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Tony Coton

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Tony Coton
Coton in June 2022
Personal information
Full name Anthony Philip Coton[1]
Date of birth (1961-05-19)19 May 1961(age 63)
Place of birth Tamworth,England[2]
Height 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)[2]
Position(s) Goalkeeper
Team information
Current team
 Manchester United
(goalkeeper scout)
Youth career
Mile Oak Rovers
Tamworth
1977–1978 Birmingham City
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1978–1984 Birmingham City 94 (0)
1979 →Hereford United(loan) 0 (0)
1984–1990 Watford 233 (0)
1990–1996 Manchester City 164 (0)
1996 Manchester United 0 (0)
1996–1997 Sunderland 10 (0)
Total 501 (0)
International career
1992 England B 1 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Anthony Philip Coton(born 19 May 1961) is an English football coach and formerfootballerwho is a goalkeeper scout forPremier LeaguesideManchester United.

As a player he was as agoalkeeperwho made 500 appearances in theFootball LeagueandPremier LeagueforBirmingham City,Watford,Manchester City,Manchester UnitedandSunderland.[3]During his career he was called up to theEnglandteam on one occasion in 1993 but didn't feature, with his only taste of international football being a cap for theEngland Bteam in 1992.

Following his retirement in 1997, Coton returned to Manchester United as the clubs goalkeeping coach where he remained until an injury put an end to a ten-year coaching career, he has since spent time as aplayers' agentbefore working inscoutingnotably forWigan Athletic,Bolton WanderersandAston Villa.

Club career

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Birmingham City

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Coton started his professional career atBirmingham Cityin 1978, having signed fromMile Oak Roversthe previous year. He made hisFootball Leaguedebut as a 19-year-old, on 27 December 1980 in theFirst Divisionmatch againstSunderland.His first touch of the ball was to save apenaltyawarded after 54 seconds.[4]By the1982–83 seasonhe had established himself as Birmingham's first-choice goalkeeper[5]and was named Player of the Year.[6]

Watford

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Birmingham wererelegatedfrom theFirst Divisionat the end of the next season, but Coton found his way back into the top flight with a transfer toWatford,for a sum of £300,000.[7]He soon replacedSteve Sherwoodin Watford's goal and at the end of his second full season atVicarage Roadhe won the Hornets'Player of the Seasonand Display of the Season awards, the latter for a clean sheet againstLiverpool.He remained with the club even after their relegation from the First Division in 1988. He went on to become Watford Player of the Season for an unprecedented third time in 1989–90.[8]Coton later became the second player to be inducted into Watford's Hall of Fame, behind club legendLuther Blissett.[citation needed]

Manchester City

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Before the start of the1990–91season, Coton was bought for just under £1 million byManchester CitymanagerHoward Kendall.At the time, he was one of the most expensive goalkeepers to be signed by any British club. He went on to win the City Player of the Year award in both the 1991–92 and 1993–94 seasons. They finished fifth in the First Division during his first two seasons atMaine Roadand ninth in thefirst season Premier League.However, they dipped to 16th in 1993–94 and 17th in 1994–95, although he remained first-choice goalkeeper under subsequent managersPeter ReidandBrian Horton.

Manchester United

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Coton's time at Manchester City was cut short by injury in 1995, and the signing ofEike Immel.In January 1996, he moved across the city toManchester Unitedfor £500,000, a record fee for a transfer between United and City, to be understudy toPeter Schmeichel.[9]He never played a first team game for United and made the substitutes bench only once although during a time where only three substitutes could be named. In his short time atOld Traffordhe was part of the squad that won theFA Cupand thePremier Leaguetitle. In the summer he would transfer toSunderlandafter just six months with United, for a fee of £600,000.[10]

Sunderland

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He made a few impressive performances for his new club (who had just been promoted to the Premier League asDivision Onechampions) before breaking his leg in five places during a league match againstSouthampton.The injury marked the end of his playing career.[11]

International career

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Coton was included in severalEnglandsquads between 1991 and 1993 by managerGraham Taylor,but never took the field. He was a member of the party that touredAustralasiain 1991,[12]and was called up for aEuro 1992 qualifieragainstTurkeylater that year.[13]He wascappedbyEngland Bin February 1992 in a 3–0 win againstFrance B–David Seamanplayed the first half and Coton the second[14]– but withdrew through injury from seniorfriendliesagainstCzechoslovakiain March[15]andHungaryin May.[16]He was long-listed forEuro 1992,butChris WoodsandNigel Martynmade the squad and Seaman was named as reserve.[17]Coton was called up as reserve goalkeeper for what proved to be Taylor's last match as England manager, theWorld Cup qualifieragainstSan Marino,[18]and Taylor's successor,Terry Venables,included him in an England training camp in April 1994, but again he withdrew through injury.[19]

Coaching career

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From 1997 to 2007, Coton was goalkeeping coach atManchester United.He was forced to step down from the position in December 2007 due to a knee injury that stopped him participating in training sessions. He had had two operations in four months to correct his ongoing knee problems, but after discussions with his surgeon and the Manchester United medical staff, they agreed that retirement was the best option. Coton remained at Manchester United until the end of his contract in June 2008, but with reduced coaching responsibilities.[20]

He went on to become aplayer's agent.[21][22]

Coton spent time as chiefscoutofWigan Athleticin 2014, and also scouted forBolton Wanderers,[23][24]before joiningAston Villain 2015 as goalkeeping scout.[25]He then spent two years as their head of domestic scouting,[26]before returning to Sunderland as head of recruitment in June 2018.[27]

In 2020, Coton re-joined Manchester United as the club's goalkeeper scout.[28]

Honours

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Individual

References

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  1. ^Matthews, Tony (1995).Birmingham City: A Complete Record.Derby: Breedon Books. p. 79.ISBN978-1-85983-010-9.
  2. ^ab"Soccerbase".Soccerbase. 19 June 2022.Retrieved19 June2022.
  3. ^"Tony Coton".UK A–Z Transfers.Neil Brown.Retrieved24 November2009.
  4. ^Bulman, Andy."Tony Coton".Birmingham City F.C. Archived fromthe originalon 12 June 2018.Retrieved11 June2018.
  5. ^Matthews, Tony (1995).Birmingham City: A Complete Record.Derby: Breedon Books. p. 218.ISBN978-1-85983-010-9.
  6. ^"Player of the Year".The Birmingham City FC Archive.13 December 2002. Archived fromthe originalon 30 March 2003.
  7. ^"Watford in move to sign Coton".The Times.25 September 1984. p. 30.
  8. ^"Player of the Season".Watford F.C. 16 October 2009. Archived fromthe originalon 18 July 2011.Retrieved24 November2009.
  9. ^White, John D. T. (29 May 2008). "January".The Official Manchester United Almanac(1st ed.). London: Orion Books. p. 21.ISBN978-0-7528-9192-7.
  10. ^"On This Day (C)".Sunderland A.F.C. Archived fromthe originalon 12 June 2012.
  11. ^"Past Players (C)".Sunderland A.F.C. Archived fromthe originalon 4 November 2006.
  12. ^"England match no 676 – Malaysia".England Football Online.Chris Goodwin and Glen Isherwood. 25 September 2020.Retrieved13 March2021.
  13. ^"Mabbutt joins squad".The Times.11 October 1991. p. 40.
  14. ^Courtney, Barrie (22 May 2014)."England – International Results B-Team – Details".Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation (RSSSF).Retrieved13 March2021.
  15. ^Jones, Stuart (23 March 1992)."Five receive England call-up".The Times.p. 32.
  16. ^Jones, Stuart (12 May 1992)."Martyn gets England chance".The Times.p. 34.
  17. ^"England in Sweden 1992".England Football Online.Chris Goodwin and Glen Isherwood. 2 September 2015.Retrieved13 March2021.
  18. ^Lovejoy, Joe (9 November 1993)."Football: Taylor preparing to go out with a bang: Ripley called up to join familiar faces as manager resists recruiting young generation for England's mission improbable in Bologna".The Independent.Retrieved13 March2021.
  19. ^"Football: England hit by injuries".The Independent.17 April 1994.Retrieved13 March2021.
  20. ^Bartram, Steve (11 January 2008)."Coton forced to retire".Manchester United F.C. Archived fromthe originalon 12 February 2008.Retrieved11 January2008.
  21. ^Mathieson, Stuart (15 January 2008)."Coton keeps up tradition".Manchester Evening News.MEN Media.Retrieved11 June2018.
  22. ^Shail, Mark (12 October 2009)."It was never going to be easy for Ben Foster".GiveMeFootball.Professional Footballers' Association. Archived fromthe originalon 13 June 2011.Retrieved24 November2009.
  23. ^Chamberlain, Oscar (11 June 2018)."New appointment: Coton named head of recruitment".Sunderland A.F.C.Retrieved11 June2018.
  24. ^"David Kerslake joins Malky Mackay's coaching staff".Wigan Athletic F.C. 21 November 2014.Retrieved11 June2018.
  25. ^Mullock, Simon (15 April 2015)."Aston Villa: Tony Coton appointed specialist goalkeeping scout".Birmingham Mail.Retrieved11 June2018.
  26. ^Ireland, Shane (3 June 2018)."Key Aston Villa transfer figure set for exit to former club – reports".Birmingham Mail.Retrieved11 June2018.
  27. ^"Tony Coton: Sunderland appoints former goalkeeper as head of recruitment".BBC Sport. 11 June 2018.Retrieved11 June2018.
  28. ^Coton, Tony."Tony Coton – Chief Goalkeeping Scout – Manchester United".Retrieved11 January2023– via LinkedIn.
  29. ^Lynch.The Official P.F.A. Footballers Heroes.p. 147.
  30. ^Lynch.The Official P.F.A. Footballers Heroes.p. 148.
  31. ^Lynch.The Official P.F.A. Footballers Heroes.p. 149.
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