Thomas Stewart Lonsdale (21 September 1882 – 17 March 1973) was a football goalkeeper and centre half.[3]

Tommy Lonsdale
Lonsdale in a Port Vale squad photo in 1923
Personal information
Full name Thomas Stewart Lonsdale[1]
Date of birth (1882-09-21)21 September 1882
Place of birth Bishop Auckland, England[1]
Date of death 17 March 1973(1973-03-17) (aged 80)[1] (aged 90)
Place of death Fencehouses, England[1]
Height 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)[2]
Position(s) Goalkeeper, centre half
Youth career
Auckland Church Institute
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
West Auckland
Bishop Auckland
1908–1913 Grimsby Town 87 (0)
1913–1914 West Ham United 21 (0)
Southend United
1921–1923 Stalybridge Celtic 75 (0)
1923–1924 Port Vale 31 (0)
Total 114+ (0+)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Career edit

Lonsdale played amateur football in Auckland, before joining Grimsby Town in 1908. He played 87 games in his five years at the club, leaving for West Ham United in October 1913 after Grimsby sold him to raise the funds to sign Willis Rippon. After a shaky start to his West Ham career he was dropped, later regaining his place at the beginning of December. On 14 January 1914, Lonsdale was reported missing. After he turned up, the board of directors fined him a week's wages and he was demoted to the reserve team. Lonsdale did not regain his first-team place until the end of February 1914, and that summer he was sold to Southend United, having kept goal for the "Hammers" in 21 Southern League games in 1913–14.[4] During World War I he also served in the Football Battalion. From Southend he moved to Stalybridge Celtic and then joined Port Vale in June 1923.[1] He made 31 Second Division appearances in 1923–24, beating off competition from Sidney Brown and Robert Radford.[1] However, he suffered a head injury in March 1924 and was released from his contract at The Old Recreation Ground in the summer.[1]

Career statistics edit

Club Season Division League FA Cup Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Grimsby Town 1908–09[5] Second Division 1 0 0 0 1 0
1909–10[5] Second Division 16 0 0 0 16 0
1910–11[5] Second Division 0 0 0 0 0 0
1911–12[5] Second Division 36 0 0 0 36 0
1912–13[5] Second Division 33 0 1 0 34 0
1913–14[5] Second Division 1 0 0 0 1 0
Total 87 0 1 0 88 0
West Ham United 1913–14[4] Southern League First Division 21 0 0 0 21 0
Stalybridge Celtic 1921–22[5] Third Division North 38 0 4 0 42 0
1922–23[5] Third Division North 37 0 5 0 42 0
Total 75 0 9 0 84 0
Port Vale 1923–24[5] Second Division 31 0 0 0 31 0
Career total 214 0 10 0 224 0

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Kent, Jeff (1996). Port Vale Personalities. Witan Books. p. 176. ISBN 0-9529152-0-0.
  2. ^ Lamming, Douglas (1985). A Who's Who of Grimsby Town AFC 1890–1985. Hutton Press. p. 78. ISBN 0907033342.
  3. ^ "Grimsby Town Football Club". Archived from the original on 15 March 2011. Retrieved 6 August 2017.
  4. ^ a b "stats". westhamstats.info. Retrieved 7 May 2012.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i Tommy Lonsdale at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)