 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Cyril Henry Spiers | ||
| Date of birth | (1902-04-04)4 April 1902 | ||
| Place of birth | Witton, England | ||
| Date of death | 21 May 1967(1967-05-21) (aged 65) | ||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)[1] | ||
| Position | Goalkeeper | ||
| Youth career | |||
| ?–1920 | Halesowen Town | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1920–1927 | Aston Villa | 104 | (0) |
| 1927–1933 | Tottenham Hotspur | 169 | (0) |
| 1933–1939 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 8 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1939–1946 | Cardiff City | ||
| 1946–1947 | Norwich City | ||
| 1947–1954 | Cardiff City | ||
| 1954–1958 | Crystal Palace | ||
| 1962–1963 | Exeter City | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Cyril Henry Spiers (4 April 1902 – 21 May 1967) was an Englishfootballgoalkeeper who played forAston Villa,Tottenham Hotspur andWolverhampton Wanderers. He later went on tomanage atFootball League clubs for more than twenty years.[2]
Spiers began his playing career atHalesowen Town duringWorld War I[3] and signed forAston Villa in 1920, where he made 104 League and 8 FA Cup appearances over a seven-year career,[4] competing withTommy Jackson for a regular place. He made his debut on Christmas Day 1920, in a 4–3 defeat toManchester United.[3] He was forced to retire after suffering a serious injury and, believing that he could never play again, Aston Villa released him. However, he underwent experimental surgery and was able to return to football withTottenham Hotspur, making 169 appearances between 1927 and 1932. Spiers was ever present in seasons 1929–30 and 1930–31 but missed the entire 1932–33 season through injury.[3] He eventually left the club and becameplayer-coach, and subsequently, assistant manager, toFrank Buckley atWolverhampton Wanderers. He made eight appearances for "Wolves".[3]
In 1939 he took over as secretary-manager atCardiff City but his rebuilding of the team was cut short following the outbreak ofWorld War II. He stayed at the club throughout the war and set up a number of nursery teams, including Cardiff Nomads who would go on to bring local football talent, includingAlan Harrington andColin Baker, to the club.[5] He fell into dispute with the club over money and left to manageNorwich City in June 1946.[3] He was back at Cardiff in December 1947[3] as manager to replaceBilly McCandless, bringing the Cardiff Nomads back with him having adopted the club for Norwich when he joined. He took them to promotion during the 1951–52 season but eventually left to manageCrystal Palace in September 1954. He later had a spell scouting forLeicester City before taking his last managerial post atExeter City in 1962.[6]
Spiers died on 21 May 1967 aged 65.[3]
| Team | Nat | From | To | Record | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | Win % | |||||
| Cardiff City |  | April 1939 | April 1946 | 10 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 30 | |
| Norwich City |  | June 1946 | December 1947 | 64 | 15 | 12 | 37 | 23.44 | |
| Cardiff City | | April 1948 | April 1954 | 265 | 107 | 73 | 85 | 40.38 | |
| Crystal Palace | | September 1954 | June 1958 | 183 | 52 | 54 | 77 | 28.42 | |
| Exeter City | | May 1962 | February 1963 | 28 | 7 | 4 | 17 | 25 | |
| Total | 550 | 184 | 146 | 220 | 33.45 | ||||