Playing position Role Footballer Years Team Height 1.73 m | –1961 Stockton Position Defender Name Tommy Thompson | |
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Full name Thomas William Thompson Date of birth (1938-03-09) 9 March 1938 (age 77) Place of birth Stockton-on-Tees, England | ||
Thomas William "Tommy" Thompson (born 9 March 1938) is an English former professional footballer. He spent nine years at Blackpool in the 1960s, making over 150 Football League appearances for the club. He played as a defender, specifically at full-back. He also played briefly for York City.
Career
Thompson signed for Ron Suart's Blackpool, in August of the 1961–62 season, from Stockton, making his debut on 14 October in a 2–1 victory over Bolton Wanderers at Bloomfield Road. He went on to make a further five league appearances for the club that season. He also made two appearances in their FA Cup campaign, as they reached the semi-finals stage.
The following season, 1962–63, Thompson made three league starts, his only appearances of the campaign.
In 1963–64, with his chances again limited, he made eight league appearances.
It was in 1964–65, however, that he made his breakthrough as a first-team regular. He replaced the departed Barrie Martin at left-back, and went on to appear in 43 of Blackpool's 45 league and cup games.
Thompson scored his only goal for the club in 1965–66, in a 5–3 home League victory over Arsenal on 16 October, en route to making 36 appearances.
He switched between the left- and right-back berths throughout 1966–67, deputising in the latter position when Jimmy Armfield was unavailable. He made 36 league, one FA Cup and four League Cup appearances.
1967–68 was Stan Mortensen's first full season in charge of Blackpool, after replacing Ron Suart two-thirds of the way through the previous term, and he gave twelve starts to Thompson, plus one appearance as substitute. Thompson did, however, appear in both of the club's FA Cup ties and one of their three League Cup fixtures.
Thompson's final season at Blackpool, 1968–69, saw his make sixteen league appearances, the final one being in a 3–2 defeat at home to Charlton Athletic on 11 January. He spent the 1969–70 season playing in the reserves. He joined York City, who were then in the Fourth Division, in July 1970 and played four games for the team, with these appearances coming after an injury to Chris Topping after the opening day of the 1970–71 season.
He was a GB squad member at the 1960 Summer Olympics.