Thomas Edwin Duff (q4 1905 – q3 1951) was an English

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 le ...

who played as an

outside left Forwards (also known as attackers) are outfield positions in an association football team who play the furthest up the pitch and are therefore most responsible for scoring goals as well as assisting them. As with any attacking player, the role ...

the Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...

for Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic and

Darlington Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, County Durham, England. The River Skerne flows through the town; it is a tributary of the River Tees. The Tees itself flows south of the town. In the 19th century, Darlington underwen ...

. He was on the books of

Huddersfield Town Huddersfield Town Association Football Club is a professional football club based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . The team have played home games at the Kirklees Stadium since moving from Leeds Road in 1994. The ...

without representing them in the league.

Life and career

Duff was born in

West Cornforth West Cornforth is a village in County Durham, in England. It is situated to the south of Cornforth, near the A1 road (Great Britain)#A1.28M.29, A1(M) motorway, Coxhoe, Ferryhill and Spennymoor. It is known locally as “Doggie” though the etymolo ...

County Durham County Durham ( ), officially simply Durham,UK General Acts 1997 c. 23Lieutenancies Act 1997 Schedule 1(3). From legislation.gov.uk, retrieved 6 April 2022. is a ceremonial county in North East England.North East Assembly �About North East E ...

, the second child of Thomas Duff, a bricklayer, and his wife Elizabeth. He began his football career as an amateur with Northern League club

Bishop Auckland Bishop Auckland () is a market town and civil parish at the confluence of the River Wear and the River Gaunless in County Durham, northern England. It is northwest of Darlington and southwest of Durham. Much of the town's early history surro ...

, and his performances earned him selection for a

Football Association The Football Association (also known as The FA) is the governing body of association football in England and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. Formed in 1863, it is the oldest football association in the world an ...

Amateur XI to face an Army XI – the Army won 9–0 – and, in November 1925, a move to

Football League First Division The Football League First Division was a division of the Football League in England from 1888 until 2004. It was the top division in the English football league system from the season 1888–89 until 1991–92, a century in which the First ...

club

. Initially, Duff retained his amateur status with Huddersfield, but he turned professional in September 1926. He played for their reserve team in

the Central League The Central League is a football league for reserve teams, primarily from the English Football League. For sponsorship purposes, it was branded as the Final Third Development League until the 2015/16 season. The league was formed in 1911 and ...

, but not for the first team. He came close on one occasion: with undisputed first-choice outside-left Billy Smith absent on representative duty with

the Football League XI The English Football League XI was a representative side of the Football League. The team regularly played against the Scottish Football League XI and other national league select teams between 1891 and 1976. For a long period the annual fixture b ...

, Duff would have been the obvious replacement, had he not been injured. Duff moved on to

Third Division South The Third Division South of The Football League was a tier in the English football league system from 1921 to 1958. It ran in parallel with the Third Division North with clubs elected to the League or relegated from Division Two allocated to on ...

club Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic, for whom he made his

Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...

debut during the 1928–29 season. He finished the season, and his spell with the club, with three league appearances. Ahead of the 1930–31 season, Duff joined Third Division

on a month's trial. He scored for the reserves, and played twice in the league – he hit the post near the end of the match after Darlington let slip a two-goal lead against

Hull City Hull City Association Football Club is a professional Association football, football club based in Kingston upon Hull, Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England, that compete in the . They have played home games at the MKM Stadium since moving ...

, – but was not taken on permanently because of what the '' Northern Daily Mail'' called the "brilliance" of Peter Bell and

Reuben Vine Reuben Vine (12 September 1903 – 13 January 1969) was an English footballer who scored 11 goals from 48 appearances in the Football League playing as an outside left for Darlington between 1929 and 1931. He was on the books of Gateshead withou ...

. In September 1930, he signed for

North Eastern League The North Eastern League was an association football league for teams in the North East of England. The league was founded in 1906 and was initially successful, with teams defecting from the rival Northern Football Alliance to play. Although som ...

club

Crook Town Crook Town Association Football Club is a football club based in Crook, County Durham, England. They are currently members of the and play at the Sir Tom Cowie Millfield. The club won the FA Amateur Cup five times. History Crook Town Footba ...

. Duff died in

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. ...

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

, in 1951 at the age of 45.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Duff, Tommy 1905 births 1951 deaths People from Sedgefield Footballers from County Durham English men's footballers Men's association football wingers Bishop Auckland F.C. players Huddersfield Town A.F.C. players AFC Bournemouth players Darlington F.C. players Crook Town A.F.C. players Northern Football League players English Football League players