Tom White (Scottish footballer)
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| Tom White | ||
| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Thomas White | |
| Date of birth | August 12, 1939 | |
| Place of birth | Musselburgh, Scotland | |
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | |
| Playing position | Forward (retired) | |
| Youth clubs | ||
| -1959 | Bonnyrigg Rose Athletic | |
| Senior clubs1 | ||
| Years | Club | App (Gls)* |
| 1959-1962 1962-1963 1963-1965 1965-1966 1966-1968 1968-1969 1969-1971 1971-1972 |
Raith Rovers St. Mirren Hearts Aberdeen Crystal Palace Blackpool Bury Crewe Alexandra Career |
30 (11) 35 (20) 37 (30) 14 (4) 39 (13) 34 (9) 48 (13) 4 (0) 241 (100) |
| Teams managed | ||
| 1990 | Blackpool (caretaker-manager) | |
|
1 Senior club appearances and goals |
||
Thomas "Tom" White (born August 12, 1939 in Musselburgh) is a Scottish former professional footballer. He played as a forward. His older brother, John, played for Spurs and Scotland.
A prolific scorer during his early career with Raith Rovers and St. Mirren, he joined Hearts for £8,000 in November 1963 and was soon dubbed "Goal-a-game White" by the local media.[1] His attacking partnership with Willie Wallace was particularly effective and earned the sobriquet the "W-formation", White's abrasive, bustling style complimenting the more refined poise of Wallace.[2] In tandem, they scored 48 goals during the 1963-64 season, however White's progress was interrupted when he suffered several injuries in a car crash in Wallyford.[1]
Further tragedy befell White in July 1964 when his brother, John, was killed by a lightning-strike. In November of that year, White played for Tottenham Hotspur in a testimonial match for his sibling against the Scottish national side. 25,000 spectators paid their respects, as, despite White's goal, Scotland won 6-2.[2]
White remained a regular in the Hearts side up until January 1965; however, the emergence of a young Alan Gordon resulted in his demotion to perennial reserve in the second half of the season. With Donald Ford also blossoming into first-team contention, manager Tommy Walker deemed White surplus to requirements at the season's end and in June 1965 he moved to Aberdeen in an exchange deal for Don Kerrigan.[1]
White spent only one year with Aberdeen, proceeding to move to England, where he spent the remainder of his career. He went with teammate John McCormick to Crystal Palace in 1966, scoring thirteen league goals in 39 appearances. He then joined Blackpool in 1968, who paid Palace £20,000 for his services. He made his debut for the Seasiders on March 16, 1968, in a single-goal victory over Aston Villa at Bloomfield Road. He went on to take over the centre-forward role left vacant by Gerry Ingram's departure to local rivals Preston North End.
In his first season at Blackpool, White teamed up with Tony Green and Alan Suddick, although as the season neared its end, his place came under pressure from Graham Rowe, whom manager Stan Mortensen had moved to the forward line from defence. This led to his moving to the outside-left position.
Injury curtailed his days at Blackpool, and in 1969 he joined Bury. In two years with the Gigg Lane club, he scored thirteen league goals in just under a half-century of appearances.
He finished his playing career with a short spell at Crewe Alexandra in 1971-72. He later became a director of Blackpool,[1] briefly serving as the club's caretaker-manager after the dismissal of Jimmy Mullen in 1990. He ended his association with Blackpool in 1992.
Contents |
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- White's profile at Neil Brown's statistics site
- Calley, Roy (1992). Blackpool: A Complete Record 1887-1992. Breedon Books Sport. ISBN 1-873626-07-X.
- Hogan, Andrew (1995). Hearts in Art. Edinburgh: Mainstream. ISBN 1-85158-736-5.
- Price, Norrie (1997). Gritty Gallant, Glorious: A History and Complete Record of Hearts 1946-1997 (Hardback), Price. ISBN 0-9521426-3-5.
[edit] Notes
[edit] External links
- Appearance details at londonhearts.com
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