Irvine Thornley

Who was Irvine Thornley?

Irvine Thornley was an English footballer who played as a centre-forward.

Thornley combined football with a career as a butcher in his hometown of Glossop. He first played for local clubs Glossop Villa, Glossop St. James, making his Football League debut with Glossop North End. In 1904 he moved to Manchester City for £800, making his debut on 9 April, a 2-1 defeat to West Bromwich Albion. With a reputation as a controversial character, he was sent off a number of times in his career. He made one appearance for the England national team, a 1-1 draw with Wales on 18 March 1907. Later that year he was one of the players present it the first ever meeting of the Professional Footballers' Association. In total he made 204 appearances for Manchester City, scoring 93 times.

In 1912 he signed for South Shields where he scored 154 goals in three seasons, and later played for Hamilton Academical.