Born: 12th
November 1957 in Kingston, Jamaica.Lincoln
City career: 123 appearances and 32 goals,
between 1979-1982.
Position:
centre forward.
Clubs:
Stourbridge, Lincoln City, Barnsley, Sheff Wed,
Man City, Newcastle, Blackpool, Bury, Bolton,
Rotherham, Doncaster, Wycombe and Gainsborough.
Tony
Cunningham was a well travelled footballer who
played for eleven League teams including, at the
highest level, both Newcastle and Sheffield
Wednesday.
His
league career started when Colin Murphy spotted
him playing non-league football with Midlands'
side Stourbridge. Non-league captures were a
favourite of Murphy since he offered a number of
amateur players their chance of a professional
career - most would later play in the top
Division.
Lincoln
City's squad of the early eighties was one of the
best ever in the history of the club.
Unfortunately, a lack of cash meant that Lincoln
City were always having to sell at least one
player a season; Cunningham was the first major
departure from that squad.
1980-81
season had seen Lincoln gain promotion from
Division Four and it was almost a successive
promotion from Division Three except Lincoln
missed out by a mere point. Murphy understandably
wanted to strengthen his squad for an improvement
on fourth position but he was told to raise money
by selling. So in August 1982, Lincoln City
reluctantly accepted Barnsley's £80,000 bid for
Cunningham, which left Lincoln without a target
man.
After
leaving Barnsley in 1984, Cunningham signed for
Sheffield Wednesday where he made 28 appearances,
scoring five goals. This was sufficient for
Manchester City to sign him just months after
Cunningham had joined Sheffield Wednesday. Again,
his stay at his new club was short but Cunningham
joined Newcastle United in 1985, which would
prove the pinnacle of his career.
Two
years later, Cunningham made the shock move to
Blackpool, who hailed him as a terrific signing
after persuading him to drop down the divisions.
The transfer fee was £25,000, which was set by a
tribunal. Unfortunately, the highs of joining
Blackpool turned into disappointment as Blackpool
struggled in 1989. By now, the Blackpool manager
whom brought Cunningham to the club - ex-Imp Sam
Ellis - had now joined Bury. So in 1989,
Cunningham put his Blackpool disappointment
behind him and signed for Ellis' Bury.
Cunningham
became an influential player at Bury, staying for
two years before embarking on a short career move
to Bolton Wanderers in 1991. After just nine
appearances, although he did score four goals, he
joined Rotherham United.
By
1993, Cunningham's football career was nearing
its conclusion and he ended his professional
career with short spells at Doncaster Rovers and
Wycombe Wanderers. In 1994, he returned to
Lincolnshire when he signed for non-league
Gainsborough Trinity; while Gainsborough, he
undertook a university business studies course.
Cunningham now lives and works in Lincoln as a
solicitor and is often been seen around Lincoln
City's Magistrates' Court on weekdays.
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