Tom Collins (footballer)

Tom Collins
Personal information
Full name Thomas Collins
Date of birth (1882-04-16)16 April 1882
Place of birth Leven, Scotland
Date of death 30 July 1929(1929-07-30) (aged 47)
Place of death London, England[1]
Height 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Position(s) Full back
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
Leven Thistle
1903–1905 Heart of Midlothian 22 (0)
1905 → Bathgate (loan)
1905–1906 East Fife
1906–1910 Heart of Midlothian 136 (1)
1910–1915 Tottenham Hotspur 113 (1)
International career
1909 Scotland 1 (0)
1909–1910[2] Scottish League XI 2 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Thomas Collins (16 April 1882 – 30 July 1929) was a Scottish footballer who played for Heart of Midlothian, Bathgate, East Fife and Tottenham Hotspur.[3][4]

The full back transferred to Tottenham from Hearts (where he had featured on the losing side in the 1907 Scottish Cup Final) in 1910 for a fee of £825.[5] Collins made a total of 122 appearances in all competitions for Spurs between 1910 and 1915 and scored a solitary goal for the club.[6] English football was then suspended; Collins spent time back in Scotland and made some guest appearances for East Fife.[1]

International career

While with Hearts, Collins represented Scotland on one occasion, a 1909 British Home Championship match against Wales.[7] He was selected for the Home Scots v Anglo-Scots trial match twice after he moved to Tottenham, but did not gain another full cap.[8]

Military service

Collins served in the Royal Field Artillery during World War I; he saw active service in France and in 1917 suffered near-fatal injuries in a shell blast, with his left arm and leg having to be amputated (he later had an artificial leg fitted).[1]

Career statistics

International

Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Scotland 1909 1 0
Total 1 0

References

  1. ^ a b c Mitchell, Andy (2021). The men who made Scotland: The definitive Who's Who of Scottish Football Internationalists 1872-1939. Amazon. ISBN 9798513846642.
  2. ^ "Thomas Collins - Scotland Football League Record from 27 Feb 1909 to 24 Oct 1910 clubs - Heart of Midlothian". londonhearts.com. Retrieved 25 October 2015.
  3. ^ Joyce, Michael (2004). Football League Players' Records. soccerdata. p. 57. ISBN 1-899468-63-3.
  4. ^ (Hearts player) Tom Collins, London Hearts Supporters Club
  5. ^ Heart of Midlothian history Retrieved 4 February 2009.
  6. ^ Tottenham Hotspur F.C A-Z of players, Retrieved 29 November 2012 Archived 15 April 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  7. ^ Mon 1 Mar 1909 Wales 3 Scotland 2, London Hearts Supporters Club
  8. ^ John Litster (October 2012). "A Record of pre-war Scottish League Players". Scottish Football Historian magazine. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)