Tommy Benfield

Thomas Charles Benfield (1889 – 19 September 1918) was an English professional footballer who played in the Football League for Leicester Fosse and Derby County as a forward. Over the course of the following four seasons he made 111 appearances, scored 23 goals and was notable for scoring the first goal scored at Arsenal Stadium on 6 September 1913.

Benfield moved to local newly relegated Second Division rivals Derby County in June 1914 and had an excellent 1914–15 season, scoring 15 goals (including a brace in a 6–0 away win over Leicester Fosse on 28 December 1914) and helping the Rams to immediate promotion back to the First Division. The suspension of competitive football at the end of the 1914–15 season brought Benfield's professional career to an end, but he remained with the club and played his final wartime match on 16 March 1918. He also guested for Nottingham Forest and Grimsby Town during the war. As of November 2012, Ben Swift, Benfield's great-grand-nephew, was an employee of Leicester City. Second Division 16 3 1 0 17 3 1911–12 Second Division 38 15 1 0 39 15

144 38 6 0 150 38

Honours Derby County Football League Second Division: 1914–15