Tony Weston (footballer, born 1946)

Last updated

Tony Weston
Personal information
Full name Anthony Douglas Weston
Date of birth (1946-04-03) 3 April 1946 (age 77)
Place of birth Yalding, England
Position(s) Defender
Youth career
1960–1963 Maidstone United
1963 Bromley
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
1963–1970 Gillingham 162 (3)
1970–1971 Ashford Town
1971–1973 Folkestone
1973 Berea Park
1973–1973 Tonbridge
1973–1976 Gravesend & Northfleet
1976 Folkestone & Shepway
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 16:05, 15 November 2023 (UTC)

Anthony Douglas Weston (born 3 April 1946) [1] is an English former professional footballer. He spent his entire professional career with Gillingham, where he made 162 Football League appearances.

Career

In 1960 he played for the Maidstone Boys team [2] and was later associated with the Maidstone United club. He played on more than one occasion whilst aged only 16 for Maidstone in their 1962–63 Isthmian League campaign [3] but left the club at the end of that season. [4]

In 1963 he joined Gillingham and made his first team debut in the Football League Third Division in November 1964 and by January 1965 had established himself as a first-choice player. [5] From October 1965 he started a sequence of what would have been 106 consecutive competitive games for the club had he not missed one match (in March 1967) owing to family reasons. His appearances in the team were curtailed when he suffered a broken ankle in late October 1967; [6] he recovered to play the last two matches of the season during May 1968. In his final season with Gillingham, 1969–70, he played in only a third of their league matches, but did play in all of the last five matches as the club successfully avoided relegation. [7] In addition to the 162 league games in which he played for Gillingham, he appeared in seven FA Cup and ten League Cup matches. [8] He scored three league goals, two of which were against Brentford; all his goals were match-winning strikes: two were the only goals in 1–0 wins; [9] [10] and the other the first in a 2–0 victory. [11]

In the summer of 1970 he signed with Southern League Premier Division club Ashford Town. [12] He was with the club only for the 1970–71 season, after which they were relegated. He played in all the 68 competitive matches (42 league and 26 in various cup competitions) that the club contested that season. [13]

He switched clubs in May 1971 to Southern League Premier Division Folkestone. [14] He played the 1971–72 season with them but during the following campaign, in February 1973, he left the club [15] to play for Berea Park in South Africa. He could not settle overseas and returned within two months and in March 1973 and was signed by Tonbridge [16] for the final stage of their successful promotion push from that season's Southern League Division One South.

He did not remain with Tonbridge: between 1973 and 1975 he played with Gravesend & Northfleet in the Southern League Division One South, he then returned to Folkestone, now known as Folkestone & Shepway, playing in the same league. In December 1976 playing with the latter club he had the misfortune to suffer a broken leg. [17]

He returned to playing and in 1978 was with the amateur Oakwood Hospital club playing in the Tonbridge League. [18]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kent</span> County of England

Kent is a county in the South East England region, the closest county to continental Europe. It borders Essex across the entire estuary of the River Thames to the north; the French department of Pas-de-Calais across the Strait of Dover to the south-east; East Sussex to the south-west; Surrey to the west and Greater London to the north-west. The county town is Maidstone.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maidstone United F.C.</span> Association football club in Maidstone, England

Maidstone United Football Club is a semi-professional football club based in Maidstone, Kent, England, which competes in the National League South, the sixth tier of the English football league system, following relegation from the 2022–23 National League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ashford United F.C.</span> Association football club in England

Ashford United F.C. are an English football club based in Ashford, Kent. The 'new' United was formed in 2011, resurrecting the name used by the town's football club between 1891 and 1907. Following the demise of the original Ashford United club in 1907 and through to 1928 Ashford was represented by Ashford Railway Works FC and after that between 1930 and 2010 by Ashford Town F.C. The current club is effectively a 'phoenix club' having risen from the ashes of the financial ruin of its predecessor. Although not a supporter owned club, like most non-league clubs, it relies on contributions of volunteers and supporters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Craig Stone</span> English footballer (born 1988)

Craig Brian Raymond Stone is an English footballer who works for Hastings United as a player-assistant manager.

The Kent Senior Cup is an English football knock-out competition played between senior clubs in the county of Kent. It is administered by the Kent County Football Association (KCFA).

Denis Perrior Hunt was an English professional footballer who made over 320 appearances as a left back in the Football League for Gillingham between 1958 and 1968. He became player-manager of Folkestone in 1969 and later managed Ashford Town and Margate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dick Hendrie</span> Scottish footballer

Richard Hendrie was a Scottish professional football left back, best remembered for his spells as player and manager in the Football League with Gillingham.

William Albert James Manuel is an English retired professional football left back and midfielder, best remembered for his time in the Football League with Brentford and Gillingham. His tenacious performances in midfield for Brentford led to the nickname 'Billy the Pit Bull'.

Lee Shearer is an English former professional footballer. His most notable former clubs include FF Jaro of the Veikkausliiga and SBV Excelsior of the Dutch Eredivisie. He represented England at schoolboys level.

Leonard Dowell was a Scottish professional footballer who played as an Inside forward. He played in the Scottish Football League for Partick Thistle and in the English Football League for Gillingham.

London 3 South East is an English level 8 Rugby Union League involving club sides from Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex and the south-east London. It is made up of teams predominantly from London, Sussex and Kent. The twelve teams play home and away matches from September through to April. Each year all clubs in the division also take part in the RFU Senior Vase - a level 8 national competition.

Scott Lindsey is an English former footballer who played as a midfielder in the Football League for Gillingham. He is the current manager of Crawley Town.

Robert Laverick is an English former professional footballer who scored 26 goals from 96 appearances in the Football League playing on the left wing for Chelsea, Everton, Brighton & Hove Albion and Coventry City.

The Kent League was a football league which existed from 1894 until 1959, based in the English county of Kent. Another, unrelated, Kent League was formed in 1966, and is now known as the Southern Counties East Football League.

James John Buchanan French was a Scottish footballer who made 22 appearances in the Football League playing as an inside forward for Gillingham and Clapton Orient in the 1930s.

Ronald Rupert Peplow was an English professional footballer who played in the Football League for Brentford as a wing half. He also played non-League football for Southall, Folkestone Town and Ashford Town. Peplow was a penalty specialist and scored 28 goals from 30 attempts during his career.

Joseph Edward McAleer was a Scottish professional footballer. During his career he played for clubs in all the countries of the British Isles.

References

  1. ↑ Triggs, Roger (2001). The Men Who Made Gillingham Football Club. Tempus Publishing Ltd. p. 333. ISBN   0-7524-2243-X.
  2. ↑ "A stronger Maidstone". Chatham Standard. Maidstone. 8 March 1960. p. 2.
  3. ↑ "Weston For Babes: A Denial". Kentish Express. Ashford. 21 December 1962. p. 15.
  4. ↑ "United Are Optimistic". Kentish Express. Ashford. 9 August 1963. p. 20.
  5. ↑ "All games featuring Tony Weston in season 1964-65". Gillingham FC Scrapbook. Retrieved 16 November 2023.
  6. ↑ "Weston Injury Blow to Gills". Kentish Express. Ashford. 3 November 1967. p. 22.
  7. ↑ "All games featuring Tony Weston in season 1969-70". Gillingham FC Scrapbook. Retrieved 16 November 2023.
  8. ↑ "Tony Weston". Gillingham FC Scrapbook. Retrieved 16 November 2023.
  9. ↑ "Match Details: Gillingham 1 Brentford 0". Gillingham FC Scrapbook. Retrieved 16 November 2023.
  10. ↑ "Match Details: Gillingham 1 Southend 0". Gillingham FC Scrapbook. Retrieved 16 November 2023.
  11. ↑ "Match Details: Brentford 0 Gillingham 2". Gillingham FC Scrapbook. Retrieved 16 November 2023.
  12. ↑ "Tony Weston Joins Ashford". Kentish Express. Ashford. 17 July 1970. p. 22.
  13. ↑ "Tony Weston Player Profile". Nuts And Bolts Archive: History of Ashford Town & United. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
  14. ↑ Norris, Frank (21 May 1971). "Hunt Acts Fast In Signings Bid". Kentish Express. Ashford. p. 22.
  15. ↑ Norris, Frank; Carpenter, Gordon (2 February 1973). "Folkestone Take a Turn For The Better". Kentish Express. Ashford. p. 14.
  16. ↑ "Quiet Debut By Weston For Angels". Kent & Sussex Courier. Tunbridge Wells. 30 March 1973. p. 22.
  17. ↑ "Weston's Ill Luck". Thanet Times. Margate. 21 December 1976. p. 22.
  18. ↑ "Oakwood Reach Area Final of County Cup". Kent & Sussex Courier. Tunbridge Wells. 10 February 1978. p. 32.
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.