Tom Smith (footballer, born 1909)
Scottish footballer and manager
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Thomas McCall Smith | ||
| Date of birth | 4 October 1909 | ||
| Place of birth | Fenwick, Scotland | ||
| Date of death | 21 June 1998 (aged 88) | ||
| Place of death | Preston, England | ||
| Position | 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 | ||
| International career | |||
| 1934–1938[1] | Scotland | 2 | (0) |
| 1936[2] | Scottish League XI | 1 | (0) |
| 1942[1] | Scotland (wartime) | 1 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
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]