Thomas John Mooney (born 11 August 1971) is an English former 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 mainly as a
striker. He made more than 600 appearances in 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 ...
and
Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...
with 250 for
Watford
Watford () is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, 15 miles northwest of Central London, on the River Colne.
Initially a small market town, the Grand Junction Canal encouraged the construction of paper-making mills, print works, a ...
and more than 100 for
Scarborough Scarborough or Scarboro may refer to:
People
* Scarborough (surname)
* Earl of Scarbrough
Places Australia
* Scarborough, Western Australia, suburb of Perth
* Scarborough, New South Wales, suburb of Wollongong
* Scarborough, Queensland, su ...
and scored in each of the top four divisions of the
English football league system
The English football league system, also known as the football pyramid, is a series of interconnected leagues for men's association football clubs in England, with five teams from Wales, one from Guernsey, one from Jersey and one from the Isl ...
.
Playing career
Early career
Mooney initially played his football at
Billingham Synthonia and began his professional career at
Aston Villa
Aston Villa Football Club is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club competes in the , the top tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1874, they have played at their home ground, Villa Park ...
, but was released in 1990 by
Graham Taylor
Graham Taylor (15 September 1944 – 12 January 2017) was an English football player, manager, pundit and chairman of Watford Football Club. He was the manager of the England national football team from 1990 to 1993, and also managed Lincoln C ...
without ever playing for the first team. Mooney then joined
Scarborough Scarborough or Scarboro may refer to:
People
* Scarborough (surname)
* Earl of Scarbrough
Places Australia
* Scarborough, Western Australia, suburb of Perth
* Scarborough, New South Wales, suburb of Wollongong
* Scarborough, Queensland, su ...
, where he made a name for himself, scoring 40 goals in 129 first-team appearances. After three years at Scarborough, he moved to
Southend United
Southend United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England. As of the 2022–23 season, the team competes in the National League, the fifth tier of English football. Southend are known as ...
for a reported £100,000.
Watford
After just one season at Southend he arrived at
Watford
Watford () is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, 15 miles northwest of Central London, on the River Colne.
Initially a small market town, the Grand Junction Canal encouraged the construction of paper-making mills, print works, a ...
– initially on loan, before eventually signing for £95,000 in July 1994 as a 'makeweight' alongside midfielder
Derek Payne
Derek Richard Payne (born 26 April 1967) is an English former professional footballer who played as a midfielder, making over 200 appearances in the Football League.
Career
Born in Edgware, Payne played for Kingsbury Town, Burnham, Hayes, B ...
, with
Keith Dublin moving in the opposite direction.
In his early days at the club, under manager
Glenn Roeder
Glenn Victor Roeder (13 December 1955 – 28 February 2021) was an English professional football player and manager.
As a player, Roeder played as a defender for Arsenal, Leyton Orient, Queens Park Rangers, Notts County, Newcastle United, Watfo ...
, he failed to cement a successful striking partnership with
Jamie Moralee and soon found himself in the reserves or on the bench. He eventually ended up playing as part of the defensive line during 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 ...
championship-winning campaign of
1997–98.
Mooney started the
1998–99 season in a defensive role, but slipped out of the side as Watford reverted to 4–4–2. Meanwhile, Watford, after a good start, had fallen out of the play-off positions as the season drew to a close. On 3 April 1999 during a home league match against
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 adop ...
Watford manager
Graham Taylor
Graham Taylor (15 September 1944 – 12 January 2017) was an English football player, manager, pundit and chairman of Watford Football Club. He was the manager of the England national football team from 1990 to 1993, and also managed Lincoln C ...
brought on Mooney as part of a triple substitution. The effect was almost immediate with Mooney whipping in a cross for Peter Kennedy to half volley home, as Watford went on to win 2–1.
Taylor picked Mooney for the following week's away fixture against
Birmingham City
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional football club based in Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943. Since 2011, the first te ...
in his favoured striker's role. He scored the first and made the second in a 2–0 win. Watford went on to reach the play-offs gaining 19 points (out of a maximum 21) from their last seven games with Mooney scoring in every game bar one. He went on to give valuable performances in both legs of the subsequent play-off semi final (against Birmingham) and the final against
Bolton Wanderers
Bolton Wanderers Football Club () is a professional football club based in Horwich, Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in . The club played at Burnden Park for 102 years from 1895 after moving from their original home at Pike's ...
at
Wembley Stadium
Wembley Stadium (branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE for sponsorship reasons) is a football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Stadium, which was demolished from 200 ...
, despite not scoring in either.
Watford's inaugural Premiership season started brightly enough for Mooney, who scored the only goal in front of The Kop at
Anfield
Anfield is a football stadium in Anfield, Liverpool, Merseyside, England, which has a seating capacity of 53,394, making it the seventh largest football stadium in England. It has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since their formation in 1892. ...
to secure a memorable away win against
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
– his boyhood club.
He scored again the following week at home to
Bradford City
Bradford City Association Football Club is an English professional football club in Bradford, West Yorkshire. The team competes in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system and are currently managed by Mark Hughes.
Th ...
. He was injured in a 1–0 win against
Gianluca Vialli
Gianluca Vialli (; born 9 July 1964) is an Italian former football manager and player who played as a striker. Since retiring, he has gone into management, punditry and worked previously as a commentator for Sky Sport Italia. He is currently ...
's
Chelsea
Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to:
Places Australia
* Chelsea, Victoria
Canada
* Chelsea, Nova Scotia
* Chelsea, Quebec
United Kingdom
* Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames
** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...
in mid-September. He was only able to make eight appearances as Watford were relegated.
A return to the
First Division in 2000 witnessed a fully fit Mooney back as centre forward. He became the first player in nearly a decade to score twenty league goals for the club. This achievement was enough to earn Mooney his second
Player of the Season award.
In May 2006 Mooney became the fourth inductee into the Watford Hall of Fame, alongside
Luther Blissett
Luther Loide Blissett (born 1 February 1958) is a former professional footballer and manager who played for the England national team during the 1980s. Born in Jamaica, Blissett played as a striker, and is best known for his time at Watford, ...
,
John McClelland and
Tony Coton
Anthony Philip Coton (born 19 May 1961) is an English football coach and former footballer who is a goalkeeper scout for Premier League side Manchester United.
As a player he was as a goalkeeper who made 500 appearances in the Football League a ...
.
Birmingham and beyond
Out of contract with Watford, Mooney took up the offer of a better contract to play for
Birmingham City
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional football club based in Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943. Since 2011, the first te ...
, playing for the West Midlands club from June 2001 to July 2003 and making a total of 29 league starts. He featured heavily in the side that took Birmingham from the First Division to the
FA Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...
via the playoffs in the
2001–2002 season. However Mooney played just one game in the top division before being loaned to
Stoke City
Stoke City Football Club is a professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England, which competes in the . Founded as Stoke Ramblers in 1863, it changed its name to Stoke in 1878 and then to Stoke City in 1925 after Stoke ...
. At Stoke Mooney played 12 times scoring three goals one of which came against his former club Watford. Two other loans followed that season for
Sheffield United
Sheffield United Football Club is a professional football club in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . They are nicknamed "the Blades" due to Sheffield's history of cutlery production. The team have played home games at ...
and
Derby County
Derby County Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Derby, Derbyshire, England. In 2022, it was announced that DCFC was acquired by Clowes Developments (UK) Ltd, a Derbyshire-based property group.
Founded in 1884 ...
. At Sheffield United he scored once in the FA Cup, against future club Walsall.
Mooney then moved to
Swindon Town
Swindon Town Football Club is a professional Association football, football club based in Swindon, Wiltshire, England. The team currently competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. The club has played home matches at ...
for the
2003–2004 season. Mooney played a crucial part in Swindon reaching the play-offs that season, scoring 20 goals and setting up many more. Swindon lost in the play-off semi-final to
Brighton & Hove Albion
Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club (), commonly referred to simply as Brighton, is an English professional football club based in the city of Brighton and Hove. They compete in the Premier League, the top tier of the English football league ...
, with Mooney missing his kick in the penalty shootout when keeper
Ben Roberts just tipped it around the post. Then in the summer of 2004, he transferred to Swindon's rivals
Oxford United
Oxford United Football Club is a professional football club in the city of Oxford, England. The team plays in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. The chairman is Grant Ferguson, the manager is Karl Robinson and th ...
, having failed to agree a new contract with Swindon. He was Oxford's top scorer for the club in
2004–2005.
In the summer of 2005 Mooney signed for
Wycombe Wanderers
Wycombe Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. The team compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. They play their home ...
, on a two-year contract. His first season at Wycombe started superbly, scoring a volley against
Carlisle United
Carlisle United Football Club ( , ) is a professional association football club based in Carlisle, Cumbria, England. The team compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. They have played their home games at Brunton Par ...
on his debut but ended in misery as he limped out of Wycombe's play-off semi final against
Cheltenham
Cheltenham (), also known as Cheltenham Spa, is a spa town and borough on the edge of the Cotswolds in the county of Gloucestershire, England. Cheltenham became known as a health and holiday spa town resort, following the discovery of mineral s ...
, which Wycombe went on to lose. He was also captain of the side. Mooney also played in the biggest game of the latter part of his career when he played for Wycombe in the League Cup semi-final against Chelsea (both legs) including making the flick header to
Jermaine Easter
Jermaine Maurice Easter (born 15 January 1982 in Cardiff) is a former Welsh international footballer who played as a striker.
Club career
Easter started his career as a trainee at Wolverhampton Wanderers, before being released, and joining Ha ...
which resulted in a 1–1 draw in the first leg at Adams Park. Wycombe went on to lose the second leg 4–0 at Stamford Bridge
In July 2007 Mooney rejected a contract with Wycombe saying that they had not made enough changes to have a good chance of promotion the following season. He subsequently signed for newly promoted
League One
The English Football League One (often referred to as League One for short or Sky Bet League One for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League One from 2004 until 2016) is the second-highest division of the English Football Leag ...
side
Walsall
Walsall (, or ; locally ) is a market town and administrative centre in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands County, England. Historic counties of England, Historically part of Staffordshire, it is located north-west of Birmingham, east ...
.
Mooney's contract expired at the end of the 2007–08 season, and the player rejected the chance of an extension with the club. It was announced in June 2008 that Mooney had joined
Segunda División B
Segunda División B ( en, Second Division B) was the third tier of the Spanish football league system containing 102 teams divided into five groups, until it was replaced by the new structure in 2021. It was administered by the Royal Spanish Foot ...
side
UD Marbella
Marbella Fútbol Club, formerly known as Unión Deportiva Marbella, is a Spanish football team based in Marbella, the autonomous community of Andalusia. Founded in 1997 it currently plays in Tercera Federación – Group 9 (the 5th level of the ...
. who were to be his last club before retirement.
Coaching career
As of August 2018, Mooney was working as a coach at Aston Villa.
Personal life
His son
Kelsey is also a footballer.
Media
Mooney currently has various media roles with Watford, and is a matchday commentator alongside Jon Marks for the club's live match streaming platform 'Hornets Hive Live'. He also regularly appears on the Watford FC Official Club Podcast.
Career statistics
Source:
:A. The "Other" column constitutes appearances and goals in the
Anglo-Italian Cup
The Anglo-Italian Cup ( it, Coppa Anglo-Italiana, also known as the Anglo-Italian Inter-League Clubs Competition and from 1976 to 1986 as the Alitalia Challenge Cup, Talbot Challenge Cup or Gigi Peronace Memorial) is a defunct European football c ...
,
Football League Trophy
The English Football League Trophy, known for sponsorship purposes as the Papa Johns Trophy after restaurant chain Papa John's Pizza, is an annual English association football knockout competition open to all clubs in EFL League One and EFL Leag ...
and
Football League play-offs
The English Football League play-offs are a series of play-off matches contested by the four association football teams finishing immediately below the automatic promotion places in the second, third and fourth tiers of the English football league ...
.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mooney, Tommy
1971 births
Living people
Footballers from Middlesbrough
Aston Villa F.C. players
Birmingham City F.C. players
Derby County F.C. players
English expatriate footballers
English footballers
Oxford United F.C. players
Premier League players
Scarborough F.C. players
Sheffield United F.C. players
Southend United F.C. players
Stoke City F.C. players
Swindon Town F.C. players
English Football League players
Walsall F.C. players
Watford F.C. players
Wycombe Wanderers F.C. players
Marbella FC players
Association football forwards
Aston Villa F.C. non-playing staff
English expatriate sportspeople in Spain
Expatriate footballers in Spain
Segunda División B players