On 20 February 1897 he became the first coach in the history of modern football to take charge of a national team.
His club teammates included fellow Irish internationals Olphert Stanfield, Jack Reynolds and Samuel Johnston.
He made 290 appearances for Distillery and helped the club win the Irish Cup four times.
After retiring as a player, Crone became a coach at Distillery, a post he held for fifteen seasons.
This was the first time in the history of modern football that a coach took charge of a national team.