Warner, Tony

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Fullname: Anthony Randolph Warner
aka: Tony Warner, Anthony Warner
Born: 11 May 1974
Birthplace: Liverpool
Signed: 13 Nov 1998 (loan)
Left: 4 Jan 1999
Position: Goalkeeper
Debut: St Johnstone 2-1 Celtic, League, 14 Nov 1998
Internationals: Trinidad & Tobago
International Caps: 1

Biog

Liverpool-born keeper Tony Warner (with the broad scouse accent) played three games for Celtic while on loan at Parkhead in November 1998.

The Liverpool reserve keeper was signed on loan due to an injury crisis and he was a makeshift keeper. Believed to have a good future, the brief spell was a good way for him to gain some experience and get him off the substitute bench.

Despite playing just three games, he managed to incredibly play in one of the few positive matches of note during the 1990’s for Celtic (outwith of the 1997-1998 league title winning season). He won a place on his home debut in the 5-1 league victory over Rangers on 21st November 1998 a match since dubbed as ‘The Humping‘ which is best remembered for a double by Lubo and Larsson as Celtic tore Rangers apart. Granted that Warner wasn’t too heavily tested, but he gave a good performance in goals and it was to be quite an experience, one to tell the grandchildren about.

The ‘Scotland on Sunday‘ newspaper remarked on Tony Warner in that game that:

“When Rangers attempted to assert themselves, the Celtic goalkeeper, Tony Warner, was obdurate. Warner clutched an Andrei Kanchelskis drive, spooned a Stephan Guivarc’h free-kick around a post, and once Rangers were sworded by Wilson’s sending-off, the flames of their aggression simply subsided.”

He actually crashed his car after the game that night on the way back down the road to Liverpool, but thankfully was fine. He remarked on the incident (via twitter many years later):

“Yeah, not even that could take the shine off the day.”

In any case, he didn’t stay long and left not too long after in January. His debut game was actually one to forget as Celtic lost 2-1 to St Johnstone, but his last game was a 2-0 victory over Motherwell so he was to sign off with a victory and clean sheet.

Back down south, Warner never was to play a competitive first team game for Liverpool (and ironically was shunted in time by Brad Friedel who was a player Celtic had been close to getting). He was to sit on the Liverpool bench as a goalkeeping substitute for a backside-numbing 120 times.

He was regarded as a generally dependable keeper and went on to play for Millwall (his longest spell for 5 years & around 200 games), Cardiff and Fulham and he even earned an international cap for Trinidad and Tobago in 2006.

He moved on to the books at Hull City having transferred from Fulham at the start of the 2008-09 season, but from then on he was a journeyman playing for around 18 clubs in total in his career. The moves were mostly loan spells playing a handful of games as a filler or just simply unable to convince anyone enough of his ability as a permanent goalkeeper after Millwall.

Some good moments for him but he didn’t reach the heights.

He actually has two FA Cup runners-up medals, but didn’t get to play in either final.

The 5-1 win over Rangers is the highest profile match he ever participated in on the field, and just what a match to talk about.

We wish him the best.

Playing Career

Honours with Celtic

none

Pictures

• Player Pics

Links

• CU Podcast Interview (2016): Celtic Underground No 276 – Tony Warner “5-1 Mate!”