Tony Morley

Last updated

Tony Morley
Tony Morly and Brian Little.jpg
Morley in 1983
Personal information
Full name William Anthony Morley [1]
Date of birth (1954-08-26) 26 August 1954 (age 70) [1]
Place of birth Ormskirk, [1] England
Height 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) [2]
Position(s) Winger
Youth career
1969–1972 Preston North End
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
1972–1976 Preston North End 84 (15)
1976–1979 Burnley 91 (5)
1979–1983 Aston Villa 137 (25)
1983–1985 West Bromwich Albion 33 (4)
1984 → Birmingham City (loan) 4 (3)
1985–1986 Seiko 32 (21)
1986–1987 FC Den Haag 31 (13)
1987–1989 West Bromwich Albion 28 (7)
1988 → Burnley (loan) 5 (0)
1989 Tampa Bay Rowdies 2 (0)
1990 Hamrun Spartans 1 (1)
Total359(95)
International career
1973 England Youth 7 (1)
1975 England U23 1 (0)
1980–1981 England B 3 (0)
1981–1982 England 6 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

William Anthony Morley (born 26 August 1954) is an English former footballer who played as a winger. He played in the Football League for Preston North End, Burnley, Aston Villa, West Bromwich Albion and Birmingham City, as well as playing for other teams abroad. He also won six caps for England.

Contents

Morley is now a regular on the 'Villa Old Stars' circuit. He also provides co-commentary for radio broadcasts on Aston Villa's website. [3]

Club career

Tony Morley after winning the 1982 European Cup on 26 May FC Bayern Munchen tegen Aston Villa 0-1 Europa Cup I blijde Aston Villa spelers , Bestanddeelnr 932-1809.jpg
Tony Morley after winning the 1982 European Cup on 26 May

Morley was born in Ormskirk, and represented Ormskirk and District Schools. He signed as an apprentice with Preston North End in July 1969, before turning professional in August 1972. [4] In February 1976 he moved across Lancashire to join Burnley for a £100,000 fee. He joined Aston Villa for £200,000 in June 1979. [4]

A skilful, nippy winger, Morley enjoyed the best days of his career at Villa Park. He was seen as a wayward genius but was moulded by manager Ron Saunders into one of the most dangerous players around. He was famed for scoring spectacular goals, in particular, one against Everton at Goodison Park where he ran at the defence before striking right footed from outside the penalty area into the top left corner of the net. This goal won him the 'Goal of the Season' award for 1980–81. [5]

He was a vital part of the Villa side that won the League Championship in 1980–81 and the European Cup the year after. His brilliant dribble and cross set up Peter Withe for the winning goal against Bayern Munich in the final. His full Villa record was 170 (+10 as sub) appearances, 34 goals. [5]

After adding a European Super Cup winners' medal to his collection, he was transferred from Villa to local rivals West Bromwich Albion. He spent two seasons there, including briefly going on loan to another Midlands club, Birmingham City. He had a slightly nomadic career from then on, joining Seiko, Den Haag (with whom he won a runners-up medal in the Dutch Cup, scoring in the final), a return to West Brom, a brief spell on loan to Burnley, Tampa Bay Rowdies, before finishing his career at Hamrun Spartans. [5]

International career

Morley represented England at youth, [6] under-23 [7] and B international level. [8]

Morley won six caps for England, but his career fell into decline after not being picked for any of their games at the 1982 World Cup. This despite the fact that England boss Ron Greenwood supposedly favoured attacking football. He failed to score in any of his six senior appearances for England, his first cap occurring on 18 November 1981 in England's 1–0 World Cup qualification clincher against Hungary, the last coming almost exactly a year later when he took to the field in a Euro 84 qualifier against Greece which England won 3–0. [9] Morley was not selected for the England squad for the 1982 World Cup in Spain, with Greenwood opting for Arsenal's Graham Rix instead. [10] [11]

Honours

Morley in 2007 Morley, Tony.jpg
Morley in 2007

Aston Villa

Den Haag

See also

Related Research Articles

Ronald Allen was an English international football player and manager. He was a professional footballer for nineteen years, between 1946 and 1964, making 638 appearances in the Football League and scoring 276 goals. He also won five caps for the England national team. He later became a manager at clubs in England, Spain, Portugal, and Greece. His son, Russell, also played professional football throughout the 1970s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Withe</span> English footballer (1951)

Peter Withe is an English former football manager and striker who played between 1971 and 1990. At Nottingham Forest he won the Anglo-Scottish Cup and Second Division promotion in 1976–77, First Division and the Football League Cup in 1977–78, and the 1978 FA Charity Shield. After a spell at Newcastle it was back to more success at Aston Villa with whom he won the First Division 1980–81, going on to score the only goal in the 1982 European Cup final and also win the 1982 European Super Cup. He played for England 11 times, scoring once, and was a squad member at the 1982 FIFA World Cup.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ron Saunders</span> English footballer and manager (1932–2019)

Ronald Saunders was an English football player and manager. He played for Everton, Tonbridge Angels, Gillingham, Portsmouth, Watford and Charlton Athletic during a 16-year playing career, before moving into management. He managed seven clubs in 20 years, and he was the first manager to have taken charge of Aston Villa, Birmingham City and West Bromwich Albion, the three rival clubs based in and around the city of Birmingham.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nigel Spink</span> English footballer

Nigel Philip Spink is an English football coach and former professional footballer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gordon Cowans</span> English footballer and coach

Gordon Sidney Cowans is an English retired football player and coach.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dennis Mortimer</span> English footballer (born 1952)

Dennis George Mortimer is an English former footballer who played as a midfielder and captained Aston Villa. He made nearly 600 appearances in the Football League playing for Coventry City, Aston Villa, Sheffield United, Brighton & Hove Albion and Birmingham City.

The 1982–83 season was the 103rd season of competitive football in England.

The 1981–82 season was the 102nd season of competitive football in England. It was also the first season that the three-points-for-a-win system was introduced.

The 1980–81 season was the 101st season of competitive football in England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tony Brown (footballer, born 1945)</span> English footballer (born 1945)

Anthony Brown is an English former footballer who played as a wing half and an inside forward. He was often referred to by his nickname Bomber or Bomber Brown and was known for his spectacular goals. He joined West Bromwich Albion as a youth in 1961 and turned professional in 1963. In the late 1960s and early 1970s Brown was part of an Albion team that built a reputation as a successful cup side, winning the 1966 Football League Cup Final and the 1968 FA Cup Final and finishing as runners-up in the League Cup in 1967 and 1970. He was the top scorer in Division One in 1970–71 and received his only England cap at the end of that season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ken McNaught</span> Scottish footballer

Ken McNaught is a Scottish former footballer who played for Aston Villa from 1977 to 1983 and was part of their Championship winning side of 1981, European Cup victory in 1982 and won the European Super Cup in 1983 against Barcelona, scoring one of Villa's goals in the latter final. McNaught's father was Scottish international footballer Willie McNaught.

Stephen Kenneth Hunt is an English former professional footballer who was later known as Steve Evans. A pacey and creative left-sided midfielder and winger with long-range shooting ability, he was capped twice for England in 1984.

Albert James Aldridge was an English footballer who played as a full back. He was born in Walsall, won the FA Cup in 1888 and played twice for the England national team.

The 1980–81 season was Aston Villa's 81st in the Football League and their sixth consecutive season in the top division. They finished as league champions for the seventh time in their history, using just 14 players over the course of the campaign, of whom no fewer than seven were ever-present. Gary Shaw made 40 starts, Allan Evans 39 and Peter Withe, in his debut season, 36, with Gary Williams and Colin Gibson (19) contesting the remaining spot in the starting XI. David Geddis and Eamonn Deacy made eight and five starts respectively.

The 1980–81 season was the 82nd completed season of The Football League. This was the final league season with two points for win.

The 1981–82 season was the 83rd completed season of The Football League. This was the first league season with three points for win.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bob Roberts (footballer, born 1859)</span> English footballer

Robert John Roberts was an English football goalkeeper. He spent the majority of his career at West Bromwich Albion, with whom he won an FA Cup winner's medal, and also played for Sunderland Albion and Aston Villa. He won three caps for England and is the first West Bromwich Albion player to have appeared at international level. He was nicknamed Long Bob and The Prince of Goalkeepers.

The 1888–89 season was the seventh season in Burnley Football Club's history, and their first in league competition following the formation of the Football League in 1888. The side finished ninth in their inaugural league campaign, and as one of the bottom four teams in the division, they were forced to apply for re-election to return for the following season. Burnley began the season on 8 September 1888 with a 2–5 defeat away at Preston North End, who went on to be crowned league champions that year. In the next match, Burnley achieved their first league victory when they won 4–3 against Bolton Wanderers, with William Tait becoming the first player in history to score a league hat-trick.

Aston Villa F.C. and West Bromwich Albion F.C. are two English football clubs from the West Midlands who share a local rivalry. The matches between them are known as West Midlands derbies, though this term may also be used for a number of other rivalries within the region.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Tony Morley". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
  2. ↑ Dunk, Peter, ed. (1987). Rothmans Football Yearbook 1987–88. London: Queen Anne Press. p.  384. ISBN   978-0-356-14354-5.
  3. ↑ Wollaston, Steve (15 March 2016). "Aston Villa European Cup winner reveals abuse from fans". birminghammail. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
  4. 1 2 Matthews, Tony (2005). The Who's Who of West Bromwich Albion. Breedon Books. pp. 157–158. ISBN   1-85983-474-4.
  5. 1 2 3 Peters, Paul (8 February 2015). Aston Villa The England Story. Lulu.com. ISBN   9781326165574.
  6. ↑ "Match results under 18 1971–1980". England Football Online. Chris Goodwin & Glen Isherwood. 2 October 2024. Retrieved 12 October 2024.
  7. ↑ Courtney, Barrie (27 March 2004). "England – U-23 International Results– Details". RSSSF. Retrieved 12 October 2010.
  8. ↑ Courtney, Barrie (22 May 2014). "England – International Results B-Team – Details". RSSSF. Retrieved 12 October 2010.
  9. ↑ "Tony Morley England". Sporting Heroes. Retrieved 12 October 2024.
  10. ↑ Matthews, Tony (3 April 2014). England in the World Cup. Amberley. ISBN   9781445619668.
  11. ↑ Durham, Adrian (10 October 2013). Is He All That?: Great Footballing Myths Shattered. Simon and Schuster. ISBN   9781471131592.
  12. ↑ "1981/82 Charity Shield". footballsite.co.uk. Retrieved 4 November 2019.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.