Cliff Thorley

Ernest 'Cliff' Thorley (17 January 1916 – 2006) was an English professional footballer who played as a forward and winger. He most notably played in the Football League for Sunderland,[5] Hull City[6] and Bristol City.[7]

Cliff Thorley
Personal information
Full name Ernest Thorley
Date of birth 17 January 1916[1][2]
Place of birth Wath, England[3]
Date of death 2006
Place of death Bradford, West Yorkshire, England
Height 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)[4]
Position(s) Forward
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1932 Frickley Colliery
1932–1934 Sunderland 1 (0)
1934–1936 Hull City 36 (5)
1936–1937 Kidderminster Harriers
1937–1938 Cheltenham Town 37 (13)
1938–1939 Bristol City 15 (3)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Playing career

Thorley was born in Wath, and began his football career with Frickley Colliery, before turning professional with Sunderland at age 17.[4]

Whilst playing for Frickley he captained Yorkshire and represented his county on multiple occasions.[8] One year later he joined Hull City, and then played for Kidderminster Harriers in the Birmingham league before joining Cheltenham Town.

Thorley was a very popular player in Cheltenham. He played in 37 of 38 League and Cup matches—missing only one because of a severe cold—and scoring 13 times. Wrote the Gloucestershire Echo, "One of the fastest wingers ever to assist Cheltenham Town, Thorley is the possessor of a devastating shot which, with his remarkable speed, has caused defences many anxious times." Thorley, then 22, was transferred to Bristol City in 1938.[3]

In 1939, he made a shock decision to retire from professional football at a young age to become a policeman in Huddersfield.[8] In 1942, he played in the Inter-Allied Services Cup, a wartime football competition involving British serviceman, police and firefighters. Other members of the police squad were Jack Nicholas, Bob Brocklebank, and Tom Smith.[9]

References
  1. England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1837-1915
  2. England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1916-2007
  3. "Thorley Transferred to Bristol City – Town Winger Joins His Third League Club". Gloucestershire Echo. 11 March 1938. Retrieved 5 August 2017.
  4. "Sunderland's New Winger". Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer. 28 September 1932. Retrieved 5 August 2017.
  5. The Stat Cat
  6. Tiger Base Cat
  7. "City Stats". Archived from the original on 10 November 2007. Retrieved 27 January 2015.
  8. "Official Frickley Athletic Museum - Ernest Thorley". Archived from the original on 29 January 2015. Retrieved 27 January 2015.
  9. "Nicholas to Play". Derby Daily Telegraph. 28 February 1942. Retrieved 5 August 2017.
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