| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Anthony Ronald Stokes | ||
| Date of birth | 7 January 1987 | ||
| Place of birth | London, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||
| Playing position | Central midfielder | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Concord Rangers | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2005–2009 | West Ham United | 0 | (0) |
| 2006 | → Rushden & Diamonds (loan) | 19 | (0) |
| 2006 | → Brighton & Hove Albion (loan) | 6 | (0) |
| 2007–2008 | → Stevenage Borough (loan) | 3 | (1) |
| 2009 | → Újpest FC (loan) | 13 | (0) |
| 2009–2010 | Újpest FC[1] | 11 | (0) |
| 2010– | Concord Rangers | 41 | (20) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 07:02, 15 May 2011 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals). |
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Anthony Ronald "Tony" Stokes (born 7 January 1987 in London, England) is an English footballer who currently plays as a central midfielder for Concord Rangers in the Isthmian League Premier Division.
Stokes came up through the famous West Ham United academy along with Mark Noble and Kyel Reid. He made his first team debut and only appearance for West Ham at the age of 18 in September 2005 as a replacement for Tomáš Řepka in the League Cup match against Sheffield Wednesday.[2][3]
During the 2005–06 season, Stokes was loaned to Conference National side Rushden & Diamonds,[4] where he made 19 appearances.[3] He joined Football League One side Brighton & Hove Albion in a one month loan deal in August 2006,[5] which was extended for a second month but Stokes decided to return to West Ham after finding first-team opportunities at Brighton difficult. He made seven appearances in all competitions for Brighton.[3] Stokes joined Stevenage Borough on a two-month loan in November 2007.[6] He scored his first career goal in the 3–1 win over Salisbury City in December 2007.[7] He was named reserve team captain when Jack Collison was promoted to the first team for the 2008–09 season. However, he found first team football hard to come by as Collison, Valon Behrami, Scott Parker and Mark Noble were the preferred starters and did not even make the bench on most occasions.
On 19 February 2009, Stokes joined Újpest FC on loan until the end of the 2008–09 season.[8] He made his competitive debut for Ujpest on 7 March 2009 in a 2–0 home win against Siófok.[9] He was released by West Ham on 3 June 2009,[10] and signed for Újpest FC in July 2009 ahead of the 2009–10 Hungarian NB1 season.
Stokes requested that his two-year contract be terminated early and he returned to the UK in May 2010.[11] In July 2010, Stokes signed for Isthmian League Premier Division side, Concord Rangers.[12] Stokes was a key part of Concord Rangers start in the Isthmian League Premier Division, contributing 20 goals from 41 league appearances in his first season.[13]