| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Anthony Stewart Woodcock | ||
| Date of birth | 6 December 1955 | ||
| Place of birth | Eastwood, Nottinghamshire, England | ||
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)[1] | ||
| Playing position | Striker | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1973–1979 | Nottingham Forest | 129 | (36) |
| 1976 | → Lincoln City (loan) | 4 | (1) |
| 1977 | → Doncaster Rovers (loan) | 6 | (2) |
| 1979–1982 | 1. FC Köln | 81 | (28) |
| 1982–1986 | Arsenal | 131 | (56) |
| 1986–1988 | 1. FC Köln | 49 | (11) |
| 1988–1990 | Fortuna Köln | 37 | (5) |
| Total | 437 | (139) | |
| National team | |||
| 1977–1978 | England U21 | 2 | (5) |
| 1978–1986 | England | 42 | (16) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals). |
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Anthony Stewart "Tony" Woodcock (born 6 December 1955) is a retired English international footballer who played professionally in both England and Germany as a striker.[2] He won the European Cup in 1979 with Nottingham Forest.
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Born in Eastwood, Nottinghamshire, Woodcock started his career at Nottingham Forest, whom he joined as an apprentice in 1974. After loan spells at Lincoln City and Doncaster Rovers, Woodcock broke into the Forest first team in 1976-77, helping the team to promotion to the First Division. Under Brian Clough, Forest went on to win the First Division title and Football League Cup in 1978 (Woodcock winning the PFA Young Player of the Year award that year as well), and the European Cup in 1979.[3] He also scored in Forest's victory over Southampton in the 1979 Football League Cup Final.
He made his debut for England in 1978 against Northern Ireland; he would go on to win 42 caps for his country[3] (scoring 16 goals), and play in the 1982 FIFA World Cup.
Woodcock was signed by West German side 1. FC Köln in the summer of 1979 (thus missing out on Forest's successful defence of their European title), where he spent three seasons, his side finishing as runners-up in the Bundesliga in 1982. He scored 28 goals in 81 matches for the German side.[1]
He returned home after the 1982 World Cup, signing for Terry Neill's Arsenal[3] for £500,000. Woodcock was Arsenal's top scorer for the next four seasons, his best tally being 21 in 1983-84; he hit five in a single game against Aston Villa, a post-war record for the club,[3] he also scored the final goal in the last ever British Home Championship. He helped Arsenal reach the semi-finals of both domestic cups in his first season, and remained in favour with new manager Don Howe, who was appointed in December 1983 following the dismissal of Terry Neill after a dismal first half of the season. He also contributed to a strong start to the 1984-85 season for the Gunners, which saw them top the league in the autumn of 1984.
However, he suffered a serious injury in March 1985, which disrupted his career. With the arrival of George Graham as Arsenal manager in May 1986, the 30-year-old Woodcock was told he was surplus to requirements.[3]
In all, Woodcock scored 68 goals in 169 matches for the Gunners.[3]
Woodcock then returned to 1. FC Köln making 49 appearances and scoring 11 goals.[1] He finished his career playing for Fortuna Köln, making 37 appearances and scoring 5 goals, before retiring from playing in 1990.
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