Tommy Flannigan

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Tommy Flannigan
Personal information
Full name Thomas Flannigan[1]
Date of birth (1908-05-25)25 May 1908[2]
Place of birth Edinburgh, Scotland
Date of death 23 May 1981(1981-05-23) (aged 72)[3]
Place of death Darlington, England
Height 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)[4]
Position(s) Inside left
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
Harp Athletic
192?–1926 Edinburgh Emmet
1926–1927 Dundee 1 (0)
1927–1929 Stoke City 4 (0)
1929–1930 Hull City 2 (0)
1930–1931 Loughborough Corinthians
1931 Darlington 0 (0)
1931 Rochdale 2 (0)
1932 Stafford Rangers
1932–193? Buxton
1933–1934 Saint-Étienne 1 (0)
1934 Shrewsbury Town
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Thomas Flannigan (25 May 1908 – 23 May 1981) was a Scottish footballer who played in the Scottish League for Dundee, in the English Football League for Stoke City, Hull City and Rochdale, and in the French Division 2 for Saint-Étienne. He was on the books of Darlington without playing for their first team, and played non-league football for Loughborough Corinthians, Stafford Rangers, Buxton and Shrewsbury Town. He played mainly at inside left, but was used anywhere across the forward line.

Life and career[]

Flannigan was born in Edinburgh in 1908.[4] He played football for Harp Athletic and Edinburgh Emmet before signing for Dundee in 1926, touted by the Dundee Evening Telegraph along with and as "lads who will make a capital inside trio in the near future".[5] Flannigan was backup for Joe Cassidy in the 1926–27 season,[6] and did not make his debut until the last First Division match of the campaign, on 30 April 1927. He played at inside left, alongside Ramage at centre forward, in a 3–0 win against Queen's Park. That proved to be his only appearance,[7] as in early July he signed for English club Stoke City.[6]

He spent his first season in the reserves before coming into the league side in December 1928 for a four-game run. On his debut, in a goalless draw away to Southampton, he had "about the best shot of the afternoon, a drive which flashed the ball just over the bar".[8] The following week, the Staffordshire Sentinel suggested that Flannigan lacked stamina,[9] then that his "neat touches were out of place" on Notts County's frozen pitch.[10] During his fourth match, a clash of heads with a team-mate left him concussed.[11] Described as a "clever dribbler" but "rather light of build", Flannigan made 24 appearances for Stoke's reserves in the Central League, but was not retained at the end of the season, and was sold to Hull City for a "considerable" fee,[12] later reported as £500.[4]

He made just two Second Division appearances during the 1929–30 season, and was transfer-listed at a fee of £750. There were no takers, so he spent the 1930–31 season in non-league football with Loughborough Corinthians of the Midland League. Eventually, the fee was reduced,[13] and Flannigan attempted a return to the Football League with Darlington of the Third Division North.[14] After a month with no first-team football, his registration was cancelled and he signed for another Northern Section club, Rochdale.[15][16] He made his debut on 26 September 1931 in a 1–1 draw with Darlington, and played in the next match, but that was his last.[2]

He resurfaced in February at Birmingham League club Stafford Rangers[17] and made a debut for Buxton in the Cheshire County League in November,[18] before trying his luck in French football with Saint-Étienne. He played one senior game in the inaugural season of Division 2, a 2–1 defeat at home to SO Biterrois on 31 December 1933.[19] Flannigan's last club was Shrewsbury Town, after which he retired and took up hairdressing.[4]

Flannigan died in Darlington, County Durham, in 1981 at the age of 72.[3]

Career statistics[]

Club Season League Cup[a] Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Dundee 1926–27[7] Scottish Division One 1 0 0 0 1 0
Stoke City 1927–28[2] Second Division 0 0 0 0 0 0
1928–29[1] Second Division 4 0 0 0 4 0
Total 4 0 0 0 4 0
Hull City [2] Second Division 2 0 0 0 2 0
Darlington [2] Third Division North 0 0 0 0 0 0
Rochdale 1931–32[2] Third Division North 2 0 0 0 2 0
Saint-Étienne [19] Division 2 Sud 1 0 0 0 1 0
Career total 10 0 0 0 10 0
  1. ^ Includes Scottish Cup, FA Cup, Coupe de France

References[]

  1. ^ a b Matthews, Tony (1994). The Encyclopaedia of Stoke City. Lion Press. ISBN 0-9524151-0-0.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "Player search: Flannigan, T (Tommy)". English National Football Archive. Retrieved 11 July 2021.
  3. ^ a b "Index entry". FreeBMD. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 11 July 2021.
    "Wills and Probate 1858–1996: Flannigan 1981". UK Probate Service. Retrieved 11 July 2021.
  4. ^ a b c d Phillipps, Steven (2013). Rochdale AFC: A Who's Who, 1907 to 1939. Nottingham: Tony Brown. p. 106. ISBN 978-1-905891-64-1.
  5. ^ "In the world of sport". Evening Telegraph. Dundee. 14 June 1926. p. 11.
  6. ^ a b "Stoke strengthen". Shields Daily News. 7 July 1927. p. 6.
  7. ^ a b "Tom Flanagan". The Dee Archive. Retrieved 11 July 2021.
  8. ^ Deputy (3 December 1928). "Stoke's attack not satisfactory". Staffordshire Sentinel. p. 8.
  9. ^ "A fine game at Stoke". Staffordshire Sentinel. 10 December 1928. p. 8.
  10. ^ Incognitus (17 December 1928). "Stoke City's bold challenge". Staffordshire Sentinel. p. 6.
  11. ^ Incognitus (22 December 1928). "Stoke City and Preston share points". Staffordshire Sentinel. p. 4.
  12. ^ "Stoke player joins Hull City". Staffordshire Sentinel. 10 May 1929. p. 8.
  13. ^ Phillipps (2013), p. 106.
  14. ^ "Ex-Tigers in the Northern Section". Daily Mail. Hull. 15 August 1931. p. 5.
  15. ^ "Players' registrations cancelled". Yorkshire Post. 13 October 1931. p. 17.
  16. ^ "Rochdale's capture". Northern Daily Mail. West Hartlepool. 25 September 1931. p. 9.
  17. ^ "Stafford's capture". Birmingham Gazette. 19 February 1932. p. 10.
  18. ^ "Mid-Cheshire successes". Liverpool Echo. 26 November 1932. p. 14.
  19. ^ a b "Thomas Flanigan avec l'ASSE". ASSE Stats. Retrieved 11 July 2021.
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