Thomas Edward Robinson (11 February 1909 – 25 March 1982) 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 scored 37 goals in 121 appearances in the Football League playing mainly as an inside left for Birmingham,

Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the North West England, northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the Borough of Blackpool, borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, betw ...

Chesterfield Chesterfield may refer to: Places Canada * Rural Municipality of Chesterfield No. 261, Saskatchewan * Chesterfield Inlet, Nunavut United Kingdom * Chesterfield, Derbyshire, a market town in England ** Chesterfield (UK Parliament constitue ...

, Lincoln City, Northampton Town, Gillingham and Walsall.

Life and career

Thomas Edward Robinson was born on 11 February 1909 in

Coalville, Leicestershire Coalville is an industrial town in the district of North West Leicestershire, Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England, with a population at the 2011 census of 34,575. It lies on the A511 trunk road between Leicester and Burton upon Tr ...

. He was the second son of Ernest Robinson, a coal miner, and his wife Gertrude Martha. He played local football for Coalville YMCA, Ibstock Town and Leicestershire Senior League club Whitwick Imperial before joining Loughborough Corinthians of the Midland League ahead of the 1927–28 season. He moved on to

Gresley Rovers Gresley Rovers Football Club is an English association football, football club from Church Gresley, South Derbyshire. Gresley is a member of the and plays home games at the Moat Ground. They were known as Gresley Rovers until 2009, when they we ...

of the

Birmingham Combination The Birmingham Combination was an English football competition for teams in Birmingham and the surrounding areas, which was active from 1892 until 1954. It was founded as the Birmingham & District Junior League, and changed its name in 1908. The ...

in March 1928, scored four goals on debut in a 10–0 win, and, after a trial in which he and Gresley team-mate George Haywood played for Birmingham's Combination side, both signed professional forms for the

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 in January 1929. Robinson played for Birmingham,

, Lincoln City, Northampton Town, Gillingham and Walsall, appearing in all four divisions of 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 ...

during the 1930s. He then returned to

non-league football Non-League football describes football leagues played outside the top leagues of a country. Usually, it describes leagues which are not fully professional. The term is primarily used for football in England, where it is specifically used to de ...

with

Tunbridge Wells Rangers Tunbridge Wells Football Club is a football club based in Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England. They are currently members of the . They play their home games at Culverden Stadium. The club is affiliated to the Kent County Football Association ...

and

Nuneaton Borough Nuneaton Borough Football Club is an English football club that is based in Nuneaton, Warwickshire. The men's 1st team competes in the , the seventh tier of English football. In 1889, Nuneaton St. Nicholas FC was the first team in Nuneaton t ...

. He retired from the game during the Second World War. Robinson died in Moira, Leicestershire, on 25 March 1982 at the age of 73.

References

1909 births 1982 deaths People from Coalville Footballers from Leicestershire English men's footballers Men's association football inside forwards Whitwick Imperial F.C. players Loughborough Corinthians F.C. players Gresley Rovers F.C. players Birmingham City F.C. players Blackpool F.C. players Chesterfield F.C. players Lincoln City F.C. players Northampton Town F.C. players Gillingham F.C. players Walsall F.C. players Tunbridge Wells F.C. players Nuneaton Borough F.C. players Midland Football League players English Football League players {{England-footy-forward-1900s-stub