Tony Currie
The Sheffield showman who gave us football's first kiss
| Full name: | Anthony William Currie |
|---|---|
| Date of birth: | January 1, 1950 |
| Clubs played for: | Watford, Sheffield United, Leeds, QPR, Southend, Torquay, Stockport |
Club Career
Tony Currie joined Sheffield United after a season at Watford and became an instant hero at Bramall Lane, scoring on his debut against Tottenham. Probably United's best-loved player, TC endeared himself to Blades fans with pop-star looks backed up by a repertoire of flamboyant skills, long-range passing and attacking verve.
After eight years at United he moved up the road to Yorkshire rivals Leeds before returning to his native London with QPR. Spells at Southend, Torquay United and Stockport brought the curtain down on his career.
Club Stats
| Years | Clubs | App | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | Watford | 18 | 9 |
| 1968-76 | Sheffield United | 313 | 54 |
| 1976-79 | Leeds | 102 | 11 |
| 1979-82 | QPR | 81 | 5 |
| 1983-84 | Southend | 0 | 0 |
| 1984 | Torquay | 14 | 1 |
| 1984 | Stockport | 0 | 0 |
International Career
Currie broke into the England team while he was at Sheffield United and went on to win 17 caps for his country. Unfortunately, he never appeared in a World Cup as England failed to qualify for the 1974 and 1978 tournaments while Currie was in the reckoning.
International Career Stats
| Years | Clubs | App | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1972-79 | England | 17 | 3 |
Key Games
Sheffield United 3-2 Tottenham (Second Division, February 26, 1968)
Currie marked his Blades debut with a second half goal in a narrow win over Spurs. After Barry Wagstaffe had cancelled out Jimmy Greaves' opener, Currie put the Blades 2-1 up. Gil Reece made it 3-1 before Martin Chivers pulled one back but United held on to give Currie, who got married the following weekend, an early wedding present
Tottenham 1-0 QPR (FA Cup final replay, May 28, 1982)
Due to the suspension of Glenn Roeder, Currie led QPR out at Wembley for the replayed 1982 showpiece following a 1-1 draw the previous Saturday. But it was to be a sorry night for Currie, who gave away the penalty for the only goal of the game after just six minutes by hauling down Graham Roberts. Glenn Hoddle put the spot-kick away and Currie was denied the chance to lift the famous trophy.
England 1-1 Poland (World Cup qualifier, October 17, 1973)
England just had to beat Poland to reach the 1974 World Cup but after Currie and his team-mates went a goal down at Wembley they came up against an inspired Jan Tomaszewski. As England laid siege to the Polish goal, Currie had one effort deflected over and then shot weakly when well-placed on 53 minutes, while Tomaszewski repelled everything England threw at him to deny England a trip to West Germany.
Did You Know...?
In a match televised on Match Of The Day Currie and his good friend Alan Birchenall were involved in a collision when battling for the ball. With both players on the ground they decided to, quite literally, kiss and make up. In an age of free love the image went around the world, was printed on t-shirts and the two players even became gay icons in Germany.
Currie's nephew, Darren, inherited his uncle's skills and made more than 400 appearances in the Football League, playing for team-mates including Ipswich, Derby, Brighton and Luton.
According to Currie, Tommy Docherty wanted him to replace Bobby Charlton at Manchester United in the mid-1970s.
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