Charles Bellany Thomson (12 June 1878 – 6 February 1936) was a Scottish

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...

who played for Heart of Midlothian, Sunderland and the Scotland national team.

Playing career

Heart of Midlothian

Thomson started his career with local side Prestonpans, from where he moved to Hearts in 1898. Initially considered a centre-forward at Tynecastle, Thomson also occasionally played centre-half, and he took on that role permanently when Albert Buick left the

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...

club for

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...

in 1903. He played in the former role in the 1901

Scottish Cup The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,Celtic. Two years later he was deployed in defense but could not prevent Hearts losing the 1903 Scottish Cup final to Rangers, in a second replay. As well as the centre-half berth, Thomson inherited the club captaincy upon Buick's departure south. Within a year he was also a Scotland international, making his debut in a 1–1 draw with

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

Dalymount Park Dalymount Park (Irish: ''Páirc Cnocán Uí Dhálaigh'') is a football stadium in Phibsborough on the Northside of Dublin, Ireland. It is the home of Bohemian F.C., who have played there since the early 20th century. Affectionately known ...

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 c ...

. A tenacious and inspiring figure, Thomson was a "natural skipper" and during his ten-year international career 13 of his 21 caps were earned as captain. He was also renowned for his stamina, athletic physique and fitness and his penalty-taking technique. Most of his goals (including three of the four he scored for Scotland) came from the penalty spot and it was said that he missed only one penalty-kick in his career; however, modern research has shown that he missed at least six penalties for Hearts. Thomson captained Hearts to a 1–0 victory over

Third Lanark Third Lanark Athletic Club was a Scottish football club based in Glasgow. Founded in 1872 as an offshoot of the 3rd Lanarkshire Rifle Volunteers, the club was a founder member of the Scottish Football Association (SFA) in 1872 and the Scottish ...

in the 1906 Scottish Cup Final, but injury prevented him from leading the side in the 1907 final that was lost to Celtic. There was some behind the scenes unrest at Tynecastle during the close-season however which resulted in him relinquishing the captaincy. His total of appearances in the league and Scottish Cup was 218, with 48 goals scored.

Sunderland

Thomson moved to Sunderland in 1908 in a joint transfer with goalkeeper Thomas Allan for £700. At the time a transfer fee limit of £350 existed in the Football League and it has been speculated that the joint fee was a means to circumvent these restrictions, with more than 50% of the fee being liable for Thomson's signature. These suggestions are supported by two facts: firstly, Thomson was at that point Scotland captain while Allan was not recognised internationally; secondly Allan returned to Hearts two seasons later for a fee much less than £350. Thomson's time with Sunderland was no less successful than his time with Hearts. Quickly appointed club captain, he led the team through a remarkably consistent period: during his time with the club they finished no lower than eighth in the First Division. He made over 264 major appearances for Sunderland (seven goals) and helped them to the 1912–13 League title. The Black Cats narrowly missed out on a

double A double is a look-alike or doppelgänger; one person or being that resembles another. Double, The Double or Dubble may also refer to: Film and television * Double (filmmaking), someone who substitutes for the credited actor of a character * ...

that season when beaten 1–0 by Aston Villa in the

1913 FA Cup Final The 1913 FA Cup Final was contested by Aston Villa and Sunderland on 19 April 1913 at London's Crystal Palace. Playing as the home side, Aston Villa won 1–0 on a goal by Tommy Barber on a crossed ball from Charlie Wallace. Wallace had ear ...

, with Thomson and the Villa centre-forward Harry Hampton both later suspended for a month for their conduct in what was a bruising occasion. During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, The Haddingtonshire Advertiser reported that Thomson was "again following his trade as a baker, being presently attached to the Italian Army in that capacity."2 November 1917 Thomson retired from playing in 1919, at the age of 41, and became a

publican In antiquity, publicans ( Greek τελώνης ''telōnēs'' (singular); Latin ''publicanus'' (singular); ''publicani'' (plural)) were public contractors, in whose official capacity they often supplied the Roman legions and military, managed th ...

back in his native Scotland.

Honours

; Heart of Midlothian *

Scottish Cup The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,1901 Events January * January 1 – The British colonies of New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia federate as the Commonwealth of Australia; Edmund Barton becomes the first Prime Minist ...

1906 Events January–February * January 12 – Persian Constitutional Revolution: A nationalistic coalition of merchants, religious leaders and intellectuals in Persia forces the shah Mozaffar ad-Din Shah Qajar to grant a constitution, ...

;Sunderland * Football League First Division: 1912–13 *

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...

: runner-up

1913 Events January * January 5 – First Balkan War: Battle of Lemnos – Greek admiral Pavlos Kountouriotis forces the Turkish fleet to retreat to its base within the Dardanelles, from which it will not venture for the rest of the ...

References

External links