Thomas Joseph Eglington (15 January 1923 – 18 February 2004) was an Irish
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 as an
outside-left
Forwards (also known as attackers) are Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield positions in an association football team who play the furthest up the pitch and are therefore most responsible for scoring Goal (sport)#Association footbal ...
for, among others,
Shamrock Rovers
Shamrock Rovers Football Club ( ga, Cumann Peile Ruagairí na Seamróige) is an Irish association football club based in Tallaght, South Dublin. The club's senior team competes in the League of Ireland Premier Division and it is the most su ...
,
Everton and
Tranmere Rovers
Tranmere Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Birkenhead, Merseyside, England. The team compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1884 as Belmont Football Club, they ado ...
. Eglington was also a
dual internationalist and played for both Ireland teams – the
FAI XI and the
IFA XI.
Eglington's playing career followed a similar path to that of
Peter Farrell. As well as teaming up at international level, they also played together at three clubs. Eglington was best known as a creator of chances, for his acceleration down the wing and for his ability to deliver a precise pass at speed. He also possessed a powerful shot. He remains one of
Everton's all-time
top goalscorers and has played more games in the
Second Division
In sport, the Second Division, also called Division 2 or Division II is usually the second highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Following the rise of Premier League style compet ...
than any other Everton player.
Club career
Shamrock Rovers
Before joining Rovers, Eglington played as a junior with both Munster Victoria and
Distillery
Distillation, or classical distillation, is the process of separating the components or substances from a liquid mixture by using selective boiling and condensation, usually inside an apparatus known as a still. Dry distillation is the heati ...
and helped the latter club win the
FAI Junior Cup in 1941–42.
He then joined
Shamrock Rovers
Shamrock Rovers Football Club ( ga, Cumann Peile Ruagairí na Seamróige) is an Irish association football club based in Tallaght, South Dublin. The club's senior team competes in the League of Ireland Premier Division and it is the most su ...
where together with
Peter Farrell,
Jimmy McAlinden
James McAlinden (27 December 1917 – 15 November 1993) was an Irish footballer who played as a forward for several clubs, most notably, Belfast Celtic, Portsmouth, Shamrock Rovers and Southend United. As an international, McAlinden also played ...
and
Paddy Coad
Paddy Coad (14 April 1920 – 8 March 1992) was an Irish football player and manager. He played as a forward for Waterford, Glenavon, Shamrock Rovers and Ireland. Although known, primarily, as a maker of goals, Coad scored 126 goals in the ...
, he helped Rovers reach three successive
FAI Cup
The Football Association of Ireland Senior Challenge Cup (FAI Cup), known as the Extra.ie FAI Cup for sponsorship reasons, is a knock-out association football competition contested annually by teams from the Republic of Ireland (as well as Derry ...
finals. They won the competition in 1944 and 1945 and finished as runners up in 1946.
In June 1946 Eglington also made his debut for the
FAI XI while at Rovers. He won his first two caps while a Rovers player.
Everton
In July 1946, together with
Peter Farrell, Eglington signed for
Everton. In September 1946 he made his League debut for the club in a 3–2 home win against
Arsenal
An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
. In eleven seasons at Everton he played 394 league games and scored 76 goals. He also played a further 34 games and scored a further 12 goals in the
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 ...
. During his time with Everton his teammates, apart from Farrell, also included
Alex Stevenson,
Peter Corr
Peter Joseph Corr (23 June 1923 – 1 June 2001) was an Irish footballer. Corr played as an outside-right for, among others, Everton and Ireland. In 1949 he was a member of the Ireland team that defeated England 2–0 at Goodison Park, becomin ...
,
Harry Catterick
Harry Catterick (26 November 1919 – 9 March 1985) was an English football player and manager. As a player Catterick played for Everton and Crewe Alexandra, in a career that was interrupted by World War II, but he is most notable as a manager. ...
,
Wally Fielding
Wally Fielding (26 November 1919 – 18 January 2008) was a professional footballer from 1945 until 1960.
In 1945, after leaving the Army, Fielding was signed by Everton manager Theo Kelly having been a youth amateur player for Charlton Athlet ...
,
Tommy E. Jones, and
Dave Hickson
David Hickson (30 October 1929 – 8 July 2013) was an English professional footballer who played for Everton, Aston Villa, Huddersfield Town, Liverpool, Cambridge City, Bury and Tranmere Rovers
Club career
Hickson started his football ...
.
Eglington's most prolific scoring season came in 1952–53 when he scored 16 times, 14 in the
Second Division
In sport, the Second Division, also called Division 2 or Division II is usually the second highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Following the rise of Premier League style compet ...
and 2 in the
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 ...
. On 27 September 1952, he scored 5 of these goals in just one game at
Goodison Park
Goodison Park is a football stadium in the Walton area of Liverpool, England. It has been the home stadium of Premier League club Everton F.C. since its completion in 1892. Located in a residential area 2 miles (3 km) north of Liverpool ...
against
Doncaster Rovers
Doncaster Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. The team compete in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. The club play their home games at ...
, helping Everton to a 7–1 win. He also reached double figures in both 1953–54 and 1955–56. During the 1953–54 season his goals helped Everton finish as runners up in the Second Division, thus gaining promotion to the
First Division.
Tranmere Rovers
In June 1957 Eglington signed for
Tranmere Rovers
Tranmere Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Birkenhead, Merseyside, England. The team compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1884 as Belmont Football Club, they ado ...
and three months later he was followed there by
Peter Farrell. He spent three seasons at Rovers making 172 league appearances and scoring 36 goals. He also played a further 9 games and scored a further 4 goals for Rovers in the
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 ...
. In August 1959 Eglington scored a hat-trick for Rovers in a 5–1 win over
Accrington Stanley
Accrington Stanley Football Club is a professional association football club based in Accrington, Lancashire, England. The club competes in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. They have spent their complete his ...
.
Cork Hibernians
In 1961 Eglington signed for
Cork Hibernians
Cork Hibernians F.C. were an Irish football club based in Cork. They played in the League of Ireland between 1957 and 1976 and, from 1962, played their home games at Flower Lodge. In 1971, they were League of Ireland champions.
History
The ...
. He spent two seasons at Hibs and helped them reach the 1963
FAI Cup
The Football Association of Ireland Senior Challenge Cup (FAI Cup), known as the Extra.ie FAI Cup for sponsorship reasons, is a knock-out association football competition contested annually by teams from the Republic of Ireland (as well as Derry ...
final where they lost 2–0 to
Shelbourne. While at Hibs he also played four times for the
League of Ireland XI
The League of Ireland XI, more recently referred to as the ''Airtricity League XI'' for sponsorship reasons, is the representative team of the League of Ireland, the national association football league of the Republic of Ireland. For much of its ...
at veteran age of 38. In a memorable game in
Bristol
Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...
he scored in a 5–2 defeat to an
English League XI team that was the nucleus of the
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
team that won the
1966 World Cup.
International career
When Eglington began his international career in 1946 there were, in effect, two Ireland teams, chosen by two rival associations. Both associations, the Northern Ireland – based
IFA
IFA or Ifa may refer to:
Organisations
Economics
* Independent financial adviser, a type of financial services professional in the UK
* Index Fund Advisors
* Institute and Faculty of Actuaries, representing actuaries in the UK
* Institute of Ac ...
and the Republic of Ireland – based
FAI claimed jurisdiction over the whole of Ireland and selected players from the whole island. As a result, several notable Irish players from this era, including Eglington, played for both teams.
It is notable that Eglington only won 24 caps for the Republic of Ireland but was awarded with the customary statuette normally reserved for those reaching 25 caps.
FAI XI
Between 1946 and 1955 Eglington made 24 appearances and scored 2 goals for the
FAI XI. He made his international debut on 16 June 1946 against
Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...
. Eglington scored his first goal for the FAI XI in a 4–0 win against
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
on 25 March 1953. He captained the FAI XI during the qualifying rounds for the
1954 FIFA World Cup
The 1954 FIFA World Cup was the fifth edition of the FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football tournament for senior men's national teams of the nations affiliated to FIFA. It was held in Switzerland from 16 June to 4 July. Switzerla ...
and, during the same competition, he scored his second goal in a 4–0 win against
Luxembourg
Luxembourg ( ; lb, Lëtzebuerg ; french: link=no, Luxembourg; german: link=no, Luxemburg), officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, ; french: link=no, Grand-Duché de Luxembourg ; german: link=no, Großherzogtum Luxemburg is a small lan ...
on 28 October 1953. Eglington played his last game for the FAI XI on 27 November 1955, in a 2–2 draw with
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
.
''The Boys In Green – The FAI International Story'' (1997): Sean Ryan
/ref>
IFA XI
Eglington also made 6 appearances for the IFA XI between 1946 and 1948. On 27 November 1946, he made his debut for the IFA XI in a 0–0 draw with Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
. Together with Johnny Carey
John Joseph Carey (23 February 1919 – 22 August 1995) was an Irish professional footballer and manager. As a player, Carey spent most of his career at Manchester United, where he was team captain from 1946 until he retired as a player in 1953 ...
, Con Martin
Cornelius Joseph Martin (20 March 1923 – 24 February 2013) was an Irish footballer. Martin initially played Gaelic football for the Dublin county team before switching codes and embarking on a successful soccer career, playing for, among oth ...
, Bill Gorman, Peter Farrell, Alex Stevenson and Davy Walsh
David Joseph Walsh (28 April 1923 – 14 March 2016), commonly referred to as Davy Walsh or Dave Walsh, was an Irish footballer who played as a centre forward for, among others, Linfield, West Bromwich Albion and Aston Villa. Walsh was a dual ...
, he was one of seven players born in the Irish Free State
The Irish Free State ( ga, Saorstát Éireann, , ; 6 December 192229 December 1937) was a state established in December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty of December 1921. The treaty ended the three-year Irish War of Independence between th ...
to play for the IFA XI that day. The draw helped the team finish as runners-up in the 1947 British Home Championship
It was the first year of the Cold War, which would last until 1991, ending with the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
Events
January
* January–February – Winter of 1946–47 in the United Kingdom: The worst snowfall in the country in ...
. Eglington also helped the IFA XI gain some other respectable results, including a 2–0 win against Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
on 4 October 1947, and a 2–2 draw with England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
at Goodison Park
Goodison Park is a football stadium in the Walton area of Liverpool, England. It has been the home stadium of Premier League club Everton F.C. since its completion in 1892. Located in a residential area 2 miles (3 km) north of Liverpool ...
on 5 November 1947.
After football
Eglington also ran a butcher's shop outside St. Gabriel's Church in Clontarf, Dublin for many years after his retirement.
References
External links
Northern Ireland's Footballing Greats
Obituary at Irish Fan Site
Everton Fan Site
Football Poets
{{DEFAULTSORT:Eglington, Tommy
1923 births
2004 deaths
Association football wingers
Association footballers from County Dublin
Republic of Ireland association footballers
Ireland (FAI) international footballers
Dual Irish international footballers
Pre-1950 IFA international footballers
League of Ireland players
Shamrock Rovers F.C. players
Everton F.C. players
Tranmere Rovers F.C. players
Cork Hibernians F.C. players
League of Ireland XI players
Republic of Ireland international footballers