Stuart Tuck

Stuart Gary Tuck (born 1 October 1974) is an English former professional footballer who was most recently assistant manager at Whitehawk. Tuck played as a left back in the Football League for Brighton & Hove Albion until injury put an end to his professional career. Tuck then played as a centre back for many years in non-league football in Sussex.

Stuart Tuck
Tuck at Burgess Hill Town in 2016
Personal information
Full name Stuart Gary Tuck[1]
Date of birth (1974-10-01) 1 October 1974[1]
Place of birth Brighton, England
Height 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)[2]
Position(s) Defender
Youth career
1990–1991 Whitehawk
1991–1993 Brighton & Hove Albion
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1993–1998 Brighton & Hove Albion 93 (1)
1998–2001 Worthing
2001–2006 Eastbourne Borough
2006 Burgess Hill Town
2006–2007 Bognor Regis Town
2007–2009 Burgess Hill Town
2009–2010 Eastbourne Town[3] 13 (0)
2010–2012 Whitehawk
2012 → Burgess Hill Town (loan)
2012–2018 Burgess Hill Town
2018 Shoreham
Managerial career
2012–2018 Burgess Hill Town (assistant)
2020–2022 Whitehawk (assistant)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

After being assistant manager at Burgess Hill Town for five years he resumed his playing career with Shoreham in 2018. Tuck then had a spell as assistant manager at his first club Whitehawk.

Career

While at school Tuck played junior football for Bevendean Barcelona and then for Whitehawk U18, where he appeared in midfield as a 15-year old.[4] He was associated with Brighton & Hove Albion as a schoolboy, and joined the club as a YTS trainee when he left school in 1991.[2] He made his first-team debut on 28 September 1993 in the Football League Trophy, and his Second Division debut four days later at the Goldstone Ground in the starting eleven for a goalless draw with Exeter City.[2][5]

Tuck went on to make 93 league appearances, scoring once,[1] and captained Albion on several occasions.[6] He appeared at left back in the final game at the Goldstone Ground, against Doncaster Rovers in 1997,[7] and the following week played the full 90 minutes against Hereford United in the game that secured Albion's status as a Football League team.[8] Tuck missed the last couple of months of the 1997–98 season with a groin problem that required surgery.[9] He played the whole of Brighton's first three fixtures of the 1998–99 season, but those were his last at Football League level.[10] He received specialist advice that he should "take things easy" as he recovered from the surgery,[11] and ended up retiring from full-time football.[12]

Tuck signed for Isthmian League Division One club Worthing on a non-contract basis in January 2000,[12] where he began as cover for the injured Mark Knee and finished up winning both the Supporters' and the Players' Player of the Year awards for 2000–01.[13][14]

In October 2001, feeling he had "gone as far as [he] can with Worthing", Tuck joined Southern League Division One club Eastbourne Borough.[15] He remained for nearly five years, won both Player of the Year awards in the 2003–04 season,[6] and was voted Player of the Round for the 2004–05 FA Cup fourth qualifying round.[16] He captained the team as they reached the 2005 Conference North/South play-off final, and scored a "wonder goal" from 30 yards (27 m) in the semifinal against Thurrock,[17] but Borough lost the final 2–1 to Altrincham.[18] After missing much of pre-season with a calf injury, Tuck started the 2006–07 season out of favour. He spent a brief spell on loan at Isthmian League Burgess Hill Town,[19][20] He played twice more for Borough, taking his appearance total to 228 in all competitions, and then moved on, to Conference South rivals Bognor Regis Town.[21]

A serious achilles tendon injury in March 2007 put an early end to Tuck's season, but he was still chosen as Bognor's Player of the Year. He was expected to return later in the year once his recovery was complete, but instead rejoined Burgess Hill Town in December.[22] He took on a coaching role as well as playing,[23] until an ankle problem put an early end to his on-field season in January 2009.[24] After manager Jamie Howell was dismissed in March, Tuck was interviewed for the vacancy, but turned it down and left the club.[25] He rejoined Bognor Regis Town ahead of the 2009–10 season,[26] announced his retirement from the game in October,[27] and signed for Eastbourne Town in January 2010.[28]

Tuck joined Whitehawk for the 2010–11 Isthmian League season,[29] and remained as part of the team that won the 2011–12 Isthmian League Division One South title as well as the Sussex Senior Cup final, in which they beat Crawley Down at Brighton's Falmer Stadium.[30] He signed for Burgess Hill Town for a third time, initially on loan,[31] and was then appointed assistant manager in November 2012 after Adam Hinshelwood stepped down.[32][33]

Tuck was mentioned in connection with the managerial vacancy at Bognor Regis Town in May 2017.[34]

Tuck made a rare start for Burgess Hill Town in the Sussex Senior Cup in January 2018 against Saltdean United, but was sent off early in the second half for a second yellow card.[35] He left the Hillians in September 2018,[36] and subsequently signed as a player for Shoreham where he appeared alongside his son Josh.[37] Tuck re-joined one of his former clubs, Whitehawk, as assistant manager in November 2020,[38] and left in April 2022 when manager Ross Standen was replaced.[39]

Personal life

Tuck was born in Brighton[1] and attended Stanley Deason Secondary School in Whitehawk.[2] He later worked on the PE staff at Varndean School in Brighton.[40]

References
  1. "Stuart Tuck". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
  2. Carder, Tim; Harris, Roger (1997). Albion A–Z: A Who's Who of Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. Hove: Goldstone Books. p. 245. ISBN 978-0-9521337-1-1.
  3. "Stuart Tuck". Eastbourne Town F.C. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
  4. whitehawkfc.com
  5. "Endsleigh Insurance League Division Two 1993–94". Albion News. Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. 7 May 1994. p. 26 – via Seagulls Programmes.
  6. "Stuart Tuck". Eastbourne Borough F.C. Archived from the original on 7 January 2009. Retrieved 23 September 2007.
  7. Bailey, Steve (25 April 2017). "The last game at the Goldstone Ground remembered 20 years on". Brighton & Hove Independent. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
  8. Wood, Greg (5 May 1997). "Football: Tears of grief and relief". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 24 May 2019. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
  9. "Tuck is out of luck again". The Argus. Brighton. 3 March 1998. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
  10. "Games played by Stuart Tuck in 1997/1998". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
  11. "Mill setback". The Argus. Brighton. 25 August 1998. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
  12. "Tuck can't bear to watch his beloved Albion". The Argus. Brighton. 7 January 2000. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
  13. Hellyer, Michael (12 December 2017). "Retiring Knee reflects on glittering football career". Shoreham Herald. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
  14. "Revitalised Tuck gets the seal of approval". The Argus. Brighton. 11 May 2001. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
  15. "Rebels have interest in directors with cash". The Argus. Brighton. 27 October 2001. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
  16. "Tuck display scoops FA Cup award". BBC Sport. 31 October 2005. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
  17. "Football: Tuck the hero for Borough". The Argus. Brighton. 4 May 2005. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
  18. "Match Report: Altrincham (0) 2 Eastbourne Borough (0) 1: Nationwide Promotion Play-Off Final Match". Altrincham F.C. Retrieved 24 May 2019 – via The Alty Files.
  19. Hollis, Steve (22 August 2006). "Eastbourne Borough: Tuck vows to fight for his future". The Argus. Brighton. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
  20. Francis, Chris (24 August 2006). "Hill Tuck in for first point". Mid-Sussex Times. Archived from the original on 22 March 2018. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
  21. Naylor, Andy (7 December 2006). "Tuck faces his old pals". The Argus. Brighton. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
  22. Hollis, Steve (19 December 2007). "Tuck signs for Burgess Hill". The Argus. Brighton. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
  23. "Ryman division one previews". The Argus. Brighton. 21 November 2008. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
  24. Legg, Mike (9 January 2009). "Tuck faces his old pals". The Argus. Brighton. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
  25. "Tuck turns down Hillians after manager sacked". Mid-Sussex Times. 4 March 2009. Archived from the original on 21 March 2018. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
  26. Hollis, Steve (25 June 2010). "Tuck back at Bognor". The Argus. Brighton. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
  27. "Boreham Wood 1 Rocks 0". Chichester Observer. 9 October 2010. Archived from the original on 24 May 2019. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
  28. Legg, Mike (1 January 2010). "Tuck joins Bloor at Town". The Argus. Brighton. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
  29. "Ryman: Rebels boss faces big decision". The Argus. Brighton. 17 September 2010. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
  30. "Last minute winner breaks Crawley Down's hearts". Crawley Observer. 14 May 2012. Archived from the original on 21 March 2018. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
  31. "Meet Chappers' right-hand man at Burgess Hill Town". Mid-Sussex Times. 30 March 2017.
  32. "Haven't we met before? Hinshelwood's back at Selsey". Bognor Regis Observer. 22 November 2012. Archived from the original on 17 July 2018. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  33. "Stuart Tuck". Burgess Hill Town F.C. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016.
  34. Eldridge, Carl (22 June 2017). "El of a surprise! Sami El Abd emerges as shock candidate for new Rocks player-boss role". Bognor Regis News. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  35. Dunford, Mark (31 January 2018). "Chapman: 'It was embarrassing for myself and the players should be embarrassed'". Mid-Sussex Times. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  36. Dunford, Mark (2 September 2018). "Tuck and Brivio leave Burgess Hill Town, Wormull comes in". Mid-Sussex Times. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  37. Wootton, James (15 October 2018). "Former Brighton and Hove Albion defender to help Shoreham climb up the table". Shoreham Herald. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  38. Stenning, Adam (3 November 2020). "Ross Standen cannot wait to get going at Whitehawk". The Argus. Brighton. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
  39. "Management change". Whitehawk F.C. 4 April 2022. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
  40. Thompson, Flora (5 July 2015). "Former England star set for memorial game to honour 'Brighton Dave'". The Argus. Brighton. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
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