Cliff Almond (soccer)
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Cliff Almond | ||
| Date of birth | 1930 | ||
| Place of birth | Cessnock, Australia | ||
| Date of death | 4 November 2018 (aged 88) | ||
| Place of death | Cessnock, Australia | ||
| Position(s) | Full-back / Right winger | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Aberdare Rangers | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1946–1947 | Cessnock | ||
| 1947 | North Shore | ||
| 1953–1954 | Cessnock | ||
| 1954–1955 | Stirling Albion | 8 | (0) |
| 1955–1969 | Cessnock | ||
| International career | |||
| 1955 | Australia | 3 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Cliff Almond was a former Australian professional soccer player who played as a forward. He was an international player for the Australia national soccer team.
His 24-year career included three spells at Cessnock, a brief stint at North Shore and played with Scottish club Stirling Albion playing eight league games.[1] He reportedly played 464 games at club level, with more than 400 appearances at Cessnock.
Early life[edit]
Cliff Almond was born in 1930. Growing up, he was a local colliery clerk until he changed to playing soccer.[2]
Club career[edit]
1946–54: Cessnock and North Shore stint[edit]
Almond progressed from the Aberdare Rangers youth team in 1946,[3] where he signed for Cessnock as a right winger. He first played for Cessnock at age 15 in the 1946 Gardiner Cup with big impressions from spectators.
He made a brief stint at Sydney club North Shore for a year in 1947.
1954–69: English trials and third Cessnock spell[edit]
During mid-1954, Cliff Almond was set to travel to England to trial with English clubs Aston Villa and Newcastle United.[4] He then played for Scottish club Stirling Albion on 31 December 1954 and played eight league games in the 1954–55 season.[5]
He returned to Cessnock in 1955, where he moved to a defensive position and began his international career with the NSW state representative team and the Australia national soccer team.[6] Almond played his final match for Cessnock in the Northern NSW top division at age 38.
International career[edit]
Almond was selected as part of Australia's five-test match series against South Africa and played three games as captain.[7] He was also selected for the NSW state representative side against South Africa in August 1955.[8]
Death[edit]
Cliff Almond died on 4 November 2018 at age 88 in his hometown Cessnock, Australia.[9] His obituary was featured on 9 November 2018.
Career statistics[edit]
International[edit]
| National team | Year[7] | Competitive | Friendly | Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Australia | 1955 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
Honours[edit]
- Cessnock
- Northern NSW Division One Premiership: 1954, 1955, 1956, 1960
- Northern NSW Division One Championship: 1960
References[edit]
- ^ Howe, Andrew (2018). Encyclopedia of Socceroos: Every national team player. Fair Play Publishing. ISBN 978-0-648-13330-8.
- ^ "Cliff Almond: Soccer player". Cessnock City Council. 26 November 2008.
- ^ Werner, Greg (27 April 2016). "Cliff Almond". The Grassroots Football Project.
- ^ "Almond Flying To England". Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners' Advocate. No. 24, 232. New South Wales, Australia. 7 June 1954. p. 8. Retrieved 16 December 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Cliff Almond Signs For Professional Club". The Newcastle Sun. No. 11, 373. New South Wales, Australia. 31 December 1954. p. 10. Retrieved 16 December 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Cliff Almond". My Football. Football Federation Australia. 25 September 2014.
- ^ a b "The Australian National Men's Football Team: Caps And Captains" (PDF). Football Federation Australia. ozfootball.net. Retrieved 23 June 2009.
- ^ Garside, Alan. "New South Wales v South Africa". ozfootball.net.
- ^ "Cliff ALMOND Death Notice". Cessnock Advertiser.