Tommy Walker (footballer born 1923)
Encyclopedia
Thomas Jackson "Tommy" Walker (14 November 1923 – 13 June 2005) was an English
football (soccer)
defender
and winger. He spent the first twelve years of his career playing for Newcastle United
before moving to Oldham Athletic
and Chesterfield
. Despite his success at club level he was not selected to play for the English national team
. He was often overshadowed by the big reputations of team-mates such as Jackie Milburn
, George Robledo and Bobby Mitchell
.
.
. However the club played in the wartime leagues and Walker was able to make 29 appearances. He also appeared as a guest player for West Ham United
later in World War II. He made his Football League debut on 11 October 1946 against Coventry City
. During his first season he made a total of 9 appearances. The following season he played only 8 matches, scoring 3 goals, as Newcastle won promotion into the First Division
. He suffered a broken arm which kept him out of action for several months. The following season
he played 22 of Newcastle's 42 matches in the top division and began to show signs of establishing himself in the first team.
He managed to gain a regular starting place in the 1949-50 season
, playing as part of a forward line that also included Ernie Taylor, George Robledo, Jackie Milburn and Bobby Mitchell. He made 40 appearances for the club in both league and cup competition and scored 14 goals in those matches. The following year
, Walker played in every match for the club and helped to guide them into fourth place in the First Division table. It was also during that season that Waler won his first medal by winning the FA Cup
, 2–0 in the final
against Blackpool
.
In the 1951-52 season
, the club finished in 8th place, their lowest since promotion, but Walker won a second FA Cup, 1–0 against third-placed Arsenal
in the final. However he began to find his chances limited and Stan Seymour
sold him to Oldham in February 1954.
. When he left the club for £1250, many fans were aggrieved at Ted Goodier
's willingness to let him leave. He later returned to the club for a second spell, playing 38 games before retiring from football in 1959.
.
Tommy Walker died on 13 June 2005, aged 81, at a nursing home in Manchester following a short illness.
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...
football (soccer)
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...
defender
Defender (association football)
Within the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposition from attacking....
and winger. He spent the first twelve years of his career playing for 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...
before moving to Oldham Athletic
Oldham Athletic A.F.C.
Oldham Athletic Association Football Club is an English association football club based at Boundary Park, on Sheepfoot Lane in Oldham, Greater Manchester. The club currently competes in the Football League One, the third tier of the English league...
and Chesterfield
Chesterfield F.C.
Chesterfield Football Club is an English football club based in Chesterfield, Derbyshire. The club currently plays in Football League One, the third tier of English football. Despite being the fourth oldest Football League club in England, they have spent most of their existence in the lower...
. Despite his success at club level he was not selected to play for the English national team
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...
. He was often overshadowed by the big reputations of team-mates such as Jackie Milburn
Jackie Milburn
John Edward Thompson 'Jackie' Milburn, , also known to fans as Wor Jackie and 'the first World Wor' in reference to his global fame, was a football player for Newcastle United and England...
, George Robledo and Bobby Mitchell
Bobby Mitchell
Robert Cornelius Mitchell is a former American football halfback and flanker in the National Football League for the Cleveland Browns and the Washington Redskins. Mitchell was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1983.-Early life:Mitchell was born in Hot Springs, Arkansas and attended...
.
Career
Before Walker became a footballer he was a champion professional sprinterSprint (race)
Sprints are short running events in athletics and track and field. Races over short distances are among the oldest running competitions. The first 13 editions of the Ancient Olympic Games featured only one event—the stadion race, which was a race from one end of the stadium to the other...
.
Newcastle United
He was recruited by his local club Newcastle United from Netherton Juniors in 1941, at a time when competitive football had been suspended due to World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. However the club played in the wartime leagues and Walker was able to make 29 appearances. He also appeared as a guest player for West Ham United
West Ham United F.C.
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Upton Park, Newham, East London. They play in The Football League Championship. The club was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks FC and reformed in 1900 as West Ham United. In 1904 the club relocated to their current...
later in World War II. He made his Football League debut on 11 October 1946 against Coventry City
Coventry City F.C.
Coventry City Football Club, otherwise known as the Sky Blues owing to the traditional colour of their strip, are a professional English Football league club based in Coventry...
. During his first season he made a total of 9 appearances. The following season he played only 8 matches, scoring 3 goals, as Newcastle won promotion into the First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
. He suffered a broken arm which kept him out of action for several months. The following season
The Football League 1948-49
-Overview:The 1948–1949 season was the 50th completed season of The Football League.-Final league tables:The tables below are reproduced here in the exact form that they can be found at website and in Rothmans Book of Football League Records 1888–89 to 1978–79, with home and away statistics...
he played 22 of Newcastle's 42 matches in the top division and began to show signs of establishing himself in the first team.
He managed to gain a regular starting place in the 1949-50 season
The Football League 1949-50
-Overview:The 1949–1950 season was the 51st completed season of The Football League.-Final league tables:The tables below are reproduced here in the exact form that they can be found at website and in Rothmans Book of Football League Records 1888–89 to 1978–79, with home and away statistics...
, playing as part of a forward line that also included Ernie Taylor, George Robledo, Jackie Milburn and Bobby Mitchell. He made 40 appearances for the club in both league and cup competition and scored 14 goals in those matches. The following year
The Football League 1950-51
-Overview:The 1950–1951 season was the 52nd completed season of The Football League.-Final league tables:The tables below are reproduced here in the exact form that they can be found at website and in Rothmans Book of Football League Records 1888–89 to 1978–79, with home and away statistics...
, Walker played in every match for the club and helped to guide them into fourth place in the First Division table. It was also during that season that Waler won his first medal by winning the FA Cup
FA Cup 1950-51
The 1950–51 FA Cup was the 70th season of the world's oldest football cup competition, the Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup...
, 2–0 in the final
1951 FA Cup Final
The 1951 FA Cup Final was contested by Newcastle United and Blackpool at Wembley on 28 April 1951. Newcastle won 2–0, with both goals scored by Jackie Milburn....
against 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 the 1951-52 season
The Football League 1951-52
-Overview:The 1951–1952 season was the 53rd completed season of The Football League.-Final league tables :The tables below are reproduced here in the exact form that they can be found at website and in Rothmans Book of Football League Records 1888–89 to 1978–79, with home and away statistics...
, the club finished in 8th place, their lowest since promotion, but Walker won a second FA Cup, 1–0 against third-placed 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...
in the final. However he began to find his chances limited and Stan Seymour
Stan Seymour
Stan Seymour was a footballer who played, managed, chairmanned, and directed Newcastle United. Born in Kelloe, Seymour is one of the all-time Newcastle United greats, and was known as 'Mr. Newcastle United' after the various years and roles he delivered for the club...
sold him to Oldham in February 1954.
Oldham
After signing for a fee of £2500, Walker went on to play 120 times for Oldham AthleticOldham Athletic A.F.C.
Oldham Athletic Association Football Club is an English association football club based at Boundary Park, on Sheepfoot Lane in Oldham, Greater Manchester. The club currently competes in the Football League One, the third tier of the English league...
. When he left the club for £1250, many fans were aggrieved at Ted Goodier
Ted Goodier
Edward "Ted" Goodier was an English professional footballer and football manager. Born in Farnworth, Lancashire, he played as a wing half for Huddersfield Town, Lancaster Town, Oldham Athletic, QPR, Watford, Crewe Alexandra and Rochdale...
's willingness to let him leave. He later returned to the club for a second spell, playing 38 games before retiring from football in 1959.
Retirement and death
Walker retired in 1958 after a 17-year career, at the age of 35. He decided not to go into football management and instead was in charge of a newsagents located in MiddletonMiddleton, Greater Manchester
Middleton is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale, in Greater Manchester, England. It stands on the River Irk, south-southwest of Rochdale, and north-northeast of the city of Manchester...
.
Tommy Walker died on 13 June 2005, aged 81, at a nursing home in Manchester following a short illness.
Personal life
Walker married Lily and they had a son together, Thomas. He also had two grandchildren, Richard and Andrew.As a player
Newcastle UnitedNewcastle 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...
- FA CupFA CupThe Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
winner: 19511951 FA Cup FinalThe 1951 FA Cup Final was contested by Newcastle United and Blackpool at Wembley on 28 April 1951. Newcastle won 2–0, with both goals scored by Jackie Milburn....
, 1952