Thomas Hands (4 January 1870 – after 1900) was an English professional
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. He played 134 games for
Small Heath in the
Football Alliance and
the Football League.
Born in
Small Heath, Birmingham
Small Heath is an area in south-east Birmingham, West Midlands, England situated on and around the Coventry Road about from the city centre.
History
Small Heath, which has been settled and used since Roman times, sits on top of a small hill. Th ...
, Hands played for several clubs in the local area before signing for Small Heath, then playing in the Football Alliance, in December 1890. He went on to make nearly 150 appearances for the club. The strength of Hands's game lay in his speed. In
Small Heath's first Football League season, in which they won the inaugural
Second Division championship, he was part of a forward line who all reached double figures of goals scored. He also contributed to their runners-up spot and promotion to the
First Division the
following year, and played for a further two years in the top flight. At the end of the 1895–96 season, he walked out of the club over a dispute about money and never played league football again.
References
*
1870 births
Footballers from Birmingham, West Midlands
English men's footballers
Men's association football wingers
Birmingham City F.C. players
English Football League players
Year of death missing
Place of death missing
People from Small Heath, Birmingham
Football Alliance players
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