Tony Caig
Encyclopedia
Antony "Tony" Caig is an English
football goalkeeper
who currently plays and coaches other goalkeepers for Football League One
club Carlisle United
.
from 1990 to 1998, some highlights of this time being the penalty saves in the LDV Vans Trophy
at Wembley
against Colchester United
in 1997 and winning the 3rd division championship in 94/95 setting a then clean sheet record . However in 1998 he was controversially allowed to leave by club owner Michael Knighton
before the end-season transfer deadline. He had made 244 league and 40 cup appearances for the club.
He then joined Blackpool
on 25 March 1999 for a reported small fee of £10,000; he was able to establish himself as a regular in the first team, and won a place in the Carling Opta Division Two "Team of the Week" in October 1999. He made 49 league appearancs and 12 cup apps in his two-year stint at Bloomfield Road
, during which time he was sent on loan to Charlton Athletic
, before signing for them permanently in 2001. However, he was to make just one premier league league appearance for them before moving to Scotland
later that same year to join Scottish Premier League
(SPL) club Hibernian
. Although not a regular starter and made 16 appearances in 18 months at the club.
In 2003 Caig moved back to England and joined Premier League club Newcastle United
. However, he spent three years at St James' Park
without making a start, being backup to longtime goalkeepers Shay Given
and Steve Harper. He spent a short loan spell at Barnsley
and in 2006 he signed for USL First Division
club, Vancouver Whitecaps in Canada
on 13 April 2006. He made his first appearance for them on 14 May 2006. With the Whitecaps he won the 2006 USL First Division Championship
, when they beat Rochester Raging Rhinos
2–0 in the Play-offs Final. He also kept eleven clean sheets, and in doing so broke Mike Franks'
record of ten clean sheets in 2003.
On 20 June 2007, the Whitecaps announced that Caig would be returning to England for personal reasons despite having signed with the Whitecaps through the end of the season. He had played a total of 39 games for the Whitecaps. He signed on amateur terms with SPL
club Gretna
in October 2007 after a long running transfer saga. The SPL had initially objected to Gretna signing Caig because he had still been under contract with Vancouver at the closure of the summer 2007 transfer window. Caig played nine times for Gretna in the league and cup in a short spell and also served as a goalkeeping coach.
He then moved to Houston Dynamo
in January 2008, where he was to serve as cover to Pat Onstad
. He made his Dynamo debut on 6 April 2008 as a substitute
after Onstad was injured. Due to Onstad's injury, Caig played again on 9 April in the 2008 CONCACAF Champions' Cup semi-final 2nd leg against Costa Rica
n club Deportivo Saprissa, Caig then played other MLS and Concacaf Champions league games before returining to the UK at the end of that MLS season.
On returning to England he signed for Chesterfield
on a short term deal. After leaving Chesterfield, Caig signed a deal to join Workington A.F.C.
in the Blue Square North to team up with former Carlisle team mate Darren Edmondson now the manager of Workington . Caig started coaching Carlisle United
's goalkeepers while still playing for Workington where he won the Non league Goalkeeper of the year award for 09/10 and also the Reds player of the year award and National supporters award in helping Wokington to a 4th place finish . Carlisle then entered negotiations with Workington to allow Caig to combine his coaching duties with serving as an understudy to current first choice goalkeeper Adam Collin
.
Vancouver Whitecaps
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
football goalkeeper
Goalkeeper (football)
In association football, the goalkeeper occupies a position that represents the last line of defence between the opponent's offence and his own team's goal. The primary role of the goalkeeper is to defend his team's goal and prevent the opposition from scoring a goal...
who currently plays and coaches other goalkeepers for Football League One
Football League One
Football League One is the second-highest division of The Football League and third-highest division overall in the English football league system....
club Carlisle United
Carlisle United F.C.
Carlisle United F.C. is an English football club based in Carlisle, Cumbria, where they play at Brunton Park. Formed in 1904, the club currently compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system....
.
Professional career
Caig made his name playing for Carlisle UnitedCarlisle United F.C.
Carlisle United F.C. is an English football club based in Carlisle, Cumbria, where they play at Brunton Park. Formed in 1904, the club currently compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system....
from 1990 to 1998, some highlights of this time being the penalty saves in the LDV Vans Trophy
Football League Trophy
The Football League Trophy, currently known as the Johnstone's Paint Trophy for sponsorship reasons, is an annual English association football knock-out competition open to the 48 clubs in Football League One and Football League Two, the bottom two divisions in the four fully professional top...
at Wembley
Wembley Stadium
The original Wembley Stadium, officially known as the Empire Stadium, was a football stadium in Wembley, a suburb of north-west London, standing on the site now occupied by the new Wembley Stadium that opened in 2007...
against Colchester United
Colchester United F.C.
Colchester United Football Club is an English football club based in Colchester. The club was formed in 1937, and briefly shared their old Layer Road home with now defunct side Colchester Town who had previously used the ground from 1910....
in 1997 and winning the 3rd division championship in 94/95 setting a then clean sheet record . However in 1998 he was controversially allowed to leave by club owner Michael Knighton
Michael Knighton
Michael Knighton is an English businessman who is best known for his involvement in Manchester United and Carlisle United football clubs.-Early life:...
before the end-season transfer deadline. He had made 244 league and 40 cup appearances for the club.
He then joined Blackpool
Blackpool F.C.
Blackpool Football Club are an English football club founded in 1887 from the Lancashire seaside town of Blackpool. They are competing in the 2011–12 season of the The Championship, the second tier of professional football in England, having been relegated from the Premier League at the end of the...
on 25 March 1999 for a reported small fee of £10,000; he was able to establish himself as a regular in the first team, and won a place in the Carling Opta Division Two "Team of the Week" in October 1999. He made 49 league appearancs and 12 cup apps in his two-year stint at Bloomfield Road
Bloomfield Road
Bloomfield Road is an all-seater football stadium in the English town of Blackpool, Lancashire. It has been the permanent home of Blackpool F.C. since 1901 and is named after the road on which the stadium's main entrance used to stand. The stadium has been in a process of redevelopment since 2000...
, during which time he was sent on loan to Charlton Athletic
Charlton Athletic F.C.
Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, in the London Borough of Greenwich. They compete in Football League One, the third tier of English football. The club was founded on 9 June 1905, when a number of youth clubs in the southeast London area,...
, before signing for them permanently in 2001. However, he was to make just one premier league league appearance for them before moving to Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
later that same year to join Scottish Premier League
Scottish Premier League
The Scottish Premier League , also known as the SPL , is a professional league competition for association football clubs in Scotland...
(SPL) club Hibernian
Hibernian F.C.
Hibernian Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Leith, in the north of Edinburgh. They are one of two Scottish Premier League clubs in the city, the other being their Edinburgh derby rivals, Hearts...
. Although not a regular starter and made 16 appearances in 18 months at the club.
In 2003 Caig moved back to England and joined Premier League club 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...
. However, he spent three years at St James' Park
St James' Park
St James' Park, known for sponsorship reasons as the Sports Direct Arena, is an all-seater stadium in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It is the home of Newcastle United Football Club and is the sixth largest football stadium in the United Kingdom with a capacity of between 52,387 and 52,409.St James'...
without making a start, being backup to longtime goalkeepers Shay Given
Shay Given
Séamus John James "Shay" Given is an Irish footballer who plays for Aston Villa and the Republic of Ireland national team as a goalkeeper. He won the PFA's Player of the Year in 2002....
and Steve Harper. He spent a short loan spell at 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...
and in 2006 he signed for USL First Division
USL First Division
The United Soccer Leagues First Division was a professional men's soccer league in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico....
club, Vancouver Whitecaps in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
on 13 April 2006. He made his first appearance for them on 14 May 2006. With the Whitecaps he won the 2006 USL First Division Championship
United Soccer Leagues 2006
-General:* Miami FC joined the First Division.* The Richmond Kickers departed the First Division for the Second Division.* The Northern Virginia Royals departed the Second Division for the Premier Development League ....
, when they beat Rochester Raging Rhinos
Rochester Raging Rhinos
The Rochester Rhinos are an American professional soccer team based in Rochester, New York, United States. Founded in 1996, the team plays in the National Division of the new USL Professional Division, the third tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, having self-relegated from the USSF D2 Pro League...
2–0 in the Play-offs Final. He also kept eleven clean sheets, and in doing so broke Mike Franks'
Mike Franks (soccer)
Mike Franks is a retired Canadian soccer player who has played professionally in North America, the Netherlands, and Scotland.-Club career:...
record of ten clean sheets in 2003.
On 20 June 2007, the Whitecaps announced that Caig would be returning to England for personal reasons despite having signed with the Whitecaps through the end of the season. He had played a total of 39 games for the Whitecaps. He signed on amateur terms with SPL
Scottish Premier League
The Scottish Premier League , also known as the SPL , is a professional league competition for association football clubs in Scotland...
club Gretna
Gretna F.C.
Gretna Football Club was a Scottish football club that represented the town of Gretna, Dumfries and Galloway, close to the border between England and Scotland...
in October 2007 after a long running transfer saga. The SPL had initially objected to Gretna signing Caig because he had still been under contract with Vancouver at the closure of the summer 2007 transfer window. Caig played nine times for Gretna in the league and cup in a short spell and also served as a goalkeeping coach.
He then moved to Houston Dynamo
Houston Dynamo
The Houston Dynamo is an American professional soccer club, based in Houston, Texas, that plays in Major League Soccer, the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada. Founded in 2005 as Houston 1836, the team name was renamed to Houston Dynamo following protests from Hispanic...
in January 2008, where he was to serve as cover to Pat Onstad
Pat Onstad
Patrick Stewart "Pat" Onstad is a Canadian soccer retired goalkeeper, who is currently an assistant coach for D.C. United in Major League Soccer.-Youth and College:...
. He made his Dynamo debut on 6 April 2008 as a substitute
Substitute (football)
In association football, a substitute is a player who is brought on to the pitch during a match in exchange for an existing player. Substitutions are generally made to replace a player who has become tired or injured, or who is not performing well; there may also be tactical reasons such as...
after Onstad was injured. Due to Onstad's injury, Caig played again on 9 April in the 2008 CONCACAF Champions' Cup semi-final 2nd leg against Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
n club Deportivo Saprissa, Caig then played other MLS and Concacaf Champions league games before returining to the UK at the end of that MLS season.
On returning to England he signed for Chesterfield
Chesterfield F.C.
Chesterfield Football Club is an English football club based in Chesterfield, Derbyshire. The club currently plays in Football League One, the third tier of English football. Despite being the fourth oldest Football League club in England, they have spent most of their existence in the lower...
on a short term deal. After leaving Chesterfield, Caig signed a deal to join Workington A.F.C.
Workington A.F.C.
Workington A.F.C. is an English football club from Workington, Cumbria. They are in the Conference North, and play their home matches at Borough Park, which has a capacity of 3,101 . The club play in red, and are known locally as the Reds...
in the Blue Square North to team up with former Carlisle team mate Darren Edmondson now the manager of Workington . Caig started coaching Carlisle United
Carlisle United F.C.
Carlisle United F.C. is an English football club based in Carlisle, Cumbria, where they play at Brunton Park. Formed in 1904, the club currently compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system....
's goalkeepers while still playing for Workington where he won the Non league Goalkeeper of the year award for 09/10 and also the Reds player of the year award and National supporters award in helping Wokington to a 4th place finish . Carlisle then entered negotiations with Workington to allow Caig to combine his coaching duties with serving as an understudy to current first choice goalkeeper Adam Collin
Adam Collin
Adam Collin is a goalkeeper with League One side Carlisle United. Collin was a goalkeeper with Conference North side Workington in the 2008–09 season....
.
Honours
Carlisle UnitedCarlisle United F.C.
Carlisle United F.C. is an English football club based in Carlisle, Cumbria, where they play at Brunton Park. Formed in 1904, the club currently compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system....
- Football League Third DivisionFootball League Third DivisionThe Football League Third Division was the 3 tier of English Football from 1920 until 1992 when after the formation of the Football Association Premier League saw the league renamed The Football League Division Two...
(VI) winner: 1995 - Football League TrophyFootball League TrophyThe Football League Trophy, currently known as the Johnstone's Paint Trophy for sponsorship reasons, is an annual English association football knock-out competition open to the 48 clubs in Football League One and Football League Two, the bottom two divisions in the four fully professional top...
winner: 19971997 Football League Trophy FinalThe 1997 Football League Trophy Final was the 14th final of the domestic football cup competition for teams from the Second and Third Division of the Football League. The match was played at Wembley on 20 April 1997, and was contested by Carlisle United and Colchester United...
& 20112011 Football League Trophy FinalThe 2011 Football League Trophy Final was the 28th final of the domestic football cup competition for teams from Football Leagues One and Two, the Football League Trophy. The final was played at Wembley Stadium in London on 3 April 2011. The match was contested between Brentford and Carlisle...
Vancouver Whitecaps
- USL First DivisionUSL First DivisionThe United Soccer Leagues First Division was a professional men's soccer league in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico....
winner: 2006United Soccer Leagues 2006-General:* Miami FC joined the First Division.* The Richmond Kickers departed the First Division for the Second Division.* The Northern Virginia Royals departed the Second Division for the Premier Development League ....