Anthony Joseph "Tony" Ellis (born 20 October 1964) is an English former professional footballer who commanded combined transfer fees of nearly £750,000 and scored 185 league goals in 518 league games during a sixteen-year Football League career.
Born in Salford, Lancashire, began his playing career in local and non-league football, with Horwich RMI and Northwich Victoria and Poets F.C. in the Salford Sunday League. In August 1986 at the age of 21, Ellis was signed by Joe Royle for Oldham Athletic, for whom he played ten games. Ellis was spotted by Preston North End manager John McGrath banging in the goals for Oldham's reserve team. McGrath paid £23,000 in October 1987 to take Ellis to Deepdale, where he scored a last-minute winner on his debut against Port Vale. In his first spell at Deepdale Ellis scored 32 goals in 106 games in a little over two seasons.
In 1989 Alan Ball at Stoke City tabled a £250,000 offer for Ellis. For Preston, the money was too good to turn down, and Ellis found himself leaving for the Victoria Ground in December 1989. His time at Stoke was disrupted by injury, but in two and a half years he scored 20 goals in 93 first-team appearances.
If I could put you, on top of a cake I would ice you ... and keep you,
wrapped up in a box to be
near you ... if I could ... I would ...
If I could touch you, again with my fingers so gently ... if I could
feel you, breathing in time next to
me ... but the silence surrounds me, flashing memories of you, riding
with the moon that night. I
never had the chance to say goodbye ... goodbye ...
Lost, forever, lost to another world ...
Gone, forever, but remembered in our thoughts ...
You are ...
If I could open, the heavens above I'd be with you ... if I could hold
you, again in my arms I would
tell you ... that ...