Tommy White (footballer born 1908)
Encyclopedia
Thomas Angus "Tommy" White (29 July 1908 –13 August 1967) was an English footballer who started his career as a centre-forward before moving to centre-half, where he played for Everton
in the 1933 FA Cup Final
as well as making one appearance for England
.
area of Manchester
and played his youth football for Holy Trinity Old Boys before joining Southport
in 1925. He spent two seasons with the Third Division North
club where his goals in the FA Cup matches against Blackburn Rovers
(won 2–0) and Liverpool
(lost 2–1) brought him to the attention of bigger clubs.
In the summer of 1927, he joined Everton
of the First Division
where he made his debut as a replacement for Dixie Dean
on 22 October 1927, scoring twice in a 7–0 "rout" of West Ham United
. This was his only appearance of the season as Everton went on to take the Football League title.
He remained at Everton for ten years, during which time they were relegated to the
Second Division
for the first time in the club's history before "bouncing back" to take the Football League title again in 1932 and winning the FA Cup
in 1933
.
Described as "a striker of exceptional versatility" who was "just as comfortable playing in defence as he was up front", White had a "direct style (which) endeared him to the supporters". White's versatility meant that during the 1928–29 season he was used as an occasional player, making 21 appearances with six goals, either as a half-back or forward as Everton struggled, finishing 18th in the table.
The following year, White became an established member of the side, missing only seven league matches, scoring 11 goals. On the final day of the season, Everton were one of five clubs in danger of relegation; Everton needed to win their final game, at home to Sunderland
, with at least two of the other clubs losing. In front of a crowd of over 51,000 fans at Goodison Park
, White scored his first hat-trick
in a 4–1 victory; unfortunately for Everton, this was not enough as Burnley
, Sheffield United
, Grimsby Town
and Newcastle United
all won, and as a result Everton were relegated from the First Division for the first time since the foundation of the Football League
.
Everton quickly regained their position in the top flight, running away with the Second Division
title, although White made only ten appearances with ten goals. White soon made his mark back in the First Division, with a hat-trick
in the second match of the season at Portsmouth
's Fratton Park
. He contributed 18 goals in 23 league appearances as Everton claimed the Football League title, a year after gaining promotion.
By now White was playing as a half-back rather than a forward and in the 1932–33 season he only scored twice from a total of 40 appearances as Everton finished mid-table in the league. They made up for this, however, by reaching the final
of the FA Cup
where they met Manchester City
. In the final, played at Wembley Stadium on 29 April 1933, both teams, who normally played in blue shirts, were required to wear neutral colours with Everton in white and Manchester City in red; also for the first time in a first-class match, the players's shirts were numbered, with Everton wearing one to eleven and City wearing twelve to twenty-two. White played at centre-half, wearing No.5, in a match controlled by Everton, who won comfortably with goals from Jimmy Stein
, Dixie Dean
and Jimmy Dunn
to claim their second FA Cup.
White's successes with Everton earned him a call-up to the England
when, along with his Everton team-mate Albert Geldard
, he was one of six debutantes selected for the first-ever match between England and Italy
. The match was played on 13 May 1933 at Rome's Stadio Nazionale PNF
and ended in a 1–1 draw with goals from Giovanni Ferrari
and Cliff Bastin
. Like his fellow-debutante, Billy Furness
, White was not selected for England again.
In the 1933–34 season, White scored 14 goals in 28 league appearances, including a hat-trick on 14 October 1933 in a 7–1 win over Blackburn Rovers
.
White's Everton career came to an end in October 1937, ten year's after his debut; in that time he had made a total of 204 appearances for the first-team, scoring 66 goals.
White then spent five months with Northampton Town
followed by a move back to Merseyside
with New Brighton
. He made no Football League appearances for either club and retired at the end of the 1938–39 season.
, White worked in Liverpool Docks, where he continued to work until he died following a fall in 1967.
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
in the 1933 FA Cup Final
1933 FA Cup Final
The 1933 FA Cup Final was a football match between Everton and Manchester City on 29 April 1933 at Wembley Stadium in London. The deciding match of English football's primary cup competition, the Football Association Challenge Cup , it was the 62nd final, and the 11th at Wembley...
as well as making one appearance for 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...
.
Football career
White was born in the PendletonPendleton, Greater Manchester
Pendleton is an inner city area of Salford, Greater Manchester, England. It is about from Manchester city centre. The A6 dual carriageway skirts the east of the district....
area of Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
and played his youth football for Holy Trinity Old Boys before joining Southport
Southport F.C.
Southport Football Club are an English football club, based in Southport, Merseyside. They are currently in the Conference National, and play their home matches at Haig Avenue, which has a capacity of 6,008...
in 1925. He spent two seasons with the Third Division North
Football League Third Division North
The Third Division North of The Football League was a tier in the English association football league system from 1921 to 1958. It ran parallel to Third Division South with clubs elected to the League or relegated from a higher division allocated to one or the other according to geographical position...
club where his goals in the FA Cup matches against Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn Rovers F.C.
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. The team currently competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football....
(won 2–0) and 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...
(lost 2–1) brought him to the attention of bigger clubs.
In the summer of 1927, he joined Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
of 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....
where he made his debut as a replacement for 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...
on 22 October 1927, scoring twice in a 7–0 "rout" of 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...
. This was his only appearance of the season as Everton went on to take the Football League title.
He remained at Everton for ten years, during which time they were relegated to the
Second Division
Football League Second Division
From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
for the first time in the club's history before "bouncing back" to take the Football League title again in 1932 and winning the FA Cup
FA Cup
The 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...
in 1933
1933 FA Cup Final
The 1933 FA Cup Final was a football match between Everton and Manchester City on 29 April 1933 at Wembley Stadium in London. The deciding match of English football's primary cup competition, the Football Association Challenge Cup , it was the 62nd final, and the 11th at Wembley...
.
Described as "a striker of exceptional versatility" who was "just as comfortable playing in defence as he was up front", White had a "direct style (which) endeared him to the supporters". White's versatility meant that during the 1928–29 season he was used as an occasional player, making 21 appearances with six goals, either as a half-back or forward as Everton struggled, finishing 18th in the table.
The following year, White became an established member of the side, missing only seven league matches, scoring 11 goals. On the final day of the season, Everton were one of five clubs in danger of relegation; Everton needed to win their final game, at home to Sunderland
Sunderland A.F.C.
Sunderland Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear who currently play in the Premier League...
, with at least two of the other clubs losing. In front of a crowd of over 51,000 fans at Goodison Park
Goodison Park
Goodison Park is a football stadium located in Walton, Liverpool, England. The stadium has been home to Everton F.C. since its completion in 1892 and is one of the world's first purpose-built football grounds...
, White scored his first hat-trick
Hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick in sport is the achievement of a positive feat three times during a game, or other achievements based on threes. The term was first used in 1858 in cricket to describe HH Stephenson's feat of taking three wickets in three balls. A collection was held for Stephenson, and he...
in a 4–1 victory; unfortunately for Everton, this was not enough as Burnley
Burnley F.C.
Burnley Football Club are a professional English Football League club based in Burnley, Lancashire. Nicknamed the Clarets, due to the dominant colour of their home shirts, they were founder members of the Football League in 1888...
, Sheffield United
Sheffield United F.C.
Sheffield United Football Club is a professional English football club based in the city of Sheffield, South Yorkshire.They were the first sporting team to use the name 'United' and are nicknamed 'The Blades', thanks to Sheffield's worldwide reputation for steel production...
, Grimsby Town
Grimsby Town F.C.
Grimsby Town Football Club is an English football club based in the seaside town of Cleethorpes, in North East Lincolnshire, England, who compete in the Conference National. They were formed in 1878 as Grimsby Pelham and later became Grimsby Town...
and 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...
all won, and as a result Everton were relegated from the First Division for the first time since the foundation of the Football League
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
.
Everton quickly regained their position in the top flight, running away with the Second Division
Football League Second Division
From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
title, although White made only ten appearances with ten goals. White soon made his mark back in the First Division, with a hat-trick
Hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick in sport is the achievement of a positive feat three times during a game, or other achievements based on threes. The term was first used in 1858 in cricket to describe HH Stephenson's feat of taking three wickets in three balls. A collection was held for Stephenson, and he...
in the second match of the season at Portsmouth
Portsmouth F.C.
Portsmouth Football Club is an English football club based in the city of Portsmouth. The club is nicknamed Pompey. Portsmouth's home matches have been played at Fratton Park since the club's formation in 1898. The team currently play in the Football League Championship after being relegated from...
's Fratton Park
Fratton Park
Fratton Park is a football stadium in the English city-port of Portsmouth. It has been the home of professional club Portsmouth F.C. since its construction in 1898.-Description:...
. He contributed 18 goals in 23 league appearances as Everton claimed the Football League title, a year after gaining promotion.
By now White was playing as a half-back rather than a forward and in the 1932–33 season he only scored twice from a total of 40 appearances as Everton finished mid-table in the league. They made up for this, however, by reaching the final
1933 FA Cup Final
The 1933 FA Cup Final was a football match between Everton and Manchester City on 29 April 1933 at Wembley Stadium in London. The deciding match of English football's primary cup competition, the Football Association Challenge Cup , it was the 62nd final, and the 11th at Wembley...
of the FA Cup
FA Cup
The 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...
where they met Manchester City
Manchester City F.C.
Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...
. In the final, played at Wembley Stadium on 29 April 1933, both teams, who normally played in blue shirts, were required to wear neutral colours with Everton in white and Manchester City in red; also for the first time in a first-class match, the players's shirts were numbered, with Everton wearing one to eleven and City wearing twelve to twenty-two. White played at centre-half, wearing No.5, in a match controlled by Everton, who won comfortably with goals from Jimmy Stein
Jimmy Stein
James "Jimmy" Stein was a Scottish professional association footballer who played as a winger. Stein was a model professional who had the distinction of scoring Everton's first-ever goal at Wembley when he netted in the 1933 FA Cup Final...
, 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...
and Jimmy Dunn
James Dunn (Scottish footballer)
James "Jimmy" Dunn was a Scottish professional international footballer, most famous for being part of the 1928 Wembley Wizards side....
to claim their second FA Cup.
White's successes with Everton earned him a call-up to the 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...
when, along with his Everton team-mate Albert Geldard
Albert Geldard
Albert Geldard was an English professional footballer who played as an outside right for Bradford Park Avenue, Everton, Bolton Wanderers and Darwen. At Everton he won the FA Cup Final in 1933. He made four appearances for England during 1933–1937...
, he was one of six debutantes selected for the first-ever match between England and Italy
Italy national football team
The Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than...
. The match was played on 13 May 1933 at Rome's Stadio Nazionale PNF
Stadio Nazionale PNF
The Stadio Nazionale del PNF was a multi-purpose stadium in Rome, Italy. It was built in 1927 and held 50,000 people. It hosted three of the 17 matches of the 1934 FIFA World Cup, including the final between hosts Italy and Czechoslovakia on 10 June 1934.Clubs S.S. Lazio and A.S...
and ended in a 1–1 draw with goals from Giovanni Ferrari
Giovanni Ferrari
Giovanni Ferrari was an Italian football player. He played 125 times for Juventus F.C and scored 35 goals for the club...
and Cliff Bastin
Cliff Bastin
Clifford Sydney Bastin was an English football player.Born in Heavitree near Exeter, Bastin started his career at Exeter City, making his debut for the club in 1928, at the age of 16...
. Like his fellow-debutante, Billy Furness
Billy Furness
William Isaac Furness was an English professional footballer who played as an inside forward for Leeds United and Norwich City in the 1930s, making one appearance for England in 1933.-Career:...
, White was not selected for England again.
In the 1933–34 season, White scored 14 goals in 28 league appearances, including a hat-trick on 14 October 1933 in a 7–1 win over Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn Rovers F.C.
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. The team currently competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football....
.
White's Everton career came to an end in October 1937, ten year's after his debut; in that time he had made a total of 204 appearances for the first-team, scoring 66 goals.
White then spent five months with Northampton Town
Northampton Town F.C.
Northampton Town Football Club are an English professional football club based in Northampton, Northamptonshire. They currently play in Football League Two, the lowest league division, after being relegated from League One on the last day of the 2008–09 season...
followed by a move back to 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...
with New Brighton
New Brighton A.F.C.
-Revived club:New Brighton A.F.C. were reborn in 1993, and joined the Birkenhead and Wirral League, which they won in their first season. In 1995 the club switched to the South Wirral League. After upgrading their new ground, the club were admitted to the Second Division of the West Cheshire League...
. He made no Football League appearances for either club and retired at the end of the 1938–39 season.
Later career
During 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...
, White worked in Liverpool Docks, where he continued to work until he died following a fall in 1967.
Honours
EvertonEverton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
- Football League Second DivisionFootball League Second DivisionFrom 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
champions: 1930–31 - Football League First DivisionFootball League First DivisionThe 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....
champions: 1931–32 - 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...
winners: 19331933 FA Cup FinalThe 1933 FA Cup Final was a football match between Everton and Manchester City on 29 April 1933 at Wembley Stadium in London. The deciding match of English football's primary cup competition, the Football Association Challenge Cup , it was the 62nd final, and the 11th at Wembley...