Tom Curley (footballer)

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Tom Curley
Personal information
Full name Thomas Curley[1]
Date of birth (1945-06-11) 11 June 1945 (age 76)
Place of birth Glasgow, Scotland
Position(s) Outside right
Youth career
1960 Portsmouth
1960–1964 Celtic
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1964–1965 Celtic 1 (0)
1965–1967 Brentford 40 (6)
1967–1969 Crewe Alexandra 52 (7)
1969 Hamilton Academical 4 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Thomas Curley (born 11 June 1945) is a Scottish retired professional footballer who played as an outside right. As a footballer, he made over 90 appearances in the Football League for Crewe Alexandra and Brentford and as a politician he was a member of the Scottish Labour Party for 30 years, before spending his final year in office (2016 to 2017) as an independent councillor outside the party.[2][3]

Football club career[]

Celtic[]

An outside right, Curley began his career in the youth system at Portsmouth in 1960, but suffered with homesickness and transferred to Celtic in his home city after just a few months.[4] He had to wait until September 1964 to make his senior debut, which came in a 4–2 defeat to Heart of Midlothian on 26 September 1964.[5] It proved to be Curley's only appearance for the Bhoys and he departed Celtic Park in September 1965.[4]

Brentford[]

Curley moved to England to sign for Third Division strugglers Brentford on a one-month trial in September 1965.[3] He made his debut in a 1–0 defeat to Gillingham on 30 October 1965 and impressed enough during his trial to win a contract.[3][6] He failed to make a breakthrough into the first team during the 1965–66 season and made just 14 appearances as the Bees suffered relegation to the Fourth Division.[6] He improved his appearance tally in the basement and made 27 appearances during the 1966–67 season.[6] The stricken club's dire financial situation saw Curley released in 1967 as a result of cost-cutting measures.[3] He made 41 appearances and scored 6 goals during his two seasons with Brentford.[3]

Crewe Alexandra[]

Curley moved to Fourth Division club Crewe Alexandra in August 1967.[1] Though he made just 19 appearances, he was part of the team which secured automatic promotion to the Third Division at the end of the 1967–68 season.[7] He broke into the team on a regular basis in the following season and made 33 appearances and scored seven goals, as Alex pushed for a second successive promotion.[7] Curley left Gresty Road in August 1969 and made 52 league appearances and scored seven goals in his two seasons with Alex.[1]

Hamilton Academical[]

Curley moved back to Scotland to sign for Second Division club Hamilton Academical on 16 August 1969.[8] He made just five appearances before being released.[9]

Football chairman career[]

Curley had a spell as chairman of Central Scottish Amateur League Premier Division club Bankhall Villa.[10] The club won the 1992–93 Scottish Amateur Cup under his chairmanship.[10]

Political career[]

Curley was a member of the Scottish Labour Party for 30 years and until 2017,[2] was a councillor, latterly for the Airdrie South ward.[10] He held positions of Junior Whip, Deputy Provost and Provost.[10] He was provost of North Lanarkshire until May 2012.[11] He resigned from the Scottish Labour Party in October 2016 and became an independent councillor, not standing for re-election in the 2017 North Lanarkshire Council election.[2]

Career statistics[]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National Cup League Cup Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Celtic 1964–65[4] Scottish First Division 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
Brentford 1965–66[6] Third Division 14 2 0 0 — 14 2
1966–67[6] Fourth Division 26 4 1 0 0 0 27 4
Total 40 6 1 0 0 0 41 6
Hamilton Academical 1969–70[9] Scottish Second Division 4 0 0 0 1 0 5 0
Career total 45 6 1 0 1 0 47 6

References[]

  1. ^ a b c "Tom Curley". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 7 March 2017.
  2. ^ a b c Tonner, Judith (7 November 2016). "Airdrie South councillor resigns from Labour and plans to stand against party". dailyrecord. Retrieved 26 August 2017.
  3. ^ a b c d e Haynes, Graham; Coumbe, Frank (2006). Timeless Bees: Brentford F.C. Who's Who 1920–2006. Harefield: Yore Publications. pp. 171–172. ISBN 978-0955294914.
  4. ^ a b c "Curley, Thomas". Retrieved 17 December 2014.
  5. ^ "Celtic Player Tommy Curley Details". Retrieved 17 December 2014.
  6. ^ a b c d e White, Eric, ed. (1989). 100 Years Of Brentford. Brentford FC. pp. 388–389. ISBN 0951526200.
  7. ^ a b Crewe Alexandra F.C. at the Football Club History Database
  8. ^ "Player's Transfers – 1969". Scottish Football Historical Archive. Retrieved 10 May 2019.
  9. ^ a b "Curley Thomas (1969)". Hamilton Academical Memory Bank. Retrieved 17 December 2014.
  10. ^ a b c d "Airdrie South". Archived from the original on 8 August 2016. Retrieved 17 December 2014.
  11. ^ "Standing down to clear my name". Retrieved 17 December 2014.
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