Tom Smith (footballer, born 1909)

Thomas McCall Smith (4 October 1909 – 21 June 1998)[3] was a Scottish association football player and manager who played as a centre half for Kilmarnock, Preston North End and Scotland.

Tom Smith
Personal information
Full name Thomas McCall Smith
Date of birth 4 October 1909
Place of birth Fenwick, Scotland
Date of death 21 June 1998(1998-06-21) (aged 88)
Place of death Preston, England
Position(s) Centre half
Youth career
Cumnock Juveniles
Townhead Thistle
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1927–1936 Kilmarnock 218 (1)
1928–1929 → Galston (loan)  
1936–1945 Preston North End  
National team
1934–1938[1] Scotland 2 (0)
1936[2] Scottish League XI 1 (0)
1942[1] Scotland (wartime) 1 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Club career

Player

Smith, who was born in Fenwick, East Ayrshire, played in juvenile football before signing for Kilmarnock in late 1927.[3] He was out on loan at non-league Galston when the club won the Scottish Cup in 1929, but was part of the Killie team that lost the 1932 final to Rangers after a replay.[4]

A good performance for the Scottish Football League XI in a 1936 inter-league match against Football League XI attracted the interest of Preston North End, and Smith agreed to sign for the Lancashire club soon afterwards.[3] He initially had to compete for the position with Billy Tremelling, and did not play in the 1937 FA Cup Final defeat by Sunderland.[3] Smith played more regularly during the following season, when Preston finished third in the First Division.[3] The club also had a significant cup run, culminating in the 1938 FA Cup Final win against Huddersfield,[3] with Smith lifting the trophy as captain (he was one of seven Scots, including four from Ayrshire, in the Preston team).[5]

The outbreak of the Second World War in September 1939 effectively curtailed Smith's playing career.[3] He continued to play for Preston during the War, winning the Football League War Cup in 1941.[3][6]

Manager

He returned to Kilmarnock in 1945 to serve as their manager – the club were struggling, having been mothballed during the conflict and its Rugby Park pitch requisitioned by the military.[7] Smith took charge of the last wartime season in 1945–46 and the first on the resumption of regular competitions in 1946–47, which ended in relegation.[8]

International career

Smith first won international recognition while with Kilmarnock when he played for Scotland against England in the 1934 British Home Championship.[3][9] He then took part in a Scottish Football Association tour of the US and Canada in the summer of 1935, but none of the fixtures counted as full internationals.[10] To cap a highly successful year at with Preston, Smith made his second and last official appearance in the 1938 British Home Championship, a 1–0 victory over England;[3][11] Three of his teammates at club level also played for Scotland in that match.[11] He additionally played in one wartime international against England.[12]

References
  1. "[Scotland player, including unofficial matches] Tom Smith". London Hearts Supporters' Club. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
  2. "[SFL player] Thomas M. Smith". London Hearts Supporters' Club. Retrieved 30 October 2020. Entry includes an appearance by another player of the same name in 1937
  3. Tom Smith, Spartacus Educational.
  4. (Kilmarnock player) Smith, Tom, FitbaStats
  5. Glenbuck created legends in the world of football, Cumnock Chronicle, 16 March 2018
  6. What happened last time football was put on hold, Lancashire Evening Post, 24 April 2020
  7. Rugby Park, KillieFC.com
  8. (Kilmarnock manager) Smith, Tom, FitbaStats
  9. Sat 14 Apr 1934 England 3 Scotland 0, London Hearts Supporters' Club.
  10. 1935 TOUR OF CANADA AND USA BY THE SCOTTISH FA, RSSSF.
  11. Sat 09 Apr 1938 England 0 Scotland 1, London Hearts Supporters' Club.
  12. Sat 18 Apr 1942 Scotland 5 England 4, London Hearts Supporters' Club.
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