Tommy Thompson

Thomas Thompson (10 November 1928 – 15 September 2015) was an English footballer who played in the Football League for Aston Villa, Barrow, Newcastle United, Preston North End and Stoke City as well as the England national team.

Career Tommy "Topper" Thompson was born in Fencehouses, Houghton-le-Spring, County Durham in 1928. He made his league debut in the 1947-48 promotion season at Coventry City and scored twice in his four second division appearances. Over the next two seasons he played only 16 games, scoring 4 goals.

When manager George Martin left Tyneside in 1950, Thompson soon followed Martin to Aston Villa for £12,500. He made his debut against Blackpool in September of that year, the first of 149 league games for Villa, in which he scored 67 goals. He reached double figures in all but one of his five seasons, managing only 9 in the 1952-53 season. He also won his second England cap, six years after his first, as England beat Scotland 2–1 at Wembley on 6 April 1957.

He joined Stoke City in August 1961 and scored on his debut against Rotherham United, as he top scored for the Potters with 16 league goals. He played five more times for Stoke, scoring once more the following season, before leaving to join Barrow, who played in the fourth division. Over the next two seasons at Barrow, he scored 16 goals in 44 league appearances. 187 of those goals were scored in the first division, which ranks Tommy Thompson at 37 of the all-time top scorers in the top flight of English football.

He died at the age of 86 on 15 September 2015.

International career He acquired his first cap against Wales during the 1951–52 season. He won his second cap in April 1957.

Career statistics Club

International Source: