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... and still made a top level career for themselves?

Steve guppy was quite old i seem to remember.

A great question
I think Tony Book was 28/29 when he signed for Man City.

Can't be right but Ian Wright, Wright, Wright was just shy of 22 when he signed pro forms at Palace straight from Sunday league.

Do you only want players straight from non-league to the top flight or can they have gone via a league club first?

Tough question, because it all depends on your definition of professional.

Tony Book is the sort of answer you might be looking for...playing for Bath City, Malcolm Allison allegedly found him up a ladder, doing his day job, when aged about 29 he went to Man City, and captained them to the title and FA Cup.

We took Tony Gough, trying to follow the same template....it didn't work, quite so well.

Dulwich Hamlet i think youll find Daz

I don't mind. Just something I was thinking about. It's not something I know the answer to.

I know that Paul Bostock was in his 30's when he re-entered the Football League with Boston. He had played a limited amount of games for Cambridge United in the late 80's before disappearing from the Football League until 2001.

But the fact he had played in the FL as a youngster means that I'm wasting my time typing this :)

Still a very good question Ben and i think it could be Tony Book.

Was Bostock a goalie?

Yup.

Was Bostock a baldy?

Was Bostik an adhesive ?

Bastock was indeed a baldy.

http://www.bufc.drfox.org.uk/bazza1.jpg



There probably loads of players who made their top flight debuts in their 30's.

Book was early 30's when he joined Man City from Plymouth.

Ian Ashbee of Hull was 31. Wigan's Mike Pollitt was about 34 when he first played in the top flight.

Wasn't stanley matthews 86 when he signed for stoke?

He's still playing now isn't he?

91

I believe he's oxfords right back now, lost a bit of pace after his 110th. But still far too good for them.

Socrates ?

Andy Cunningham - Newcastle 1929 aged 39 fuck knows what league the stripey tarts were in that year though.

Good link here although it includes Johnny foreigners making their English league debut.

http://www.allfootballers.com/statsc.php?bid=oldestld

 Good shout he'd have been about 2500 years old.  Mozart was turning out for Spartak Moscow until recently...he'd be a spring chicken at 200 and a bit.

off topic but did anyone know about Frank Wong Soo (cracking name) the first "non-white" player to play for England?

Frank Wong Soo was the first player of Chinese extraction to play for England. Indeed, Frank was the first non-white player of any ethnic background to present England long before Viv Anderson, the first “official” black player, made his debut for England in 1979.   Frank was born in Buxton, Derbyshire, in 1914 and was the son of a Chinese father and an English mother.  He was one of the best inside forwards of the immediate pre-war era, certainly during his time at Stoke City, where he formed part of a legendary team that included players such as Sir Stanley Matthews and Neil Franklin. This famous trio played together in the England team that faced Scotland at Villa Park on 3rd February 1945.

Couple more:

Paul Wilson Scunny debut in 97/98 at 37 was the team's youth team coach!

Oldest player for to debut for England anyone?

Leslie Compton (post-war)

 Yep.

 A similar fella was Sammy Chung, an Abingdonian who overcome the misfortune of a handful of non league games for Headington in the 50's to forge a decent career for himself as  both a player and manager.

Roger Miller was allegedly 42 when he scored a goal v Russia in the World Cup finals.

Not that this remotely answers the original question.

He must have been older than that, i remember him singing on the des o connor show in the 70's the old beardy fucker.

Altogether-"I'm gonna leave old Durham Town..."

I'm slurring along.

http://www.allfootballers.com/statsc.php?bid=oldest1stmatch

a ground built nearly under a sainsburys and pink and purple quartered shirt. that's a proper football team!

Bet he wishes he'd stayed with them now they've made it into Conference North. Is Daisy still playing for them btw?

Yes he is.

I saw Craig Brewster - 42 years young, play on saturday. Born the same year England won the World Cup.

Thats the oldest pro player Ive ever seen.

I think the answer to the original question is probably impossible to find out. Unfortunately.

Didn't the Donacster Chairman register himself and then come on as a sub for the last minute of their last game in the Conference?  He was in his 50's or there abouts.  Not really a player but the record books would record it as such.

That makes a mockery of football.

Look at all the football trivia he has messed up!

Of course if Roman Abramovich wanted to play up front for Chelsea for a season then I wouldnt argue against.

Dear old Kevin Poole has signed a new deal with Burton. Aged 45!

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