Played for Villa: 1928-1935
Position: Centre forward
Appearances: 226
In any list of Villa greats, Pongo Waring would be somewhere near the very top. His finest attribute was his unfailing ability to hit the net, bagging some 167 for the club - leaving him sixth in the all-time table, but in far fewer matches than any of the five above him. Waring's legend preceeded him when, in 1928, he transferred to Villa from Tranmere, where he'd started out selling chocolate in the stands, before taking to the pitch and averaging a goal a game, including a double hat-trick in one match. Liverpool were among the bigger clubs to take note, and were keen to sign him - but Tranmere feared a backlash had he travelled across the Mersey (as had Dixie Dean a couple of years earlier, to great controversy), gifting Villa his services instead. Waring ran out on his debut for Villa Reserves against Birmingham City Reserves, with a staggering 23,000 present to watch him put a hat-trick past the Blues, and so his legend was already sealed. The best of several great seasons at Villa was 1930-31, when he scored 50 senior goals, 49 of them in the League - still a club record, and helping Villa to another footballing milestone, with their never-bettered end-of-season tally of 128. He ended up with 10 hat-tricks for the club, including four goals in each of two successive games in 1931-32, and unsurprisingly played for England too - only five times, but with four goals to his name. Despite fan protests, Pongo departed in 1935 to join Barnsley, before coming back to the West Midlands to represent Wolves.
His nickname was apparently something he gave himself. Theories differ as to its genesis, some supposing it stemmed from his poverty-stricken childhood - yet despite undoubtedly humble beginnings, Tom Waring's name shines brighter than almost any in Villa's hall of fame. When he died in 1980, his ashes were scattered in front of the Holte End on Boxing Day, fittingly in the season Villa would once again lift the League title; another great, Peter Withe, scored the winner that day.
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Position: Centre forward
Appearances: 226
In any list of Villa greats, Pongo Waring would be somewhere near the very top. His finest attribute was his unfailing ability to hit the net, bagging some 167 for the club - leaving him sixth in the all-time table, but in far fewer matches than any of the five above him. Waring's legend preceeded him when, in 1928, he transferred to Villa from Tranmere, where he'd started out selling chocolate in the stands, before taking to the pitch and averaging a goal a game, including a double hat-trick in one match. Liverpool were among the bigger clubs to take note, and were keen to sign him - but Tranmere feared a backlash had he travelled across the Mersey (as had Dixie Dean a couple of years earlier, to great controversy), gifting Villa his services instead. Waring ran out on his debut for Villa Reserves against Birmingham City Reserves, with a staggering 23,000 present to watch him put a hat-trick past the Blues, and so his legend was already sealed. The best of several great seasons at Villa was 1930-31, when he scored 50 senior goals, 49 of them in the League - still a club record, and helping Villa to another footballing milestone, with their never-bettered end-of-season tally of 128. He ended up with 10 hat-tricks for the club, including four goals in each of two successive games in 1931-32, and unsurprisingly played for England too - only five times, but with four goals to his name. Despite fan protests, Pongo departed in 1935 to join Barnsley, before coming back to the West Midlands to represent Wolves.
His nickname was apparently something he gave himself. Theories differ as to its genesis, some supposing it stemmed from his poverty-stricken childhood - yet despite undoubtedly humble beginnings, Tom Waring's name shines brighter than almost any in Villa's hall of fame. When he died in 1980, his ashes were scattered in front of the Holte End on Boxing Day, fittingly in the season Villa would once again lift the League title; another great, Peter Withe, scored the winner that day.
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