Tony Ford
| Date of birth | 14 May 1959 |
| Place of birth | Grimsby |
| Nationality | English |
| Weight | 82 kg |
| Height | 1.78 m |
| Position | Midfielder |
Rochdale's 41-year-old assistant manager continued to defy his years and was again a regular in the midfield in the 2000-01 campaign.
Although perhaps lacking some pace in his advanced years, his pinpoint crosses nevertheless set up numerous goals for colleagues.
Already holder of the record number of senior appearances for an outfield player, he established two new landmarks.
He became Rochdale's oldest-ever Football League player, succeeding 1950's player Jack Warner, and played his 900th Football League game against Scunthorpe United in February, a milestone only previously reached by Peter Shilton.
Tony became the first outfield player to make 1,000 senior appearances in British football in Rochdale's Auto Windscreens Shield tie at Carlisle United on 7 March 2000.
Including his two England B international appearances but excluding the games he played for Northern Premier League Barrow in the first three months of the 1986-87, his career total ended at 1,074 appearances when he joined Barnsley as assistant manager in November 2001.
Club history
| Team | Joined | Left | Loan / Trialist |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grimsby Town | 01 May 1977 | 08 Jul 1986 | |
| Sunderland | 27 Mar 1986 | 03 May 1986 | L |
| Stoke City | 08 Jul 1986 | 24 Mar 1989 | |
| West Bromwich Albion | 24 Mar 1989 | 21 Nov 1991 | |
| Grimsby Town | 21 Nov 1991 | 02 Aug 1994 | |
| Bradford City | 16 Sep 1993 | 16 Oct 1993 | L |
| Scunthorpe United | 02 Aug 1994 | 22 Aug 1996 | |
| Barrow | 22 Aug 1996 | 25 Oct 1996 | |
| Mansfield Town | 25 Oct 1996 | 06 Jul 1999 | |
| Rochdale | 06 Jul 1999 | 08 Nov 2001 |
Club stats
| Season | Team | Competition | Apps | Subs | Goals | Y | R |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000-01 | Rochdale | FA Cup | 1 |
1
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| 2000-01 | Rochdale | League Cup | 2 | ||||
| 2000-01 | Rochdale | League Division 3 | 36 | 2 |
2 |
1
|
|
| 2001-02 | Rochdale | LDV Vans Trophy | 1 | ||||
| 2001-02 | Rochdale | League Cup | 2 | 1 |
|||
| 2001-02 | Rochdale | League Division 3 | 17 | 2 |
1
|
Please note: Career stats are based on performances in the Premier and Football Leagues and (in most cases all) internationals.
Club matches
| Date | Match | Result | Competition | Round | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 Aug 2000 | Rochdale v Darlington | D | 1-1 | League Division 3 | |
| 19 Aug 2000 | Brighton and Hove Albion v Rochdale | L | 2-1 | League Division 3 | |
| 22 Aug 2000 | Rochdale v Blackburn Rovers | D | 1-1 | League Cup | 1st round 1st leg |
| 26 Aug 2000 | Rochdale v Scunthorpe United | W | 3-2 | League Division 3 | |
| 28 Aug 2000 | Halifax Town v Rochdale | W | 1-2 | League Division 3 | |
| 02 Sep 2000 | Rochdale v Cardiff City | D | 1-1 | League Division 3 | |
| 06 Sep 2000 | Blackburn Rovers v Rochdale | L |
6-1 Agg: 7-2 |
League Cup | 1st round 2nd leg |
| 23 Sep 2000 | Shrewsbury Town v Rochdale | W | 0-4 | League Division 3 | |
| 30 Sep 2000 | Rochdale v Southend United | L | 0-1 | League Division 3 | |
| 06 Oct 2000 | Kidderminster Harriers v Rochdale | D | 0-0 | League Division 3 | |
| 14 Oct 2000 | Rochdale v Hartlepool United | W | 2-1 | League Division 3 | |
| 17 Oct 2000 | Rochdale v Chesterfield | D | 2-2 | League Division 3 | |
| 21 Oct 2000 | Cheltenham Town v Rochdale | W | 0-2 | League Division 3 | |
| 24 Oct 2000 | Rochdale v Macclesfield Town | D | 2-2 | League Division 3 | |
| 28 Oct 2000 | Exeter City v Rochdale | W | 0-1 | League Division 3 | |
| 04 Nov 2000 | Rochdale v Barnet | D | 0-0 | League Division 3 | |
| 11 Nov 2000 | Mansfield Town v Rochdale | L | 1-0 | League Division 3 | |
| 18 Nov 2000 | Cambridge United v Rochdale | L | 2-1 | FA Cup | 1st round |
| 02 Dec 2000 | Rochdale v Blackpool | W | 1-0 | League Division 3 | |
| 16 Dec 2000 | Lincoln City v Rochdale | D | 1-1 | League Division 3 | |
| 23 Dec 2000 | Leyton Orient v Rochdale | D | 1-1 | League Division 3 | |
| 26 Dec 2000 | Rochdale v Hull City | W | 1-0 | League Division 3 | |
| 06 Jan 2001 | Darlington v Rochdale | W | 1-2 | League Division 3 | |
| 13 Jan 2001 | Rochdale v Halifax Town | L | 0-1 | League Division 3 | |
| 28 Jan 2001 | Rochdale v Leyton Orient | W | 3-1 | League Division 3 | |
| 02 Feb 2001 | Cardiff City v Rochdale | D | 0-0 | League Division 3 | |
| 13 Feb 2001 | Scunthorpe United v Rochdale | D | 0-0 | League Division 3 | |
| 17 Feb 2001 | Torquay United v Rochdale | L | 1-0 | League Division 3 | |
| 20 Feb 2001 | Rochdale v York City | L | 0-1 | League Division 3 | |
| 17 Mar 2001 | Chesterfield v Rochdale | D | 1-1 | League Division 3 | |
| 23 Mar 2001 | Rochdale v Cheltenham Town | D | 1-1 | League Division 3 | |
| 03 Apr 2001 | Rochdale v Brighton and Hove Albion | D | 1-1 | League Division 3 | |
| 10 Apr 2001 | Rochdale v Carlisle United | W | 6-0 | League Division 3 | |
| 14 Apr 2001 | Macclesfield Town v Rochdale | D | 0-0 | League Division 3 | |
| 16 Apr 2001 | Rochdale v Exeter City | W | 3-0 | League Division 3 | |
| 21 Apr 2001 | Barnet v Rochdale | L | 3-0 | League Division 3 | |
| 23 Apr 2001 | Rochdale v Lincoln City | W | 3-1 | League Division 3 | |
| 26 Apr 2001 | Blackpool v Rochdale | L | 3-1 | League Division 3 | |
| 28 Apr 2001 | Rochdale v Mansfield Town | W | 1-0 | League Division 3 | |
| 01 May 2001 | Rochdale v Plymouth Argyle | W | 2-1 | League Division 3 | |
| 05 May 2001 | Plymouth Argyle v Rochdale | D | 0-0 | League Division 3 | |
| 11 Aug 2001 | Oxford United v Rochdale | W | 1-2 | League Division 3 | |
| 18 Aug 2001 | Rochdale v Macclesfield Town | D | 1-1 | League Division 3 | |
| 21 Aug 2001 | Huddersfield Town v Rochdale | W | 0-1 | League Cup | 1st round |
| 25 Aug 2001 | Plymouth Argyle v Rochdale | W | 1-2 | League Division 3 | |
| 27 Aug 2001 | Rochdale v Exeter City | W | 2-0 | League Division 3 | |
| 01 Sep 2001 | Carlisle United v Rochdale | W | 1-2 | League Division 3 | |
| 08 Sep 2001 | Rochdale v Kidderminster Harriers | W | 2-0 | League Division 3 | |
| 11 Sep 2001 | Rochdale v Fulham | L | 2-2 (5-6) | League Cup | 2nd round |
| 15 Sep 2001 | Rochdale v Scunthorpe United | D | 2-2 | League Division 3 | |
| 18 Sep 2001 | Hull City v Rochdale | L | 3-1 | League Division 3 | |
| 22 Sep 2001 | Shrewsbury Town v Rochdale | L | 1-0 | League Division 3 | |
| 25 Sep 2001 | Rochdale v Halifax Town | W | 2-0 | League Division 3 | |
| 29 Sep 2001 | Rochdale v Mansfield Town | W | 3-1 | League Division 3 | |
| 09 Oct 2001 | Swansea City v Rochdale | W | 0-1 | League Division 3 | |
| 13 Oct 2001 | Rochdale v Rushden and Diamonds | D | 0-0 | League Division 3 | |
| 16 Oct 2001 | Rochdale v Southport | W | 2-0 | LDV Vans Trophy | 1st round - northern section |
| 20 Oct 2001 | Luton Town v Rochdale | W | 0-1 | League Division 3 | |
| 23 Oct 2001 | Rochdale v Cheltenham Town | D | 2-2 | League Division 3 | |
| 27 Oct 2001 | Leyton Orient v Rochdale | L | 4-2 | League Division 3 | |
| 03 Nov 2001 | Rochdale v Torquay United | W | 2-0 | League Division 3 | |
Please note: Match history is complete for the Premier and Football Leagues and (in most cases all) internationals.
International stats
| Season | Team | Competition | Apps | Subs | Goals | Y | R |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988-89 | England | B International | 1 | 1 |
Please note: Career stats are based on performances in the Premier and Football Leagues and (in most cases all) internationals.
International matches
| Date | Match | Result | Competition | Round | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 May 1989 | Switzerland v England | W | 0-2 | B International | |
| 22 May 1989 | Norway v England | W | 0-1 | B International | |
Please note: Match history is complete for the Premier and Football Leagues and (in most cases all) internationals.