Ken Thomson (footballer)
Kenneth Gordon "Ken" Thomson (25 February 1930 – 15 June 1969) was a Scottish footballer, who played in the Football League for Hartlepools United, Middlesbrough and Stoke City. He made 278 appearances for Stoke.[1]
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Kenneth Gordon Thomson[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 25 February 1930[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Aberdeen, Scotland[1] | ||
| Date of death | 15 June 1969 (aged 39)[2] | ||
| Place of death | Middlesbrough, England[1] | ||
| Playing position(s) | Centre half | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Banks O' Dee | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1948–1952 | Aberdeen | 29 | (0) |
| 1952–1960 | Stoke City | 278 | (6) |
| 1960–1962 | Middlesbrough | 84 | (1) |
| 1962–1963 | Hartlepools United | 28 | (2) |
| Total | 419 | (9) | |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only | |||
Career
Born in Aberdeen, Thomson was poised to sign for Stoke in 1946 from Scottish club Banks O' Dee but he was called up for national service in the Royal Air Force.[1] After his demob Thomson joined his home town club Aberdeen.[1] Stoke manager Frank Taylor finally got his signature for a fee of £22,000 in September 1952.[1] A strong and commanding defender Thomson was soon made captain by Taylor. His first season with the club, in 1952–53, saw relegation to the Second Division. In the final match against Derby County he chose to take a penalty awarded and missed, had he scored Stoke could have stayed up.[1]
Despite this Thomson went on to make over 300 appearances for Stoke in all competitions before new manager Tony Waddington sold him to Middlesbrough in December 1959 for £8,500.[1] He spent two seasons with Boro and ended his career with Hartlepools United.[1]
Personal life
His career was tinged with controversy surrounding his involvement in the 1964 British football match-fixing scandal which saw him jailed for six months.[1][3] Thomson died of a heart attack in 1969 at the age of 39.[1]
Career statistics
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Aberdeen | 1948–49 | Scottish First Division | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| 1949–50 | Scottish First Division | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| 1950–51 | Scottish First Division | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |
| 1951–52 | Scottish First Division | 20 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 29 | 0 | |
| 1952–53 | Scottish First Division | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0 | |
| Total | 29 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 18 | 0 | 50 | 0 | ||
| Stoke City[1] | 1952–53 | First Division | 38 | 2 | 2 | 0 | — | 40 | 2 | |
| 1953–54 | Second Division | 40 | 2 | 3 | 0 | — | 43 | 2 | ||
| 1954–55 | Second Division | 41 | 0 | 6 | 1 | — | 47 | 1 | ||
| 1955–56 | Second Division | 37 | 0 | 5 | 0 | — | 42 | 0 | ||
| 1956–57 | Second Division | 40 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 41 | 0 | ||
| 1957–58 | Second Division | 37 | 0 | 5 | 0 | — | 42 | 0 | ||
| 1958–59 | Second Division | 38 | 2 | 2 | 0 | — | 40 | 2 | ||
| 1959–60 | Second Division | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 7 | 0 | ||
| Total | 278 | 6 | 24 | 1 | — | 302 | 7 | |||
| Middlesbrough | 1959–60 | Second Division | 18 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 19 | 0 | |
| 1960–61 | Second Division | 38 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 40 | 0 | |
| 1961–62 | Second Division | 25 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 28 | 1 | |
| 1962–63 | Second Division | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
| Total | 84 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 90 | 1 | ||
| Hartlepools United | 1962–63 | Fourth Division | 28 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 2 |
| Career Total | 419 | 9 | 32 | 1 | 20 | 0 | 471 | 10 | ||
References
- Matthews, Tony (1994). The Encyclopaedia of Stoke City. Lion Press. ISBN 0-9524151-0-0.
- "Ken Thomson". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 21 February 2017.
- Hodgson, Derek (17 March 1995). "Sixties scandal that shocked the game". The Independent. London. Retrieved 27 February 2012.
External links
- Ken Thomson at Post War English & Scottish Football League A–Z Player's Database