24 Facts About Tommy Clare

Thomas Clare was an English international footballer, who played at right-back, and football manager.

Tommy Clare began his playing career with Stoke in July 1884, having moved from Burslem Port Vale.

Tommy Clare won four England caps between 1889 and 1894.

Tommy Clare was appointed as manager-secretary of Burslem Port Vale in 1905, a position he held for the next six years.

Thomas Tommy Clare was born on 12 March 1865 in Congleton, Cheshire.

Tommy Clare was the sixth of eleven children to Thomas Charles and Elizabeth Leigh ; his father was an earthenware manufacturer.

Tommy Clare worked as an encaustic tile maker and draughtsman in Wolstanton from at least 1881 to 1891.

Tommy Clare married Welsh woman Beatrice Vaughan in 1891, and the couple had one daughter, May Vaughan, in 1893.

Tommy Clare was working as a manager for tile spraying machines in 1901.

Tommy Clare emigrated to Canada shortly before World War I and died in Vancouver in December 1929.

Tommy Clare returned home when his true age and his growing medical problems were discovered in November 1917.

Tommy Clare later settled in the United States, working as a salesman in Seattle, and died of a myocarditis in Ladysmith, British Columbia, Canada on 27 December 1929.

Tommy Clare played his early football with Talke Rangers, Goldenhill Wanderers and Burslem Port Vale before becoming Stoke's first professional player in 1883.

Tommy Clare was captain of the Stoke side that were founder members of the English Football League in 1888.

Tommy Clare played 21 of Stoke's 22 Football League matches and was part of a defence line that achieved three clean sheets whilst restricting the opposition to a single goal on four occasions.

Tommy Clare was absolved of any blame, though, and referee Tom Bryan stated that "the backs and the goalkeeper are superior to any three men playing with one club".

Tommy Clare signed for Port Vale as a player-coach in 1897, before moving on to Manchester City later in the year.

Tommy Clare helped the side lift the Staffordshire Senior Cup later in the year as he "inspired a confidence never before approached" in his teammates in the win over West Bromwich Albion.

Tommy Clare earned his first England cap for the match against Ireland on 2 March 1889.

The match was played at Anfield, then the home of Everton, and the selectors made eleven changes to the side that had beaten Wales a week before with nine new caps, including Tommy Clare's Stoke teammate, Bill Rowley in goal.

Tommy Clare played twice more for England, against Wales on 13 March 1893 and Scotland on 7 April 1894.

Tommy Clare was good in the air and was described as "quick and resolute" with "capital style".

Tommy Clare was known to endanger opposition players with his harsh and sometimes wild tackling, and helped to give Stoke a reputation as an overly physical side.

Tommy Clare was appointed Port Vale's manager-secretary in July 1905 and stepped down the following year after the club could no longer afford his wages.