Tony Loska

Anthony Stephen Patrick Loska (born 11 February 1950) is an English former footballer who played as a left-back. He scored 10 goals in 304 league games in a 12-year career in the Football League with Shrewsbury Town, Port Vale, Chester, and Halifax Town. He was promoted out of the Fourth Division with Chester in 1974–75.

Tony Loska
Personal information
Full name Anthony Stephen Patrick Loska[1]
Date of birth (1950-02-11) 11 February 1950[1]
Place of birth Chesterton, Staffordshire, England[1]
Height 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)[2]
Position(s) Left-back
Youth career
c 1966–1968 Shrewsbury Town
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1968–1971 Shrewsbury Town 12 (0)
1971–1973 Port Vale 80 (5)
1973–1976 Chester 110 (5)
1976–1979 Halifax Town 102 (0)
1979–1980 Stafford Rangers 16 (0)
1980 Droylsden
1980–1982 Nantwich Town 48 (0)
1982–1983 Alsager Town
1983 Leek Town 4 (0)
1984–1985 Winsford United
Total 372+ (10+)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Career

A naturally left footed player,[3] Loska began his career at Shrewsbury Town. Harry Gregg's "Shrews" finished 17th in the Third Division in 1968–69, and then 15th in 1969–70 and 13th in 1970–71. He made 12 league appearances during his three seasons at Gay Meadow.

Loska joined Port Vale in July 1971.[1] In August, after just one game he broke his collarbone, but recovered to post 30 Third Division and five cup appearances in the 1971–72 season.[1] He scored his first goal in the Football League on 6 November, in a 4–4 draw with fallen giants Aston Villa at Vale Park.[1] He scored three goals in 44 games in the 1972–73 campaign, as manager Gordon Lee led the "Valiants" to a sixth-place finish.[1] He played ten games at the start of the 1973–74 season, but switched to Chester in December 1973 as part of an exchange deal that saw Neil Griffiths move in the opposite direction.[1][3]

Ken Roberts's "Seals" finished seventh in the Fourth Division at the end of the 1973–74 season. He was then an ever-present in the 1974–75 promotion season, and also played his part in the club's surprise run to the semi-finals of the League Cup. Chester finished in 17th spot in 1975–76. Loska scored five goals in 110 league games at Sealand Road.

He moved on to Halifax Town in October 1976 along with fellow Chester defender Chris Dunleavy. The "Shaymen" finished in the re-election zone in 1976–77, before finishing one place above the re-election zone in 1977–78 and then second-from-bottom in 1978–79. In his three seasons at The Shay, Loska made 102 league appearances.

Loska joined Stafford Rangers in 1979 to play in the newly formed Alliance Premier League[3] and played for Droylsden, before joining Nantwich Town in December 1980, helping the club to become Cheshire County League champions in the 1980–81 season.[4] He left in the summer of 1982 after a stint as caretaker manager to become player-manager at Alsager Town,[4] and later served Leek Town and Winsford United. He became a coaching assistant for Eastwood Hanley, worked as a youth coach at Stoke City and was employed by Abbey Life Insurance.[3]

Career statistics

Source:[5][6][7]

Club Season Division League FA Cup Other Total
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Shrewsbury Town 1968–69 Third Division 20000020
1969–70 Third Division 901030130
1970–71 Third Division 10000010
Total 1201030160
Port Vale 1971–72 Third Division 3024010352
1972–73 Third Division 4132010443
1973–74 Third Division 901000100
Total 8057020915
Chester 1973–74 Fourth Division 2320000232
1974–75 Fourth Division 4621080552
1975–76 Third Division 3713010411
1976–77 Third Division 40003070
Total 1105401201265
Halifax Town 1976–77 Fourth Division 3103000340
1977–78 Fourth Division 3601020390
1978–79 Fourth Division 3501020380
Total 102050401110
Leek Town 1983–84 North West Counties League
Division One		 40001050
Career total 3081017022034710

Honours

Chester

Nantwich Town

References
  1. Kent, Jeff (1996). Port Vale Personalities. Witan Books. p. 176. ISBN 0-9529152-0-0.
  2. Rothmans football yearbook. 1976-77. London : Queen Anne Press. 1976. ISBN 978-0-362-00259-1. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
  3. 'Player Memories – Tony Loska', Chester City v Doncaster Rovers matchday programme 14 August 1993, p. 24
  4. Ultimate Book of Nantwich Town FC. Empire. 2020. ISBN 978-0-9563068-2-1.
  5. Tony Loska at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)
  6. "Stats". neilbrown.newcastlefans.com. Retrieved 31 January 2013.
  7. "PlayerStats – LeekTownSE". leektown.net. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
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