Thomas Charles "Tom" Slaney (1852 – 1935) was an English

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...

and

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities ...

who was the first manager of Stoke.

Career

Slaney was born in

Stoke-upon-Trent Stoke-upon-Trent, commonly called Stoke is one of the six towns that along with Hanley, Burslem, Fenton, Longton and Tunstall form the city of Stoke-on-Trent, in Staffordshire, England. The town was incorporated as a municipal borough in 1 ...

and attended Stoke St Peter's School where John William Thomas was a teacher. Thomas was the first honorary secretary of the Stoke Ramblers and was well known in the local area for his involvement in football, cricket and athletic clubs, therefore Slaney took a keen interest in local sport. He attended the Saltley College in

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the We ...

and went to St John's school in Hanley as a teacher, rising to headmaster within ten years. He began playing football with Stoke and was soon elected club captain. In August 1874 he was appointed honorary secretary, whilst the team was still picked by a committee Slaney effectively organised the club's activities which included arranging away travel and making sure the players knew the kick-off times. His status ensured that he played in the glamorous

centre forward Forwards (also known as attackers) are outfield positions in an association football team who play the furthest up the pitch and are therefore most responsible for scoring goals as well as assisting them. As with any attacking player, the role ...

position and he was described as "a fine and dashing player". His style was typical of the time, dribbling alone or in a huddle with other forwards. Slaney took corners and free-kicks and was described as "judicious and energetic". He was renowned for being a model captain, expecting his players to behave with gentlemanly conduct. In the 1877–78 season Slaney lead Stoke to their first piece of silverware by beating Talke Rangers 1–0 in the

Staffordshire Senior Cup The Staffordshire Senior Challenge Cup is a football cup tournament based in the county of Staffordshire in England first competed for in 1877–78. Organised by the Staffordshire Football Association, it is competed for by a mix of clubs from ...

. Stoke had previously beaten Mow Cop by a club record 26–0 with Slaney reportedly scoring nine of the goals. Stoke retained the cup in 1878–79, defeating Cobridge 2–1. Slaney faded out the side in the early 1880s with the younger Edward Johnson playing more regularly. He retired as captain in 1882 and he changed the club's colours of black and light blue hoops to red and white stripes and helped the club agree a merger with the Victoria Athletic Club enabling them to play at the

Victoria Ground The Victoria Ground was the home ground of Stoke City from 1878 until 1997, when the club relocated to the Britannia Stadium after 119 years. At the time of its demolition it was the oldest operational ground in the Football League. History ...

. After Stoke abandoned

amateurism An amateur () is generally considered a person who pursues an avocation independent from their source of income. Amateurs and their pursuits are also described as popular, informal, self-taught, user-generated, DIY, and hobbyist. History Hi ...

status in favour of professionalism Slaney left his position at Stoke. His influence at the Victoria Ground remained as friend and colleague Harry Lockett became Stoke's manager as did his former assistant schoolmaster, Horace Austerberry. In 1890 Slaney was appointed President of Stoke baseball club, for the upcoming professional

1890 National League of Baseball of Great Britain The 1890 National League of Baseball of Great Britain was the first, and to date only, professional baseball championship for the national baseball title of Great Britain. The National League's headquarters were located at 38 Holborn Viaduct, Londo ...

and was a Director of Preston North End Baseball Club.

References

External links

Stoke City managers
at stokecityfc.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Slaney, Thomas 1852 births 1935 deaths English footballers English football managers Stoke City F.C. managers Stoke City F.C. players Association football forwards Baseball in the United Kingdom