Tommy Lucas
Encyclopedia
Thomas 'Tommy' Lucas was an England
international who played for Liverpool
in the 20th century between World War I
and World War ll.
, Merseyside
, England
, Tommy played for Sherdley Villa, Sutton Commercial, Heywood United, Peasley Cross and Ecess Borough before joining Liverpool in 1916. Due to the Great War Lucas was unable to make his League debut until 13 September 1919, it came at Anfield
in a 2-1 Division 1 victory over Aston Villa, his first goal for the club didn't come for another 2 years, it was a 60th minute penalty in the 4-0 home win over Preston
.
Lucas was selected 16 times and used in both full-back berth's during the 1919/20, however, competition was very strong for both full-back slots but Lucas held one of the spots during the first of the back-to-back championship seasons as he managed 27 appearances. The following season was a different story, Lucas struggled to keep his place in the side and was only selected once, obviously, not enough to earn him a second medal.
A lot of players would have not been able to cope with such a disappointment but such was Tommy's character he didn't let it get him down and he went on to play on a regular basis over the next 5 campaign's notching up over 200 starts.
1928/29 was much like 1922/23 with Lucas making only an handful of appearances, Lucas once again showed that strong character and regained his place the following season, not only that he was an ever present as well. Age was now catching up with Tommy and in 1932 aged 37 he played his final game in the Red of Liverpool, it came at Anfield in a 3-2 defeat to Arsenal
.
Lucas left for Clapton Orient (today's Leyton Orient FC) in July 1933 after appearing 341 times for the Reds and scoring 3 goals.
Tommy was selected to play for England 3 times the first coming in a British Home Championship
match against Ireland
at Windsor Park
, Belfast
, the game finished 1-1.
Tommy died on the 11 December 1953 aged just 58.
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...
international who played for 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...
in the 20th century between World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and World War ll.
Life and playing career
Born in St HelensSt Helens, Merseyside
St Helens is a large town in Merseyside, England. It is the largest settlement and administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of St Helens with a population of just over 100,000, part of an urban area with a total population of 176,843 at the time of the 2001 Census...
, 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...
, 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...
, Tommy played for Sherdley Villa, Sutton Commercial, Heywood United, Peasley Cross and Ecess Borough before joining Liverpool in 1916. Due to the Great War Lucas was unable to make his League debut until 13 September 1919, it came 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...
in a 2-1 Division 1 victory over Aston Villa, his first goal for the club didn't come for another 2 years, it was a 60th minute penalty in the 4-0 home win over Preston
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...
.
Lucas was selected 16 times and used in both full-back berth's during the 1919/20, however, competition was very strong for both full-back slots but Lucas held one of the spots during the first of the back-to-back championship seasons as he managed 27 appearances. The following season was a different story, Lucas struggled to keep his place in the side and was only selected once, obviously, not enough to earn him a second medal.
A lot of players would have not been able to cope with such a disappointment but such was Tommy's character he didn't let it get him down and he went on to play on a regular basis over the next 5 campaign's notching up over 200 starts.
1928/29 was much like 1922/23 with Lucas making only an handful of appearances, Lucas once again showed that strong character and regained his place the following season, not only that he was an ever present as well. Age was now catching up with Tommy and in 1932 aged 37 he played his final game in the Red of Liverpool, it came at Anfield in a 3-2 defeat to Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
.
Lucas left for Clapton Orient (today's Leyton Orient FC) in July 1933 after appearing 341 times for the Reds and scoring 3 goals.
Tommy was selected to play for England 3 times the first coming in a British Home Championship
British Home Championship
The British Home Championship was an annual football competition contested between the United Kingdom's four national teams, England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland from the 1883–84 season until the 1983–84...
match against Ireland
Northern Ireland national football team
The Northern Ireland national football team represents Northern Ireland in international association football. Before 1921 all of Ireland was represented by a single side, the Ireland national football team, organised by the Irish Football Association...
at Windsor Park
Windsor Park
Windsor Park is a football stadium in Belfast, Northern Ireland and the home ground of Linfield F.C. and the Northern Ireland national football team. It is also where the Irish Cup and Irish League Cup finals are played.-History:...
, Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
, the game finished 1-1.
Tommy died on the 11 December 1953 aged just 58.
Career details
- Liverpool F.C (1916–1933) 341 appearances, 3 goals - Football League Championship winners medal (1922) England (1921–1926) 3 caps