Tom White (Scottish footballer)
Encyclopedia
Thomas "Tom" White is a Scottish
former professional football
er. He played as a forward
. His older brother John played for the great Spurs
double winning team of 1961 and Scotland
.
A prolific scorer during his early career with Raith Rovers
, Brown's time at Rovers was shortened by two years of National Service
, during which time he played for the British Army. He also played for St. Mirren
, then managed by Jackie Cox. White joined Hearts
for £8,000 in November 1963 and was soon dubbed "Goal-a-game White" by the local media. His attacking partnership with Willie Wallace
was particularly effective and earned the sobriquet the "W-formation", White's abrasive, bustling style complimenting Wallace. In tandem, they scored 48 goals during the 1963-64 season
; however, White's progress was interrupted when he suffered severe injuries in a car crash in Wallyford
.
Further tragedy befell White in July 1964 when his 27-year-old brother, John, was killed by a lightning
-strike at Crewes Hill GC Hendon. In November of that year, White transferred to Tottenham Hotspur for one game and played in a testimonial match for his sibling against the Scottish national side. 25,000 spectators paid their respects, as, despite White's goal, Scotland won 6-2.
White remained a regular in the Hearts side up until January 1965; however, with Donald Ford
blossoming into first-team contention, manager Tommy Walker saw fit and in June 1965 he moved to Aberdeen
in an exchange deal for Don Kerrigan.
White spent a year with Aberdeen, proceeding to move to England
, where he spent the remainder of his career. He went with teammate John McCormick
to Crystal Palace
in 1966, scoring thirteen league goals in 39 appearances. He then joined Blackpool
in 1968, who paid Palace £20,000 for his services. He made his debut for the Seasiders on March 16, 1968, in a single-goal victory over Aston Villa
at Bloomfield Road
. He went on to take over the centre-forward role left vacant by Gerry Ingram
's departure to local rivals Preston North End
.
In his first season at Blackpool, White teamed up with Tony Green
, Tommy Hutchison
and Alan Suddick
,
Injury curtailed his days at Blackpool where eventually he had an operation to repair his damaged ankles, and in 1970 he joined Bury
. In two years with the Gigg Lane
club, he scored thirteen league goals in just under a half-century of appearances.
He finished his playing career with a short spell at Crewe Alexandra
in 1971-72
. He later became a director of Blackpool for 12 years only to be ousted by the then new Chairman of BFC Owen Oyston, he also briefly served as the club's caretaker-manager after the dismissal of Jimmy Mullen in 1990. He ended his association with Blackpool in 1992.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
former professional football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
er. He played as a forward
Striker
Forwards, also known as strikers, are the players on a team in association football who play nearest to the opposing team's goal, and are therefore principally responsible for scoring goals...
. His older brother John played for the great Spurs
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
double winning team of 1961 and Scotland
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...
.
A prolific scorer during his early career with Raith Rovers
Raith Rovers F.C.
Raith Rovers Football Club is a Scottish professional football club based in Kirkcaldy, Fife. They are members of the Scottish Football League, currently playing in the First Division, having secured promotion from the Second Division as champions in 2009. Rovers have won one national trophy, the...
, Brown's time at Rovers was shortened by two years of National Service
National service
National service is a common name for mandatory government service programmes . The term became common British usage during and for some years following the Second World War. Many young people spent one or more years in such programmes...
, during which time he played for the British Army. He also played for St. Mirren
St. Mirren F.C.
St Mirren Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Paisley, Renfrewshire who play in the Scottish Premier League, having been promoted from the First Division in 2005–06.St...
, then managed by Jackie Cox. White joined Hearts
Heart of Midlothian F.C.
Heart of Midlothian Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Gorgie, in the west of Edinburgh. They currently play in the Scottish Premier League and are one of the two principal clubs in the city, the other being Hibernian...
for £8,000 in November 1963 and was soon dubbed "Goal-a-game White" by the local media. His attacking partnership with Willie Wallace
William Wallace (footballer)
William "Willie" Semple Brown Wallace is a former Scottish football player and coach.-Early career:He started his playing career with Stenhousemuir in 1958, moving to Raith Rovers a year later...
was particularly effective and earned the sobriquet the "W-formation", White's abrasive, bustling style complimenting Wallace. In tandem, they scored 48 goals during the 1963-64 season
1963-64 in Scottish football
The 1963–64 season was the 67th season of competitive football in Scotland.-Scottish League Division One:Champions: RangersRelegated: Queen of the South, East Stirlingshire-Scottish League Division Two:...
; however, White's progress was interrupted when he suffered severe injuries in a car crash in Wallyford
Wallyford
Wallyford is a village in East Lothian, Scotland. It is close to the larger town of Musselburgh and approximately 7 miles east of Edinburgh.-Amenities:...
.
Further tragedy befell White in July 1964 when his 27-year-old brother, John, was killed by a lightning
Lightning
Lightning is an atmospheric electrostatic discharge accompanied by thunder, which typically occurs during thunderstorms, and sometimes during volcanic eruptions or dust storms...
-strike at Crewes Hill GC Hendon. In November of that year, White transferred to Tottenham Hotspur for one game and played in a testimonial match for his sibling against the Scottish national side. 25,000 spectators paid their respects, as, despite White's goal, Scotland won 6-2.
White remained a regular in the Hearts side up until January 1965; however, with Donald Ford
Donald Ford
Donald Ford is a Scottish former international footballer, best remembered for his 11 year playing stint with Heart of Midlothian.-Football career:...
blossoming into first-team contention, manager Tommy Walker saw fit and in June 1965 he moved to Aberdeen
Aberdeen F.C.
Aberdeen Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Aberdeen...
in an exchange deal for Don Kerrigan.
White spent a year with Aberdeen, proceeding to move to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, where he spent the remainder of his career. He went with teammate John McCormick
John McCormick (footballer)
John McCormick , is a former professional footballer.He began his career at Third Lanark, where he helped his hometown club to a third-placed finish in the Scottish First Division, before moving to Aberdeen....
to Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace F.C.
Crystal Palace Football Club are an English Football league club based in South Norwood, London. The team plays its home matches at Selhurst Park, where they have been based since 1924. The club currently competes in the second tier of English Football, The Championship.Crystal Palace was formed in...
in 1966, scoring thirteen league goals in 39 appearances. He then joined Blackpool
Blackpool F.C.
Blackpool Football Club are an English football club founded in 1887 from the Lancashire seaside town of Blackpool. They are competing in the 2011–12 season of the The Championship, the second tier of professional football in England, having been relegated from the Premier League at the end of the...
in 1968, who paid Palace £20,000 for his services. He made his debut for the Seasiders on March 16, 1968, in a single-goal victory over Aston Villa
Aston Villa F.C.
Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...
at Bloomfield Road
Bloomfield Road
Bloomfield Road is an all-seater football stadium in the English town of Blackpool, Lancashire. It has been the permanent home of Blackpool F.C. since 1901 and is named after the road on which the stadium's main entrance used to stand. The stadium has been in a process of redevelopment since 2000...
. He went on to take over the centre-forward role left vacant by Gerry Ingram
Gerry Ingram
Gerald "Gerry" Ingram is an English former professional footballer who played as a striker. Active in both England and the United States between 1966 and 1980, Ingram made nearly 500 professional league career appearances, scoring nearly 200 goals.-Career:Born in Beverley, Ingram began his career...
's departure to local rivals Preston North End
Preston North End F.C.
Preston North End Football Club is an English professional football club located in the Deepdale area of the city of Preston, Lancashire, currently playing in the third tier of English league football, League One...
.
In his first season at Blackpool, White teamed up with Tony Green
Tony Green (footballer)
Anthony "Tony" Green is a Scottish former professional footballer.-Club career:Glasgow-born Green began his career at Albion Rovers in his native Scotland.-Blackpool:...
, Tommy Hutchison
Tommy Hutchison
Thomas "Tommy" Hutchison is a Scottish former footballer.-Club career:Beginning his professional career with Alloa Athletic in the Scottish Second Division, being spotted by Archie McPherson...
and Alan Suddick
Alan Suddick
Alan Suddick was an English professional footballer who played at inside-right. He was known for his "banana" free-kicks.-Newcastle United:...
,
Injury curtailed his days at Blackpool where eventually he had an operation to repair his damaged ankles, and in 1970 he joined Bury
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...
. In two years with the Gigg Lane
Gigg Lane
Gigg Lane is an all-seater football stadium in Bury, Greater Manchester, England. Historically within Lancashire, it was built for Bury F.C. in 1885, and has been their home ever since.-History:...
club, he scored thirteen league goals in just under a half-century of appearances.
He finished his playing career with a short spell at Crewe Alexandra
Crewe Alexandra F.C.
Crewe Alexandra Football Club is an English professional football club based in Crewe, Cheshire. Nicknamed The Railwaymen due to the town's links with the rail industry, they currently play in Football League Two, the fourth tier of English football, and are based at the Alexandra Stadium.The club...
in 1971-72
1971-72 in English football
The 1971–72 season was the 92nd season of competitive football in England.-FA Cup:Leeds United overcame holders Arsenal to win the 1972 FA Cup Final...
. He later became a director of Blackpool for 12 years only to be ousted by the then new Chairman of BFC Owen Oyston, he also briefly served as the club's caretaker-manager after the dismissal of Jimmy Mullen in 1990. He ended his association with Blackpool in 1992.
External links
- Appearance details at londonhearts.com