Michael Douglas "Mike" Tiddy (4 April 1929 – 25 November 2009) is an English

English people

The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...

 former professional footballer and manager.

Career

Born in Cadgwith

Cadgwith

Cadgwith is a village and fishing port in Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is situated on the Lizard Peninsula between The Lizard and Coverack.-History:...

, Cornwall

Cornwall

Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...

, Tiddy joined Torquay United

Torquay United F.C.

Torquay United Football Club, nicknamed the Gulls, are an English association football club based in the tourist resort town of Torquay, Devon. They played in the Conference National in 2008–09, but were promoted to Football League Two after a 2–0 win over Cambridge United on 17 May 2009 at Wembley...

 at the end of World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 but was forced to wait two years to play for the club while he finished his National Service

National service

National service is a common name for mandatory government service programmes . The term became common British usage during and for some years following the Second World War. Many young people spent one or more years in such programmes...

. He left Torquay in November 1950 to sign for Cardiff City

Cardiff City F.C.

Cardiff City Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Cardiff, Wales. The club competes in the English football pyramid and is currently playing in the Football League Championship. Cardiff City is the best supported football club in Wales, averaging approximately 22,500 for...

 and he became a virtual ever-present in the Cardiff line-up for the next five years, and was one of the clubs most popular players during the 1950s before moving to Arsenal

Arsenal F.C.

Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...

 in 1955 along with Gordon Nutt

Gordon Nutt

Gordon Nutt is an English former professional footballer who played in England, Wales, the Netherlands, and Australia. He made a total of 189 league appearances, and scored 32 goals.-Career:...

 in exchange for Brian Walsh

Brian Walsh (footballer)

John Brian Walsh is an English former professional footballer.-Career:Walsh began his career playing non-league football before joining Arsenal as an amateur in March 1949 before signing professional for the club five months later. He played a handful of friendlies for Arsenal before being called...

.

Tiddy made his debut against Sunderland

Sunderland A.F.C.

Sunderland Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear who currently play in the Premier League...

 on 24 September 1955 but most of his time in London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

 was spent in the treatment room as he suffered from numerous injuries, which forced him to undergo a cartilage

Cartilage

Cartilage is a flexible connective tissue found in many areas in the bodies of humans and other animals, including the joints between bones, the rib cage, the ear, the nose, the elbow, the knee, the ankle, the bronchial tubes and the intervertebral discs...

 operation. By the time he was fully fit, in 1957-58

1957-58 in English football

The 1957–58 season was the 78th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:In this season, Sunderland was relegated for the first time in their history.This was the last season in which Division 3 was split, North and South...

, he had to share the left wing position with Joe Haverty

Joe Haverty

Joe Haverty was an Irish football player.Haverty played for Home Farm and St Patrick's Athletic, before signing for Arsenal in July 1954...

 and Gordon Nutt, only playing 12 matches. Having played 52 games and scoring 8 goals for Arsenal in three seasons, he was allowed to join Brighton & Hove Albion

Brighton & Hove Albion F.C.

Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club are an English association football club based in the coastal city of Brighton & Hove, East Sussex. They currently play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system....

 in October 1958. He was appointed player-manager of Penzance at the age of 33, later playing for Helston Athletic

Helston Athletic F.C.

Helston Athletic Football Club are a Cornish football club based in Helston in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1896, the club competed in the South Western League in their early years until their relegation to the Cornwall Combination in 1972, where they remained until winning promotion to the South...

 and Falmouth Town.
Well into his 50s, Tiddy finished his career at his home village club Lizard Argyle.

After football

Following his retirement, Tiddy returned to live in Cornwall with his wife Christine, becoming a sub-postmaster and later a local preacher on The Lizard

The Lizard

The Lizard is a peninsula in south Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The most southerly point of the British mainland is near Lizard Point at ....

 peninsula. He also previously served as chairman of the Landewednack

Landewednack

Landewednack is a civil parish and a hamlet in Cornwall, United Kingdom. The hamlet is situated approximately ten miles south of Helston.Landewednack is the most southerly parish on the British mainland...

 parish council.

Tiddy died on 25 November 2009 at the age of 80 at the Royal Cornwall Hospital.