Thomas Pearson (20 May 1866 – 4 July 1918) 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 ...

who played at

inside-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 ...

Career

Pearson was born in

West Bromwich West Bromwich ( ) is a market town in the borough of Sandwell, West Midlands, England. Historically part of Staffordshire, it is north-west of Birmingham. West Bromwich is part of the area known as the Black Country, in terms of geography, ...

. He turned professional with

West Bromwich Albion West Bromwich Albion Football Club () is an English professional football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. The club was formed in 1878 and has pla ...

in April 1886 and made his debut in February 1887 against

Notts County Notts County Football Club is a professional association football club based in Nottingham, England. The team participate in the National League (division), National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. Founded on the 2 ...

in the sixth round of 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 ...

.Matthews (2005) pp. 173–174. Tom Pearson made his League debut on 8 September 1888, as a forward for West Bromwich Albion in a 2–0 win against

Stoke Stoke is a common place name in the United Kingdom. Stoke may refer to: Places United Kingdom The largest city called Stoke is Stoke-on-Trent in Staffordshire. See below. Berkshire * Stoke Row, Berkshire Bristol * Stoke Bishop * Stok ...

at the

Victoria Ground The Victoria Ground was the home ground of Stoke City from 1878 until 1997, when the club relocated to the Britannia Stadium after 119 years. At the time of its demolition it was the oldest operational ground in the Football League. History ...

. Tom Pearson scored his debut League goal on 15 September 1888 at County Ground against

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 ...

. West Bromwich Albion won the match 2–1. He played all of the "Throstles" 22 Football League matches and scored twelve League goals in season 1888-89 and was part of a forward-line that scored three goals or more in a League match on five occasions. Tom Pearson scored one hat-trick and two-in-a-match on two separate occasions in season 1888–89. He became the first player to score a league

hat-trick A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three. Origin The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three wic ...

for Albion when he scored three goals in the club's 5–0 win against Derby County on 6 October 1888. In a

friendly match An exhibition game (also known as a friendly, a scrimmage, a demonstration, a preseason game, a warmup match, or a preparation match, depending at least in part on the sport) is a sporting event whose prize money and impact on the player's or ...

at home against Aston Villa on 11 January 1892, Pearson took Albion's first ever

penalty kick A penalty shot or penalty kick is a play used in several sports whereby a goal is attempted during untimed play. Depending on the sport, when a player commits certain types of penalties, the opposition is awarded a penalty shot or kick attempt. ...

, but failed to score when he struck the ball over the crossbar. He was Albion's top league scorer during their first five seasons 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 ...

, including two seasons tied with

Billy Bassett William Isiah Bassett (27 January 1869 – 8 April 1937) was an English association footballer, director, and club chairman who served West Bromwich Albion for over half a century. Biography Playing career Born in West Bromwich, the eldest of ...

for the honour. In 1889-90 Season he scored 17 League goals (his best season for goals). He scored three hat-tricks. On 4 November 1889 he scored four as "Albion' defeated

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 ...

6-3 at Stoney Lane. On 21 December 1889 he scored three against

Accrington Accrington is a town in the Hyndburn borough of Lancashire, England. It lies about east of Blackburn, west of Burnley, east of Preston, north of Manchester and is situated on the culverted River Hyndburn. Commonly abbreviated by locals to ...

as "Albion" won 4-1, again at Stoney Lane. Finally, on 4 January 1890 Pearson scored three as "Albion" beat

4-2 at Stoney Lane. Pearson retired in May 1894 due to a serious leg injury. He died in West Bromwich in 1918. Described in one source as a brilliant inside-left, who had endurance, resolution, high-quality shooting power (with both feet) and a distinctive short gait. A natural goalscorer, whose alertness and presence of mind brought him well over 150 goals.

Honours

West Bromwich Albion *

: 1888; runner-up

1887 Events January–March * January 11 – Louis Pasteur's anti-rabies treatment is defended in the Académie Nationale de Médecine, by Dr. Joseph Grancher. * January 20 ** The United States Senate allows the Navy to lease Pearl Har ...

References

;General * * * ;Specific 1866 births 1918 deaths Sportspeople from West Bromwich English footballers Association football forwards West Bromwich Albion F.C. players English Football League players FA Cup Final players {{England-footy-forward-1860s-stub