Andy Thomson (Scottish footballer)
Encyclopedia
Andrew "Andy" Thomson is a former Scottish
professional football (soccer)
player. He played in 549 league matches, scoring 195 league goals in a career that saw him play for Queen of the South
, Partick Thistle
, Falkirk
and Stenhousemuir
in Scotland
and Southend United
, Oxford United
, Gillingham
and Queens Park Rangers
in England
.
club Queen of the South from Motherwell
boys' club Jerviston as an 18 year old. As he became more experienced the goals started to flow and never stopped in his five seasons at Palmerston
. Arguably his finest achievement with Queens was the 1990-91 Scottish League Cup
run to the quarter finals. Queens knocked out higher division opponents (Dundee and Dunferlmine Athletic) before being eliminated by a late goal away to Celtic.
Thomson scored 109 goals in all competitions during his first spell at Queens. In 1993-94 he was Queens Player of the Year and also awarded the Scottish Second Division award, as he had been two seasons before, as well as being the country's top scorer.
Aberdeen
offered £150,000 for Thomson but this was rejected. Southend United offered £250,000 and a deal was struck that led to Thomson leaving for Essex
in south-east England on 4 July 1994. As well as being the record fee paid at the time by Southend, this still remains the highest fee received by Queens.
Andy Thomson returned to Palmerston Park to play for a Queen of the South select on 23 April 1995. The opposition in the 2-2 draw was Rangers in a game to mark Queens' 75th anniversary and the opening of the new stand. Other guests for Queens included Ted McMinn
, Davie Irons
and Rowan Alexander
.
On 28 May 2000 Thomson scored the winning goal for Gillingham in the Football League Second Division
play-off final at Wembley Stadium. Thomson had come on as an extra time substitute in the 97th minute of the game. Thomson scored with two minutes of play left on the clock. Following Ty Gooden
's centre from the right, the diving Thomson stole in front of Stuart Balmer
to glance the ball into the far corner of the net. The goal was reminiscent of Keith Houchen
's cup final goal for Coventry City against Tottenham Hotspur. The 3-2 win against Wigan Athletic ensured the Kent
club's first ever promotion to the second tier of English football. The club's website described the goals as, "The most iconic moment in the long history of Gillingham F.C. encapsulated in a few moments of extra time football".
Andy Thomson became the second former Queen of the South player to win a Wembley play off final after Ted McMinn.
Thomson also scored 4 goals in Gillingham's 1999–00 FA Cup
run, against Cheltenham, Walsall, Bradford City and Sheffield Wednesday. The Gills were knocked out of the FA Cup in the quarter finals, the first time they had ever reached so far, at Stamford Bridge
, when they lost 5-0 to Chelsea.
was an excellent chairman."
Thomson scored 114 goals in his two spells at Palmerston. This cements his place as the third highest goalscorer in Queens history behind Jim Patterson
and Bobby Black
.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
professional football (soccer)
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
player. He played in 549 league matches, scoring 195 league goals in a career that saw him play for Queen of the South
Queen of the South F.C.
Queen of the South Football Club is a Scottish professional football club founded in 1919 and located in Dumfries. The club currently plays in the Scottish First Division, the second tier of Scottish football. They are officially nicknamed The Doonhamers, but usually referred to as Queens or QoS...
, Partick Thistle
Partick Thistle F.C.
Partick Thistle Football Club are a professional association football club from Glasgow. Despite their name, the club are based in the Maryhill area of the city, and have not played in Partick since 1908...
, Falkirk
Falkirk F.C.
Falkirk Football Club is a Scottish professional football club based in Falkirk. It is one of two professional football teams from the town, the other being East Stirlingshire...
and Stenhousemuir
Stenhousemuir F.C.
Stenhousemuir FC is a Scottish football club located in Stenhousemuir. The club is a member of the Scottish Football League and currently plays in the Scottish Second Division....
in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
and Southend United
Southend United F.C.
Southend United Football Club is an English football club based at Roots Hall Stadium, Prittlewell, Southend-on-Sea, Essex, who play in Football League Two. Their home ground is Roots Hall, and the club plan to move into a new 22,000-seater stadium located at Fossetts Farm.-Stadium:The club has had...
, Oxford United
Oxford United F.C.
Oxford United Football Club is an English association football club based in Oxford, Oxfordshire. The club play in League Two, following promotion from the Conference National in May 2010. The club had been a non-League side since their relegation from the Football League in the 2005–06 season. The...
, Gillingham
Gillingham F.C.
Gillingham Football Club is an English professional football club based in the town of Gillingham, Kent. The only Kent-based club in the Football League, they play their home matches at the Priestfield Stadium...
and Queens Park Rangers
Queens Park Rangers F.C.
Queens Park Rangers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in White City, Hammersmith and Fulham, west London. As the 2010-11 Football League Championship champions, they now play in the top tier of English football the Premier League, for the first time in 15 years...
in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
Queen of the South (1st spell)
Thomson signed on 28 July 1989 for DumfriesDumfries
Dumfries is a market town and former royal burgh within the Dumfries and Galloway council area of Scotland. It is near the mouth of the River Nith into the Solway Firth. Dumfries was the county town of the former county of Dumfriesshire. Dumfries is nicknamed Queen of the South...
club Queen of the South from Motherwell
Motherwell F.C.
Motherwell Football & Athletic Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Motherwell, North Lanarkshire. The club compete in the Scottish Premier League and are one of only seven teams to have remained in this league since it was founded in 1998...
boys' club Jerviston as an 18 year old. As he became more experienced the goals started to flow and never stopped in his five seasons at Palmerston
Palmerston Park
Palmerston Park is a multi-purpose stadium on Terregles Street in Dumfries, south west Scotland. The site of the ground was formerly a farm called Palmers Toun. This is on the Maxwelltown side of the River Nith in Dumfries. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home ground of...
. Arguably his finest achievement with Queens was the 1990-91 Scottish League Cup
Scottish League Cup
The Scottish League Cup is a football competition open to all Scottish Football League and Scottish Premier League clubs. At present it is also known as the Scottish Communities League Cup owing to the sponsorship deal in place with the Scottish Government. In the past it has been sponsored by...
run to the quarter finals. Queens knocked out higher division opponents (Dundee and Dunferlmine Athletic) before being eliminated by a late goal away to Celtic.
Thomson scored 109 goals in all competitions during his first spell at Queens. In 1993-94 he was Queens Player of the Year and also awarded the Scottish Second Division award, as he had been two seasons before, as well as being the country's top scorer.
Aberdeen
Aberdeen F.C.
Aberdeen Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Aberdeen...
offered £150,000 for Thomson but this was rejected. Southend United offered £250,000 and a deal was struck that led to Thomson leaving for Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
in south-east England on 4 July 1994. As well as being the record fee paid at the time by Southend, this still remains the highest fee received by Queens.
Andy Thomson returned to Palmerston Park to play for a Queen of the South select on 23 April 1995. The opposition in the 2-2 draw was Rangers in a game to mark Queens' 75th anniversary and the opening of the new stand. Other guests for Queens included Ted McMinn
Ted McMinn
Kevin Clifton "Ted" McMinn is a Scottish former association footballer who played as a winger. His nickname is The Tin Man.-Early years:...
, Davie Irons
Davie Irons
David John "Davie" Irons is a Scottish former professional footballer who has transitioned to football management.His playing career spanned 26 years as a central defender or midfielder...
and Rowan Alexander
Rowan Alexander
Rowan Samuel Alexander is a former footballer and ex-manager of one-time Scottish Football League club Gretna.He is currently assistant manager at Ayrshire junior side .-Queen of the South:...
.
Southend United and Oxford United
As well as four seasons at Southend Thomson also spent one season at Oxford United.Gillingham
Andy Thomson signed for Gillingham on 5 August 1999 for £25,000 just before the season kicked off. This was later described by manager Peter Taylor as the best £25,000 he ever spent.On 28 May 2000 Thomson scored the winning goal for Gillingham in the Football League Second Division
Football League Second Division
From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
play-off final at Wembley Stadium. Thomson had come on as an extra time substitute in the 97th minute of the game. Thomson scored with two minutes of play left on the clock. Following Ty Gooden
Ty Gooden
Ty Gooden is an English former professional footballer. He played for teams including Arsenal, Wycombe Wanderers, Swindon Town, Gillingham and Canvey Island.During his time at Swindon he was often inconsistent...
's centre from the right, the diving Thomson stole in front of Stuart Balmer
Stuart Balmer
Stuart Murray Balmer is a former Scottish professional football defender who is currently assistant manager at Ross County in the Scottish First Division.-Career:...
to glance the ball into the far corner of the net. The goal was reminiscent of Keith Houchen
Keith Houchen
Keith Morton Houchen is an English former footballer and football manager. A forward, he score 162 goals in 509 league games....
's cup final goal for Coventry City against Tottenham Hotspur. The 3-2 win against Wigan Athletic ensured the Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
club's first ever promotion to the second tier of English football. The club's website described the goals as, "The most iconic moment in the long history of Gillingham F.C. encapsulated in a few moments of extra time football".
Andy Thomson became the second former Queen of the South player to win a Wembley play off final after Ted McMinn.
Thomson also scored 4 goals in Gillingham's 1999–00 FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
run, against Cheltenham, Walsall, Bradford City and Sheffield Wednesday. The Gills were knocked out of the FA Cup in the quarter finals, the first time they had ever reached so far, at Stamford Bridge
Stamford Bridge (stadium)
Stamford Bridge is a football stadium in Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, West London, and is the home of Chelsea Football Club. The stadium is located within the Moore Park Estate also known as Walham Green and is often referred to as simply The Bridge...
, when they lost 5-0 to Chelsea.
Queens Park Rangers
From Gillingham Thomson went to QPR, signing on 22 March 2001. Thomson left to return to Scotland 10 July 2003.Partick Thiste, Falkirk & Queen of the South (2nd spell)
He returned to Scotland and played for Partick Thistle, Falkirk and then moved back to Dumfries. Thomson said on his return to Queens, "Things have changed quite a bit while I've been away - a new stand, a completely new set-up and a more modern type of training system". Thomson added, "Norman BlountNorman Blount
Norman Blount is the Scottish former chairman of Queen of the South football club. Blount was instrumental as the new broom that swept through the Dumfries club in the mid and late 90s replacing the previous regime under which the club had gone into stagnation and decline from the late 1960s...
was an excellent chairman."
Thomson scored 114 goals in his two spells at Palmerston. This cements his place as the third highest goalscorer in Queens history behind Jim Patterson
Jim Patterson (footballer)
James "Jim" Patterson is a former professional footballer and all-time record goalscorer for Scottish League club Queen of the South.-Early years:...
and Bobby Black
Bobby Black
Bobby Black is a Scottish ex-professional footballer from Thornhill, Dumfries and Galloway perhaps best known for his time at East Fife and Queen of the South and was also capped by the Scottish League. Black later was an all England bowls champion...
.