Tom Emanuel

Thomas D. Emanuel (1 August 1915 – 1997)[1] was a Welsh footballer who played at left-back for Swansea Town and Southampton in the 1930s and 1940s.

Tom Emanuel
Personal information
Full name Thomas D. Emanuel
Date of birth (1915-08-01)1 August 1915
Place of birth Treboeth, Wales
Date of death 1997 (aged 81–82)
Height 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)
Position(s) Full back
Youth career
ICI Works
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1935–1938 Swansea Town 46 (1)
1938–1946 Southampton 33 (0)
1939–1940 → Swindon Town (Wartime guest)
→ Wrexham (Wartime guest)
1946 Milford United
1946–1948 Llanelly
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Football career

Emanuel was born in the Treboeth district of Swansea and played rugby in his schooldays. It was only when he was working for ICI that he first played "soccer". He was playing in the final of a local cup competition at Vetch Field when his "impressive form" prompted Swansea Town to offer him a professional contract.[2]

He spent three seasons with Swansea before he was signed by Southampton's manager Tom Parker for a fee of £2,200,[2] to replace Arthur Roberts who had joined Swansea in August.[3] Emanuel made his Saints' debut on 24 September 1938, in a 1–0 defeat at Newcastle United.[4] He soon settled into the Southampton defence and the fee looked to have been "money well spent".[2] Emanuel only missed three matches in the remainder of the 1938–39 season and also played the first three matches in the following season before League football was abandoned during the Second World War.[4]

During the war, Emanuel made guest appearances for Swindon Town[5] and Wrexham. His military service took him to India, North Africa, Burma and Madagascar.[2]

Emanuel returned to The Dell after the war and made two appearances in the FA Cup against Newport County in January 1946, before joining Llanelly.[2]

Later career

He retired from football in 1948 and became a bus inspector in Swansea where he spent the rest of his life.[2]

Family

His younger brother, Len was a Wales schoolboy international who played at left back for Swansea Town and Newport County.[1] Len's son Gary Emmanuel was a Wales under-23 footballer[6] who played for Birmingham City, Bristol Rovers, Swindon Town, Newport County, Bristol City and Swansea City.

References
  1. Joyce, Michael (2004). Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939. Nottingham: Tony Brown. p. 84. ISBN 1-899468-67-6.
  2. Holley, Duncan; Chalk, Gary (1992). The Alphabet of the Saints. ACL & Polar Publishing. p. 117. ISBN 0-9514862-3-3.
  3. Holley, Duncan; Chalk, Gary (1992). The Alphabet of the Saints. ACL & Polar Publishing. p. 284. ISBN 0-9514862-3-3.
  4. Chalk, Gary; Holley, Duncan (1987). Saints – A complete record. Breedon Books. pp. 100–103. ISBN 0-907969-22-4.
  5. "Player Profile: Tom Emmanuel (sic)". Swindon Town FC. Retrieved 9 October 2012.
  6. Chalk, Gary; Holley, Duncan; Bull, David (2013). All the Saints: A Complete Players' Who's Who of Southampton FC. Southampton: Hagiology Publishing. p. 66. ISBN 978-0-9926-8640-6.
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