Tom Bradshaw
Encyclopedia
Tom Bradshaw was a Scottish
international footballer of the 1920s and 1930s arguably best known for playing for Bury F.C.
, Liverpool
and as being one of the Wembley Wizards
. A large, physically imposing player, Bradshaw was ironically nicknamed 'Tiny'.
, in 1922
, having been signed from local amateur side Woodside Juniors. A wing-half or centre-half, Bradshaw spent eight years with the Lancashire
club.
in a 5-1 win over England
, a performance that saw the Scotland side dubbed the 'Wembley Wizards
'. In his one game for Scotland Bradshaw directly nulified Dixie Dean
, England's most potent goalscorer of his generation. Despite such a notable individual and team performance, Bradshaw was the only wizard to have this game as their only full cap.
paid £
8000 for his services, he made his debut on 25 January at Anfield
against bitter rivals Manchester United
. It was a day to remember as Liverpool won the game 1-0. His first goal for Liverpool came on 3 September 1932 in match against Newcastle United
, where Newcastle won a 4-3 thriller. Tom stayed at the Merseyside
club for eight years, playing most of his games at centre-back, eventually racking up 291 appearances.
, before retiring to work as a scout for Norwich City
for a period of time.
Scotland national football team
The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...
international footballer of the 1920s and 1930s arguably best known for playing for Bury F.C.
Bury F.C.
Bury Football Club is an association football team based in Bury, Greater Manchester. The team currently play in League One. The club's nickname is The Shakers which was bestowed upon them by club chairman JT Ingham, an industrialist and ironmonger of the late 1890s.-Formation of the club and the...
, Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
and as being one of the Wembley Wizards
Wembley Wizards
- Aftermath :When asked for his comment after the game, Alex James simply beamed a smile and said, “We could have had ten!”Back in Scotland the pubs did rather well and the newspapers were not slow in piling praise on the heads of those little no-hopers of the Scottish side...
. A large, physically imposing player, Bradshaw was ironically nicknamed 'Tiny'.
Bury
He began his professional career with English side BuryBury F.C.
Bury Football Club is an association football team based in Bury, Greater Manchester. The team currently play in League One. The club's nickname is The Shakers which was bestowed upon them by club chairman JT Ingham, an industrialist and ironmonger of the late 1890s.-Formation of the club and the...
, in 1922
1922-23 in English football
The 1922–23 season was the 48th season of competitive football in England.-Events:Liverpool retained the First Division title, but halfway through the season their manager David Ashworth left the club to take over at Oldham Athletic, who ended the season relegated.-Honours:Notes = Number in...
, having been signed from local amateur side Woodside Juniors. A wing-half or centre-half, Bradshaw spent eight years with the Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
club.
Wembley Wizards
Bradshaw was called up for his senior international debut on 31 March 1928 at Wembley StadiumWembley Stadium
The original Wembley Stadium, officially known as the Empire Stadium, was a football stadium in Wembley, a suburb of north-west London, standing on the site now occupied by the new Wembley Stadium that opened in 2007...
in a 5-1 win over England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
, a performance that saw the Scotland side dubbed the 'Wembley Wizards
Wembley Wizards
- Aftermath :When asked for his comment after the game, Alex James simply beamed a smile and said, “We could have had ten!”Back in Scotland the pubs did rather well and the newspapers were not slow in piling praise on the heads of those little no-hopers of the Scottish side...
'. In his one game for Scotland Bradshaw directly nulified Dixie Dean
Dixie Dean
William Ralph Dean , better known as Dixie Dean, was an English football player. Dean originally started his career with Birkenhead based Tranmere Rovers before moving on to Everton, the club he had supported as a child, where he became one of the most prolific goal-scorers in English football...
, England's most potent goalscorer of his generation. Despite such a notable individual and team performance, Bradshaw was the only wizard to have this game as their only full cap.
Liverpool
Two years later, in January 1930, Liverpool manager George PattersonGeorge Patterson (football)
George Patterson was a football manager and secretary who was involved with Liverpool F.C. for much of the first half of the 20th century. After a playing career spent mostly with Marine F.C., Patterson joined Liverpool in 1908, as assistant to Tom Watson. After a spell as club secretary, he was...
paid £
Pound (currency)
The pound is a unit of currency in some nations. The term originated in England as the value of a pound of silver.The word pound is the English translation of the Latin word libra, which was the unit of account of the Roman Empire...
8000 for his services, he made his debut on 25 January at Anfield
Anfield
Anfield is an association football stadium in the district of Anfield, Liverpool, England, with a seating capacity of 45,522. It has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since their formation in 1892 and was originally the home of Everton F.C. from 1884 to 1892, before they moved to Goodison Park...
against bitter rivals Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
. It was a day to remember as Liverpool won the game 1-0. His first goal for Liverpool came on 3 September 1932 in match against Newcastle United
Newcastle United F.C.
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...
, where Newcastle won a 4-3 thriller. Tom stayed at the Merseyside
Merseyside
Merseyside is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 1,365,900. It encompasses the metropolitan area centred on both banks of the lower reaches of the Mersey Estuary, and comprises five metropolitan boroughs: Knowsley, St Helens, Sefton, Wirral, and the city of Liverpool...
club for eight years, playing most of his games at centre-back, eventually racking up 291 appearances.
Later career in football
Following his departure in 1938, Bradshaw had short spells with Third Lanark and South LiverpoolSouth Liverpool F.C.
South Liverpool F.C. are a football club from Liverpool, England. They are currently in the West Cheshire Amateur Football League and play their home matches at Jericho Lane. The club's colours are white shirts, black shorts and red socks.-First incarnation:...
, before retiring to work as a scout for Norwich City
Norwich City F.C.
Norwich City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. As of the 2011–12 season, Norwich City are again playing in the Premier League after a six-year absence, having finished as runner up in the Championship in 2010–11 and winning automatic promotion.The...
for a period of time.
Career details
- Bury F.C (1922–1930) - 58 appearances, 12 goals
- Liverpool F.C (1930–1938) - 291 appearances, 4 goals
- Scotland 1 cap
External links
- Player profile at LFChistory.net