Thomas Gibson (footballer)

Last updated

Thomas Gibson
Personal information
Full name Thomas Gibson
Date of birth(1853-11-24)24 November 1853
Place of birth Blackburn, England
Date of death 1924
Place of death Blackburn
Position(s) Half-back
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
1877–89 Blackburn Olympic
1889 Heywood Central
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Thomas "Tommy" Kenyon Gibson was an English footballer, who played for Blackburn Olympic in its FA Cup-winning side in 1883.

Contents

The Olympic Cup-winning team; Gibson is at the bottom left BlackburnOlympic1883.jpg
The Olympic Cup-winning team; Gibson is at the bottom left

Career

Gibson was born in Blackburn, [1] the son of William (an iron moulder) and Alice, [2] and lived his whole life in the town.

His working life was as an iron dresser at the iron foundry owned by Sidney Yates, [3] who was behind funding the Blackburn Olympic team, [4] and Gibson was one of the Olympians' founding players in 1877, [5] although his earliest recorded appearance for the Olympians was in a 6–1 win over Bolton Olympic at the Hole i'the Wall Ground in September 1879, [6]

In his first matches for the club, nine of the Olympic players wore magenta jerseys, but Gibson insisted on wearing an amber and black jersey, and his fellow half-back Alf Astley (who coached the 1883 Cup-winning side) joined him in wearing similar colours. [7] He played in the Olympians' first FA Cup tie, a 5–4 defeat at Sheffield in the 1880–81 FA Cup. [8]

In June 1882, Gibson was made temporary captain of the Light Blues for the season, as his predecessor Joe Beverley was forced by his work to move to Northwich. [9] The Olympians changed tactic around this time from 2–2–6 (which, in practice, was a 2–2–3–3, with forwards playing in pairs) to 2–3–5, by withdrawing one of the two centre-forwards; Gibson's pace was considered crucial to make this tactical innovation work, to the extent that, when it was rumoured that Gibson would be leaving, it was thought Olympic would be forced to revert to its earlier formation. [10] He immediately had success as captain as the Light Blues won the 1881–82 East Lancashire Charity Cup in August, as Olympic beat Blackburn Rovers 5–2 in the final in August 1882, the final delayed significantly as Olympic had successfully protested its defeat to Accrington on the basis that the Owd Reds had fielded an ineligible player. [11] [12]

This foreshadowed the Olympic's greatest achievement as it won the 1882–83 FA Cup. Gibson had a starring role in the club's victory over Old Etonians in the final. [13]

After his FA Cup winners' medal, Gibson collected a number of runner-up medals. He played in the Olympic side which lost the 1883 Lancashire Charity Cup final 6–2 to Blackburn Rovers, [14] and that which lost the final of both the 1884 and 1885 Lancashire Senior Cup, both to Rovers. [15] [16] He was also one of the players in the 4–0 defeat to Accrington in the 1885 East Lancashire Charity Cup final. [17]

The richer backing that Rovers had gradually ground Olympic down. In February 1886 the club resolved to put a cap of 10/6 per week on player wages, [18] and by the 1886–87 season, only Gibson and "Tich" Parker remained from the Olympic glory days, a slowing Gibson stepping back to full-back. [19] Gibson indeed stayed loyal to the Light Blues right to the end, playing in the club's brief Combination tenure (including its final match - a defeat to South Shore), [20] and was still a player as the club broke up in 1889. [21] On the club's demise, he joined Heywood Central, [22] his final recorded match for the club being at Nelson in February 1890. [23]

Personal life

Gibson married Annie in 1880 [24] and the couple had at least six daughters [25] and two sons. [26] He died in 1924, aged 70. [27]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fergus Suter</span> Scottish stonemason and footballer

Fergus Suter was a Scottish stonemason and footballer in the early days of the game. Arguably the first recognised professional footballer, Suter was a native of Glasgow and played for Partick before moving to England to play for Darwen and Blackburn Rovers F.C.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blackburn Olympic F.C.</span> Association football club

Blackburn Olympic Football Club was an English football club based in Blackburn, Lancashire in the late 19th century. Although the club was only in existence for just over a decade, it is significant in the history of football in England as the first club from the north of the country and the first from a working-class background to win the country's leading competition, the Football Association Challenge Cup. The cup had previously been won only by teams of wealthy amateurs from the Home counties, and Olympic's victory marked a turning point in the sport's transition from a pastime for upper-class gentlemen to a professional sport.

The British Football Association was a short lived ruling body for the game of football. It was set up in 1884 in response to the attitude of the Football Association to the issue of professionalism.

Blackburn Park Road F.C. was a football team formed in 1875. They played in Blackburn, Lancashire, near to the railway station.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1882 FA Cup final</span> Football match

The 1882 FA Cup final was contested by Old Etonians and Blackburn Rovers at the Kennington Oval. Old Etonians won 1–0, the only goal scored, according to most reports, by William Anderson, although another, questionably, gives Reginald Macaulay. It was the last final to be won by one of the Southern "gentleman amateur" teams who had dominated the first decade of the competition.

The 1884 FA Cup final was a football match between Blackburn Rovers and Queen's Park contested on 29 March 1884 at the Kennington Oval. It was the showpiece match of English football's primary cup competition, the Football Association Challenge Cup, it was the 13th Cup final. It was the first time that a Scottish team reached the final of the tournament, with Queen's Park knocking out the previous holders of the trophy en route.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Percy de Paravicini</span> English footballer and cricketer

Percy John de Paravicini was an English amateur cricketer and international footballer in the late nineteenth century.

John Hunter was an English footballer who won the FA Cup with Blackburn Olympic in 1883 and made seven appearances for England between 1878 and 1882 playing at half back.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Rawlinson (politician)</span> English barrister, politician and footballer

John Frederick Peel Rawlinson was an English barrister, politician and footballer. An amateur, he won the FA Cup with Old Etonians in 1882 and made one appearance for England in 1882 playing as a goalkeeper, before serving as a Member of Parliament for Cambridge University from 1906 to 1926.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Great Lever F.C.</span> Football club

Great Lever Football Club were an English football club founded in 1877, from, Great Lever, near Farnworth in Lancashire, within the town of Bolton, England. The club was briefly one of the best sides in England.

The English Game is a British historical sports drama television miniseries developed by Julian Fellowes for Netflix about the origins of modern association football in England. The six-part series was released on 20 March 2020.

Blackburn Law, originally the Law Football and Cricket Club, was an English association football club based in Blackburn, Lancashire. The club was founded in 1876 and membership was restricted to solicitors, who had contributed 50 guineas through subscriptions by the time the club was entering its second year.

Darwen Ramblers FC was an English association football club based in Darwen, Lancashire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bolton Olympic F.C.</span> Football club

Bolton Olympic F.C. was an English association football club from Bolton in Lancashire.

Darwen Old Wanderers F.C. was an English association football club from the town of Darwen in Lancashire.

Higher Walton Football Club was an English football club, founded in 1882.

Clitheroe F.C. was an English association football club, from Lancashire, England.

William Joseph Anderson was an English amateur footballer who played as a forward for Old Etonians. He was the first Liverpool-born footballer to win the FA Cup.

Thomas French was an amateur English footballer, who won the FA Cup with Old Etonians in 1882, playing as a full-back.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas Hacking</span> English footballer

Thomas James Hacking was an English footballer, who was a goalkeeper for Blackburn Olympic in its FA Cup-winning side in 1883.

References

  1. England Select Births and Christenings. Blackburn: St Mary-the-Virgin. 27 November 1853. p. 720.
  2. Census. Parish of St John, Blackburn: HMSO. 1871. p. 21.
  3. Jensen, Neil Frederik. "Great Reputations: Blackburn Olympic 1883 – working class heroes". Game of the people. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
  4. "Sidney Yates". Spartacus Educational. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
  5. "En passant". Athletic News: 1. 25 October 1887.
  6. "Blackburn Olympic v Bolton Olympic". Blackburn Standard: 3. 4 October 1879.
  7. "Mainly about players". Lancashire Evening Post: 7. 16 October 1926.
  8. "Sheffield v Blackburn Olympic". Sheffield Daily Telegraph: 4. 1 November 1880.
  9. "En passant". Athletic News: 1. 21 June 1882.
  10. "Football". Blackburn Standard: 2. 25 August 1883.
  11. "En passant". Athletic News: 1. 9 August 1882.
  12. "The East Lancashire Charity Cup". Sporting Life: 1. 9 August 1882.
  13. "Old Etonians v Blackburn Olympic". Bell's Life: 4. 7 April 1883.
  14. "East Lancashire Charity Cup (Final Tie)". Blackburn Standard: 3. 19 May 1883.
  15. "The Lancashire Association Challenge Cup - Final Tie". Blackburn Standard: 3. 26 April 1884.
  16. "The final for the Lancashire Cup". Burnley Express: 3. 25 April 1885.
  17. "East Lancashire Charity Cup Final Tie". Sporting Life: 1. 7 May 1885.
  18. "Sports and pastimes". Blackburn Standard: 2. 13 February 1886.
  19. "The new Olympic". Cricket & Football Field: 3. 11 December 1886.
  20. "The Olympians "bow'd down"". Fleetwood Chronicle: 3. 21 December 1888.
  21. "Football". Blackpool Gazette & Herald: 7. 1 February 1889.
  22. "Central v Irwell Springs". Heywood Advertiser: 6. 1 February 1889.
  23. "Sporting intelligence". Manchester Courier: 3. 22 February 1890.
  24. Marriages registered in July, August, and September 1880. HMSO. 1880. p. 86.
  25. Census. Blackburn Northern: HMSO. 1911. p. 57.
  26. Census. Municipal Ward of St John, Blackburn: HMSO. 1891. p. 18.
  27. Deaths registered in April, May and June, 1924. HMSO. 1924. p. 256.