Tom Wilson (footballer, born 1930)

Tom Wilson
Personal information
Full nameThomas Frederick Wilson
Date of birth3 July 1930
Place of birthSouthampton, England
Date of deathApril 2010 (aged 79–80)
Playing positionFull back
Youth career
1947–1950Southampton
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps†(Gls)†
1950–1957Fulham45
1957–1962Brentford148(0)
Folkestone Town
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.
† Appearances (Goals).

Tom Wilson was an English football full back who played in the Football League for Fulham and Brentford. He later returned to Fulham as a director.

Playing career

Southampton

A full back, Wilson began his career at hometown club Southampton as an amateur.[1] He departed in the summer of 1950, without playing a first team match.

Fulham

Wilson followed former Saints manager Bill Dodgin to Division One side Fulham in August 1950, signing his first professional contract.[2] His time at Craven Cottage was fraught with injury, making just 45 appearances before departing in the summer of 1957.[2][3] In the early 1950s, his flatmate was Bobby Robson.[4]

Brentford

Wilson joined Division Three South side Brentford in the summer of 1957.[1] He had an uneven start to his Bees career, making 26 appearances during the 1957/58 season,[5] but not playing at all between September 1957 and February 1958.[6] Wilson was an ever-present during the 1958/59 season, making 50 appearances and also captaining the side.[5] An injury suffered in September 1959 halted a run of 73 consecutive appearances, but he was back to his best during the 1960/61 season, making 45 appearances.[5] Wilson found himself mostly out of the team during the 1961/62 season and he departed the club at the end of the campaign.[1][5] Wilson made 156 appearances during his five years at Griffin Park.[5]

Folkestone Town

Wilson saw out his career with a spell at Southern League side Folkestone Town.[1] During the Big Freeze of 1963, the football programme was postponed for so many weeks that Wilson joked "the players will all have to be reintroduced to each other when we do meet again".[7]

Director

Wilson returned to Fulham in the late 1980s as a director, linking up with friend and former teammate Jimmy Hill.[8] He negotiated the purchase of Craven Cottage from the Bank of England, which saved the club from being merged with Queens Park Rangers and Craven Cottage sold for development. Wilson remained in the role until he was asked to step down in 1997, at the time director Bill Muddyman was negotiating the sale of the club to Mohamed Al-Fayed.[8]

Personal life

Wilson attended Southampton Grammar School and St Mary's College. During his long spells out injured while at Fulham, Wilson trained as a quantity surveyor and entered the property world upon his retirement from football. Wilson was a close friend of Bobby Robson and was best man at Robson's wedding in June 1955.[4] Wilson spoke at Robson's funeral in 2009.[4] Wilson passed away in April 2010.[9]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Haynes, Graham; Coumbe, Frank (2006). Timeless Bees: Brentford F.C. Who's Who 1920-2006. Harefield: Yore Publications. pp. 170–171. ISBN 978-0955294914.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 http://www.11v11.com/players/tom-wilson-36723/
  3. ↑ http://www.neilbrown.newcastlefans.com/player6/tommywilson.html
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1214634/The-world-football-pays-tribute-national-treasure-Sir-Bobby-Robson.html
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 http://www.brentfordfchistory.co.uk/player.php?id=748
  6. ↑ http://www.brentfordfchistory.co.uk/player.php?id=748&season_id_page=78&season_name_page=1957-1958
  7. ↑ http://www.folkestoneherald.co.uk/Shepway-caught-grip-big-freeze/story-18078181-detail/story.html
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/2395783/Fulham-pushed-out-Hill.html
  9. ↑ http://hammyend.com/index.php/2010/04/rest-in-peace-tom-wilson/