90 Second Division 428213010489
1990–91 Second Division 465102010505
1991–92 Third Division 150102010190
Total 1141441703012815
Grimsby Town 1991–92 Second Division 221000000221
1992–93 First Division 172101000192
1993–94 First Division 290200000310
Total 683301000723
Bradford City (loan) 1993–94 Second Division 5000200070
Scunthorpe United 1994–95 Third Division 382402010452
1995–96 Third Division 387312130469
Total 7697141409111
Mansfield Town 1996–97 Third Division 272210010303
1997–98 Third Division 343002120384
1998–99 Third Division 422202020482
Total 10374141501169
Rochdale 1999–2000 Third Division 342302040432
2000–01 Third Division 382102000412
2001–02 Third Division 172002110203
Total 8964061501047
Career Total 9311085056583441,080125
A. ^ The "Other" column constitutes appearances and goals in the Anglo-Scottish Cup, Football League Group Cup, Football League Trophy and Full Members Cup.

Honours

Grimsby Town

References

  • Haynes, Keith (2005). The Tony Ford Story. Tempus Publishing Ltd. ISBN 0-7524-2418-1.
  1. Dunk, Peter, ed. (1987). Rothmans Football Yearbook 1987–88. London: Queen Anne Press. p. 352. ISBN 978-0-356-14354-5.
  2. Scott McGleish at 44 and 1,000 games: 'I can't see myself giving up soon' | Football | The Guardian
  3. "Burnley 2–1 Swansea". BBC News. 14 April 2011. Retrieved 14 April 2011.
  4. "Swansea 0–1 Rochdale". BBC Sport. 9 October 2001. Retrieved 17 April 2012.
  5. "Rochdale 2–0 Torquay". BBC Sport. 3 November 2001. Retrieved 17 April 2012.
  6. Tony Ford at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)
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