Thomas James Montgomery Priestley (11 March 1911 – 28 July 1985) was a Northern Irish
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...
who played at both professional and international levels as a
striker.
Personal life
Born in
Belfast
Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...
, Priestly wore a rugby-style skull cap to cover his premature baldness.
Career
Club career
Priestley began his senior career with
Coleraine
Coleraine ( ; from ga, Cúil Rathain , 'nook of the ferns'Flanaghan, Deirdre & Laurence; ''Irish Place Names'', page 194. Gill & Macmillan, 2002. ) is a town and civil parish near the mouth of the River Bann in County Londonderry, Northern I ...
in 1928, after moving there from Cookstown. Priestley moved to
Linfield in 1932, before signing with English side
Chelsea
Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to:
Places Australia
* Chelsea, Victoria
Canada
* Chelsea, Nova Scotia
* Chelsea, Quebec
United Kingdom
* Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames
** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...
just a year later. Priestley only spent one season with Chelsea - making 23 appearances in
The Football League
The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...
- before returning to Ireland with
Shelbourne.
International career
Priestley earned two caps for
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
between 1932 and 1933.
References
External links
NIFG
1911 births
1985 deaths
Pre-1950 IFA men's international footballers
Coleraine F.C. players
Linfield F.C. players
Chelsea F.C. players
Shelbourne F.C. players
English Football League players
Men's association football forwards
Association footballers from Belfast
Men's association footballers from Northern Ireland
{{Ireland-footy-bio-stub