Price Cliff Image 1 Halifax Town 1922

Description

Market Bosworth, Leicestershire born inside left Cliff Price joined Second Division Leicester Fosse as a trainee in January 1917 after playing as a teenager first for Ibstock Albion in 1913 and then for Coalville Swifts in the Leicestershire Senior League in 1914. He made his Football League debut against Tottenham Hotspur in September 1919 scoring both goals in a 2-4 home defeat and he also scored two days later in a 3-2 win over Fulham, but went a further 4 appearances without scoring. After spending a period back with Coalville Swifts on loan in the early winter of 1919, he returned to League action with The Fossils in February 1920, and signed as a professional in October 1920. Price spent a further two seasons on the fringes at Leicester before transferring to Halifax Town in June 1922 after 8 goals in 28 appearances.

His first season at The Shay was a great success, with 20 goals in 40 appearances including an FA Cup hat-trick against Rotherham Town but he only made 9 more appearances for The Shaymen before Price joined Southampton in December 1923, immediately taking over from Len Andrews. His debut cam in a 2-1 victory at South Shields on 22nd December 1923, Saints’ first away win of the season. Price was described in the local press as “an inside-left of the studious type”, whose passes were usually well judged. He immediately struck up an understanding with his left-wing partner Jimmy Carr before, in January, injury put Carr out of the game for the rest of the season, with Elias MacDonald replacing him.

Price missed only two League matches for the remainder of the 1923-24 season, but missed the start of the following season, with new signing Stan Woodhouse being preferred by manager Jimmy McIntyre. Price regained his place after the first six games and on his recall linked up briefly with his nephew Fred Price who had recently been signed from Leicester City, before Carr returned to the side in November. Midway through the 1925-26 season Price lost his place to Frank Matthews and at the end of the season returned to the Midlands to join Nottingham Forest after 18 goals in 65appearances for The Saints.

After two seasons with Forest, scoring 5 goals in 21 appearances, Price dropped down to non league football with Loughborough Corinthians in October 1928 and joined Nuneaton Town in 1929. He subsequently moved to Gresley Rovers in 1931 and Snibston United in 1933 before retirement.