Bob Thomson

Bob Thomson
Personal information
Full name Robert Thomson
Date of birth (1890-12-29)29 December 1890
Place of birth Croydon, England
Date of death

1971 (aged 8081)

Place of death Croydon, England
Height 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)
Playing position Centre Forward
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
0000–1911 Croydon Common
1911–1922 Chelsea 83 (23)

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.


Robert 'Bob' Thomson (29 December 1890 – 1971) was an English footballer who played during the early 20th century, mainly prior to World War I.

Playing as a forward, Thomson carved out a career in the game despite having only one eye, resulting from a childhood accident with a firework. When asked how he dealt with a ball coming to him on his blind side, Bob would answer: 'I just shut my other eye and play from memory.'

He started out with his local side Croydon Common[1] before joining west Londoners Chelsea in September 1911. His most successful season with Chelsea came in 1914-15, when his six goals in eight FA Cup games helped his team reach the final, where they lost to Sheffield United.[1]

When competitive football was abandoned in Britain in 1915, Thomson continued to turn out for Chelsea in unofficial wartime matches, scoring 100 goals in three seasons 1915-17. He played twice more for the club in FA cup when hostilities ended.

He made a total of 95 appearances and scored 29 goals.[2]

He signed for Charlton Athletic in 1921.

References

  1. 1 2 Unknown (1915). Cup Final Programme.
  2. Glanvill, Rick (2006). Chelsea FC: The Official Biography - The Definitive Story of the First 100 Years. Headline Book Publishing Ltd. p. 409. ISBN 0-7553-1466-2.


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