Tommy Green (footballer, born 1876)

Thomas Green was born on 31 October 1876 in Bebington, Cheshire.[2]

Green started his career in non-League football with Bromborough Pool in 1896, before joining Tranmere Rovers the following year.[2] He initially played in the reserve team before establishing himself in the first team towards the end of the 1897–98 season,[3] with Tranmere finishing 12th of 14 in the Combination.[4] The team improved their ranking in the 1898–99 Combination by finish third of 15,[4] and Green's partnership with Jack Davies was described as "one of the most important factors in it" by the Birkenhead News.[3]

Green signed for Second Division club New Brighton Tower in May 1899.[2] He made his debut on 16 September in a 1–1 draw at home to Middlesbrough in the league, before scoring his first goal a week later in a 5–0 win at home to Birkenhead in the 1899–1900 FA Cup preliminary Round.[2] He made five appearances and three goals in the 1899–1900 Second Division,[2] in which New Brighton finished 10th of 18.[5] Green made only two appearances in the 1900–01 Second Division,[2] as New Brighton ranked in fourth place of 18.[6] He requested that he be placed on the transfer list by New Brighton at the end of the season, although this was refused by a Football League committee, as they ruled that he had been offered a fair wage by the club.[7]

Green signed for First Division club Liverpool in September 1901, but did not make his debut until 1 February 1902 in a 0–0 draw away to Bury in the league.[2] He made three more appearances in the 1901–02 First Division,[2] with Liverpool finishing 11th of 18.[8] Green scored his only goal for Liverpool on 3 January 1903 in the second minute of his last appearance for the club, a 3–1 defeat away to Blackburn Rovers in the league.[9] His opportunities in the team in the 1902–03 season were limited due to the form of Sam Raybould,[10] and Green finished the 1902–03 First Division with three appearances and one goal,[2] in which Liverpool ranked fifth of 18.[11]

Green signed for Swindon Town in May 1903 and made his debut on 5 September in the first match of the 1903–04 Southern League Division One, a 2–0 defeat away to Bristol Rovers.[12][13][14] Green scored his first goal for Swindon two days later in the opening five minutes of the team's next match, a 2–1 loss away to Brentford in the league.[13][15] He was switched to outside right in November to accommodate the newly arrived Cornelius Hogan at centre forward – a correspondent to the Swindon Advertiser had suggested that his pace and cleverness made him better suited to that position, not believing him robust enough for centre-forward play; that newspaper reported that he needed to learn to cross on the run.[16][17] Green was showing good form in that position,[18] before an injury to his right knee that required specialist treatment in London was to restrict his senior appearances for the next few months.[19] He spent February with Swindon's reserve team, and having finally returned to form,[20] finished the season as a first-team regular. He made 24 league appearances and scored twice,[21] as Swindon finished 10th of 18.[22]

Green joined Lancashire Combination club Stockport County in 1904, following their failure to be re-elected into the Football League.[2] He made his debut on 2 September in the first match of the 1904–05 Lancashire Combination, a 2–1 home win over Southport Central, in which he scored Stockport's opening goal.[23] He established himself as a popular player with supporters and played regularly in the team at centre forward.[24][25] Green signed for First Division club Middlesbrough on 8 February 1905 for a transfer fee of around £300,[26][27] which Stockport agreed to reluctantly due to financial problems at the club.[25] He had scored 12 goals in 18 appearances for Stockport by that point in the 1904–05 Lancashire Combination, which Stockport went on to finish as champions, ranking first of 18.[23] He went straight into the Middlesbrough team, making his debut three days after signing in the place of Horace Astley in a 3–2 loss away to Manchester City in the league.[28][29] He scored his first goals for Middlesbrough on 25 March, with a goal in each half of a 3–1 home win over Wolverhampton Wanderers.[2][30] Green finished the 1904–05 First Division with three goals in 11 appearances,[2] as Middlesbrough finished 15th of 18.[31] He made 26 appearances and scored six goals in the 1905–06 First Division,[2] in which Middlesbrough narrowly avoided relegation on goal average, ranking 18th of 20.[32]

Green signed for Southern League Division One club Queens Park Rangers in May 1906.[33] He made his debut on 1 September in their opening match of the 1906–07 Southern League Division One, a 1–1 draw away to Luton Town.[34] Green assisted Ned Anderson's opening goal in the match, and the two were reported by The Sportsman to have "caught the eye for judicious work".[35] Green scored his first goal on 17 November in the first half of a 5–0 home win over Northampton Town in the league.[34][36] He finished the season with 8 goals in 37 appearances in the 1906–07 Southern League Division One,[34] with QPR finishing 18th of 20.[37] in which they finished 18th of 22.[38]

Green rejoined Stockport County in June 1907, with the club now in the Second Division.[39] He made his debut on 2 September in Stockport's 1–1 draw at home to Blackpool in the opening match of the 1907–08 Second Division.[2] He scored Stockport's equalising goal late into the match, which was described as a "strong shot at 20 yards' range" by the Lancashire Daily Post.[40] He continued to be popular with supporters in his second spell with Stockport, but this time regularly played outside right and had a less impressive scoring record.[25] He finished the 1907–08 Second Division with seven goals in 30 appearances,[2] with Stockport ranking 13th of 20.[41] Green made 31 appearances and scored five goals in the 1908–09 Second Division,[2] in which Stockport finished 18th of 20.[42]

Green signed for Exeter City in July 1909,[25] making his debut on 2 September in their opening match of the 1909–10 Southern League Division One, a 2–1 defeat at home to West Ham United.[1][43] He scored his first goal on 6 November in a 1–1 draw at home to Watford in the league.[37] Green made 31 appearances and scored 8 goals for Exeter in the 1909–10 Southern League Division One,[37] in which they finished 18th of 22.[44] He then had spells with St Helens Town, Rossendale United, Tranmere Rovers, Borough of Wallasey and Port Sunlight.[2]

Green died in 1958.[2]

Stockport County

• Lancashire Combination: 1904–05[23]