Tom Lyons

Tom Lyons

Lyons in a Port Vale squad photo in 1920
Personal information
Full name	Alfred Thomas Lyons
Date of birth	(1885-07-05)5 July 1885
Place of birth	Hednesford, England
Date of death	October 1938 (age 53)
Place of death	Hednesford, England
Height	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Position(s)	Full-back
Youth career
	Hednesford Town
	Bridgtown Amateurs
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1907–1915	Aston Villa	217	(0)
1917–1922	Port Vale	71	(0)
1922–1923	Walsall	1	(0)
Total		289	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Alfred Thomas Lyons (5 July 1885 – October 1938) was an English footballer and cricketer. He played as a wicket-keeper for Staffordshire in the 1913 Minor Counties Cricket Championship.

He played for Aston Villa from 1907 to 1915, and then joined Port Vale in January 1917. Five years later he moved on to Walsall as a player-coach. He helped Villa to win the First Division in 1909–10 and the FA Cup in 1913. They also finished second in the league in 1907–08, 1910–11, 1912–13, and 1913–14, and was also on the losing side in the 1910 FA Charity Shield.

Career

Lyons played for Hednesford Town and Bridgtown Amateurs, before joining Aston Villa as a professional in April 1907 after a trial three months earlier. The "Villans" ended the 1907–08 campaign in second place in the First Division, nine points behind champions Manchester United. They dropped to seventh spot in 1908–09, before being crowned champions of the Football League in 1909–10. He played at Stamford Bridge in the 1910 FA Charity Shield, which ended in a 1–0 defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion. Villa went on to finish the 1910–11 season in second place, just one point behind Manchester United. They then dropped to sixth in 1911–12, before finishing second in 1912–13 just four points behind champions Sunderland. He played against Sunderland in the 1913 FA Cup final at Crystal Palace, which ended in a 1–0 victory for Villa. They then finished second in the league once again in 1913–14, finishing seven points behind champions Blackburn Rovers. Villa dropped to 14th place in 1914–15, and league football was suspended due to World War I. In his eight years at Villa Park, Lyons played 238 competitive games.

Lyons joined Port Vale, initially on guest terms, in January 1917. He was a member of the side that lifted the Staffordshire Senior Cup and shared the North Staffordshire Infirmary Cup in 1920. He played 32 Second Division games in the 1919–20 season, and played 32 league and FA Cup games in the 1920–21 campaign. He was released from The Old Recreation Ground in the summer. He had played a total of 146 first-team games and scored three goals for the club. Lyons later played for Walsall in a player-coach capacity.

Career statistics

Source:

Club	Season	Division	League		FA Cup		Other		Total
			Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Aston Villa	1907–08	First Division	23	0	3	0	0	0	26	0
	1908–09	First Division	18	0	0	0	0	0	18	0
	1909–10	First Division	35	0	3	0	0	0	38	0
	1910–11	First Division	28	0	1	0	1	0	30	0
	1911–12	First Division	28	0	1	0	0	0	29	0
	1912–13	First Division	30	0	6	0	0	0	36	0
	1913–14	First Division	34	0	5	0	0	0	39	0
	1914–15	First Division	21	0	1	0	0	0	22	0
	Total		217	0	20	0	1	0	238	0
Port Vale	1919–20	Second Division	32	0	2	1	0	0	34	1
	1919–20	Central League	8	0	0	0	0	0	8	0
	1920–21	Second Division	31	0	1	0	0	0	32	0
	Total		71	0	3	1	0	0	74	1
Walsall	1922–23	Third Division North	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
Career total			289	0	23	1	1	0	313	1

Honours

Aston Villa

• Football League First Division: 1909–10
• FA Charity Shield runner-up: 1910
• FA Cup: 1913

Port Vale

• Staffordshire Senior Cup: 1920
• North Staffordshire Infirmary Cup: 1920