Tom Holford

Stoke

Holford started his career with Granville's Night School and Cobridge before he moved on to one of the two local league clubs; Stoke in 1899. He "did not put a foot wrong" in his first seasons at the club before establishing himself as the centre of Stoke's half-back line between James Bradley and George Baddeley following Alf Wood's departure in March 1901. For the next ten seasons Holford was a near ever-present in the Stoke team, racking up 105 consecutive appearances from March 1903 to March 1906. His good performances won him an England cap in 1903 and he is considered the smallest centre-back ever to play for England at just 5 ft 5. During Holford's time at the club he played the game in a fiery style, although he was never sent off. He succeeded George Baddeley as captain in 1905. Holford's manager Horace Austerberry described him as "an excellent passer of the ball and one who played every match as if it was his last". In 1908, Stoke went bust and dropped out of the English Football League and played in the Birmingham League. Holford was too good to be lost to non-League football, so he had to leave his hometown club, for which he played nearly 270 games.

Manchester City

In April 1908, he signed for First Division Manchester City, making his debut on 21 April against Bristol City, a match which finished goalless. In his first full season at the club he made 27 appearances and was the club's second-highest goalscorer with 15 goals, which…

He won his only England cap on 14 February 1903, in a 4–0 win over Ireland at Molineux.

Holford was nicknamed "Dirty Tommy" due to his sometimes reckless tackling. He was also regarded as an excellent passer of the ball.

Thomas Holford was born on 22 February 1878 in Hanley. He was the fifth of six children to Thomas Henry and Anna Davis (née Edwards), a potter's manager and potter's sponger respectively. He worked in the pottery industry from at least 1891 to 1921. He married Sarah Jane Platt in 1903, and the couple had two daughters, Lily and Annie. Holford was a cousin of fellow footballer Wilf Kirkham.