Sid Storey
Encyclopedia
Sidney "Sid" Storey was an English footballer who played as an inside forward
.
Storey played for Ardsley Welfare and Grimethorpe Athletic in non-League football
while working as a miner
, before joining Huddersfield Town
in 1943. After leaving them he played for Wombwell Athletic before moving to York City
in 1947. He played for York in the FA Cup
semi-final in 1955 and left a year later after making 354 appearances to join hometown club Barnsley
. He later had periods with Accrington Stanley
and Bradford Park Avenue
before returning to York as trainer-coach for three years.
, South Yorkshire
, Storey worked at a W H Smith
in Barnsley
at the age of 14 before becoming a miner
at Houghton Main Colliery. Meanwhile, he played non-League football
for local colliery sides Ardsley Welfare and Grimethorpe Athletic before signing for Huddersfield Town
in September 1943. He was released by the club soon later and returned to play non-League football for Wombwell Athletic, where his father worked as a trainer. He joined Third Division North
team York City
for a fee
of £100 in May 1947, combining mining with playing and training for the club. He was later rated as "perhaps the best bargain York City ever bought". He made his debut in a 2–2 home draw at Bootham Crescent with Wrexham on 27 May and finished the remainder of the 1946–47 season with three appearances. He missed one game for York during the 1947–48 season, making 42 appearances and scoring 12 goals in all competitions. An injury resulted in him missing the FA Cup
semi-final against Newcastle United
on 26 March 1955 and several league games, with many fans believing this cost the club promotion
, although he was able to play in the 2–0 defeat to Newcastle in the semi-final replay on 30 March at Roker Park
.
He received a benefit match
in 1955 and was granted a free transfer in 1956 after making 354 appearances and scoring 42 goals in all competitions for York, joining hometown club Barnsley
in May to run their reserve team
. He managed to play for Barnsley due to an injury to one of their first team players and he was able to "demonstrate that his old skills had not deserted him". He made 29 appearances and scored four goals in the league for Barnsley before joining Accrington Stanley
in October 1957, where he "once more belied his age with some top class displays". He made 30 appearances and scored two goals for Accrington in the league and joined Bradford Park Avenue
as player-coach
of the reserves in July 1959.
He made two league appearances for Park Avenue and following his retirement as a player he rejoined the York coaching staff as a trainer-coach. He left after three years in 1963 and worked for Richmond Sausages as a van driver for two years. He was then employed as a bus driver for the West Yorkshire Road Car Company
and after York won the 1983–84 Fourth Division
championship he drove the open top bus
that paraded the team around York
. He resided in Haxby
, North Yorkshire
until his death on 6 April 2010 at the age of 90. His death was marked a day later by a minute's applause before York's game at home to AFC Wimbledon
, which the team won 5–0.
and has been described as a "ball-player", a "little gem" and a "creative spark". He was held in "great esteem" by York fans due to his ball work and vision. Following his death, it was said that "it will be for his jinking skills and sweet left foot that he will always be remembered".
Inside forward
In football, the position of inside forward was popularly used in the late nineteenth and first half of the 20th centuries. The inside forwards would support the centre forwards, running and making space in the opposition defence, and, as the passing game developed, supporting him with passes...
.
Storey played for Ardsley Welfare and Grimethorpe Athletic in non-League football
Non-league football
Non-League football is football in England played at a level below that of the Premier League and The Football League. The term non-League was commonly used well before 1992 when the top football clubs in England all belonged to The Football League; all clubs who were not a part of The Football...
while working as a miner
Miner
A miner is a person whose work or business is to extract ore or minerals from the earth. Mining is one of the most dangerous trades in the world. In some countries miners lack social guarantees and in case of injury may be left to cope without assistance....
, before joining Huddersfield Town
Huddersfield Town F.C.
Huddersfield Town Football Club is an English football club formed in 1908 and based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire. They currently play in League One...
in 1943. After leaving them he played for Wombwell Athletic before moving to York City
York City F.C.
York City Football Club is an English football club based in York, North Yorkshire. The club participates in the Conference National, the fifth tier of English football. Founded in 1922, they joined the Football League in 1929, and have spent most of their history in the lower divisions...
in 1947. He played for York in the FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
semi-final in 1955 and left a year later after making 354 appearances to join hometown club Barnsley
Barnsley F.C.
Barnsley Football Club are a professional English football club based in the town of Barnsley, South Yorkshire. Nicknamed the Tykes, they were founded in 1887 under the name Barnsley St. Peter's...
. He later had periods with Accrington Stanley
Accrington Stanley F.C. (1891)
Accrington Stanley was an English football club based in Accrington, Lancashire. Established in 1891, the club played in the Football League between 1921 and 1962, when the club became only the second ever to resign from the League mid-season. The club went into liquidation in 1966...
and Bradford Park Avenue
Bradford Park Avenue A.F.C.
Bradford Association Football Club, previously also known as Bradford and since its reformation in the 1970s now referred to as Bradford Park Avenue, is a football club based in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England...
before returning to York as trainer-coach for three years.
Career
Born in DarfieldDarfield, South Yorkshire
Darfield is a village within the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley, South Yorkshire, England. It lies east of the town of Barnsley. It had a population of 8,066 at the 2001 UK Census.-History:...
, South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire is a metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It has a population of 1.29 million. It consists of four metropolitan boroughs: Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham, and City of Sheffield...
, Storey worked at a W H Smith
W H Smith
WHSmith plc is a British retailer, headquartered in Swindon, Wiltshire, England. It is best known for its chain of high street, railway station, airport, hospital and motorway service station shops selling books, stationery, magazines, newspapers, and entertainment products...
in Barnsley
Barnsley
Barnsley is a town in South Yorkshire, England. It lies on the River Dearne, north of the city of Sheffield, south of Leeds and west of Doncaster. Barnsley is surrounded by several smaller settlements which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley, of which Barnsley is the largest and...
at the age of 14 before becoming a miner
Miner
A miner is a person whose work or business is to extract ore or minerals from the earth. Mining is one of the most dangerous trades in the world. In some countries miners lack social guarantees and in case of injury may be left to cope without assistance....
at Houghton Main Colliery. Meanwhile, he played non-League football
Non-league football
Non-League football is football in England played at a level below that of the Premier League and The Football League. The term non-League was commonly used well before 1992 when the top football clubs in England all belonged to The Football League; all clubs who were not a part of The Football...
for local colliery sides Ardsley Welfare and Grimethorpe Athletic before signing for Huddersfield Town
Huddersfield Town F.C.
Huddersfield Town Football Club is an English football club formed in 1908 and based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire. They currently play in League One...
in September 1943. He was released by the club soon later and returned to play non-League football for Wombwell Athletic, where his father worked as a trainer. He joined Third Division North
Football League Third Division North
The Third Division North of The Football League was a tier in the English association football league system from 1921 to 1958. It ran parallel to Third Division South with clubs elected to the League or relegated from a higher division allocated to one or the other according to geographical position...
team York City
York City F.C.
York City Football Club is an English football club based in York, North Yorkshire. The club participates in the Conference National, the fifth tier of English football. Founded in 1922, they joined the Football League in 1929, and have spent most of their history in the lower divisions...
for a fee
Fee
A fee is the price one pays as remuneration for services. Fees usually allow for overhead, wages, costs, and markup.Traditionally, professionals in Great Britain received a fee in contradistinction to a payment, salary, or wage, and would often use guineas rather than pounds as units of account...
of £100 in May 1947, combining mining with playing and training for the club. He was later rated as "perhaps the best bargain York City ever bought". He made his debut in a 2–2 home draw at Bootham Crescent with Wrexham on 27 May and finished the remainder of the 1946–47 season with three appearances. He missed one game for York during the 1947–48 season, making 42 appearances and scoring 12 goals in all competitions. An injury resulted in him missing the FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
semi-final against Newcastle United
Newcastle United F.C.
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...
on 26 March 1955 and several league games, with many fans believing this cost the club promotion
Promotion and relegation
In many sports leagues around the world, promotion and relegation is a process that takes place at the end of each season. Through it, teams are transferred between divisions based on their performance that season...
, although he was able to play in the 2–0 defeat to Newcastle in the semi-final replay on 30 March at Roker Park
Roker Park
Roker Park was an English football stadium situated in Roker, Sunderland. The stadium was the home of the English football club Sunderland A.F.C. from 1897 to 1997 before the club moved to the Stadium of Light. Near the end of the stadium's history, its capacity was around 22,500 with only a small...
.
He received a benefit match
Benefit (sports)
A benefit or testimonial is a match or season of activities granted by a sporting body to a loyal sportsman to boost their income before retirement. Often this is in the form of a match for which all the ticket proceeds are given to the player in question.There have been occasions when a...
in 1955 and was granted a free transfer in 1956 after making 354 appearances and scoring 42 goals in all competitions for York, joining hometown club Barnsley
Barnsley F.C.
Barnsley Football Club are a professional English football club based in the town of Barnsley, South Yorkshire. Nicknamed the Tykes, they were founded in 1887 under the name Barnsley St. Peter's...
in May to run their reserve team
Reserve team
Large professional sports clubs often have far more players under contract than could possibly play in a match. As a result, many of these clubs create second teams composed of players who need playing time, but have little hope of playing on the first team. The players on this second team are...
. He managed to play for Barnsley due to an injury to one of their first team players and he was able to "demonstrate that his old skills had not deserted him". He made 29 appearances and scored four goals in the league for Barnsley before joining Accrington Stanley
Accrington Stanley F.C. (1891)
Accrington Stanley was an English football club based in Accrington, Lancashire. Established in 1891, the club played in the Football League between 1921 and 1962, when the club became only the second ever to resign from the League mid-season. The club went into liquidation in 1966...
in October 1957, where he "once more belied his age with some top class displays". He made 30 appearances and scored two goals for Accrington in the league and joined Bradford Park Avenue
Bradford Park Avenue A.F.C.
Bradford Association Football Club, previously also known as Bradford and since its reformation in the 1970s now referred to as Bradford Park Avenue, is a football club based in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England...
as player-coach
Player-coach
A player-coach, in sports, is a member of a sports team who simultaneously holds both playing and coaching duties. The term can be used to refer to both players who serve as head coaches, or as assistant coaches....
of the reserves in July 1959.
He made two league appearances for Park Avenue and following his retirement as a player he rejoined the York coaching staff as a trainer-coach. He left after three years in 1963 and worked for Richmond Sausages as a van driver for two years. He was then employed as a bus driver for the West Yorkshire Road Car Company
West Yorkshire Road Car Company
The West Yorkshire Road Car Company Ltd was a major bus operator covering North and West Yorkshire. The company was generally referred to as West Yorkshire...
and after York won the 1983–84 Fourth Division
Football League Fourth Division
The Fourth Division of The Football League was the fourth-highest division in the English football league system from the 1958–59 season until the creation of the Premier League prior to the 1992–93 season...
championship he drove the open top bus
Open top bus
An open top bus is a bus, usually but not exclusively a double-decker bus, where all or part of the roof has been removed to enable enjoyment of fresh air and uninterrupted views.-Usage:...
that paraded the team around York
York
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
. He resided in Haxby
Haxby
Haxby is a town and civil parish in the unitary authority of City of York, on the River Foss, five miles north of York and south of Strensall, in North Yorkshire, England. Haxby is bordered on the east by the River Foss, and to the west by the village of Wigginton, whose expansion has caused the...
, North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire is a non-metropolitan or shire county located in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England, and a ceremonial county primarily in that region but partly in North East England. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972 it covers an area of , making it the largest...
until his death on 6 April 2010 at the age of 90. His death was marked a day later by a minute's applause before York's game at home to AFC Wimbledon
AFC Wimbledon
AFC Wimbledon is a professional English football club that traces its origins to Wimbledon in the London Borough of Merton. Based at Kingsmeadow, Kingston upon Thames, the club are members of Football League Two, the fourth tier of English football....
, which the team won 5–0.
Style of play
Storey played as a left-sided inside forwardInside forward
In football, the position of inside forward was popularly used in the late nineteenth and first half of the 20th centuries. The inside forwards would support the centre forwards, running and making space in the opposition defence, and, as the passing game developed, supporting him with passes...
and has been described as a "ball-player", a "little gem" and a "creative spark". He was held in "great esteem" by York fans due to his ball work and vision. Following his death, it was said that "it will be for his jinking skills and sweet left foot that he will always be remembered".