David Thomson (footballer born 1847)
Encyclopedia
David Thomson was a Welsh amateur footballer who helped found the Druids
club and played for Wales
in their first international match. He has been described as "one of the pioneers of Welsh football".
in Staffordshire
, England and moved across the border into Wales as a child when his family settled in the Ruabon
area, together with his younger brother George. Thomson enlisted in the Royal Denbighshire
Militia, reaching the rank of captain
.
Thomson was also an excellent cricket
er with Wynnstay
C.C.
became Ruabon Druids
. Thomson became the first president of the amalgamated club. All three played a prominent role in the foundation of the Football Association of Wales
in early 1876, with David attending the first meeting of the Association, when they agreed to adopt the Football Association
rules. Thomson was also a member of the Shropshire Wanderers club
.
In February 1876, Kenrick organized trial matches to select Welsh players to represent their country in a match against Scotland
. The international match
was played at Hamilton Crescent
, Partick
, the home of the West of Scotland Cricket Club on 25 March 1876, with Thomson playing as a goalkeeper. The Welsh were well defeated, conceding four goals without reply. Thomson had a tough international baptism with at least one of the Scots goals coming when Thomson and the ball were charged over the line.
Thomson died suddenly in September 1876, in his late 20s. As a mark of respect, the Druids players wore black armbands throughout the 1876–77 season.
Druids F.C.
Ruabon Druids F.C. were a football club based in village of Ruabon near Wrexham. The club was founded in 1869 as Plasmadoc F.C. by David Thomson and his brother, George, of Ruabon...
club and played for Wales
Wales national football team
The Wales national football team represents Wales in international football. It is controlled by the Football Association of Wales , the governing body for football in Wales, and the third oldest national football association in the world. The team have only qualified for a major international...
in their first international match. He has been described as "one of the pioneers of Welsh football".
Early life and family
Thomson was born in DudleyDudley
Dudley is a large town in the West Midlands county of England. At the 2001 census , the Dudley Urban Sub Area had a population of 194,919, making it the 26th largest settlement in England, the second largest town in the United Kingdom behind Reading, and the largest settlement in the UK without...
in Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
, England and moved across the border into Wales as a child when his family settled in the Ruabon
Ruabon
Ruabon is a village and community in the county borough of Wrexham in Wales.More than 80% of the population of 2,400 were born in Wales with 13.6% speaking Welsh....
area, together with his younger brother George. Thomson enlisted in the Royal Denbighshire
Denbighshire (historic)
Historic Denbighshire is one of thirteen traditional counties in Wales, a vice-county and a former administrative county, which covers an area in north east Wales...
Militia, reaching the rank of captain
Captain (British Army and Royal Marines)
Captain is a junior officer rank of the British Army and Royal Marines. It ranks above Lieutenant and below Major and has a NATO ranking code of OF-2. The rank is equivalent to a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy and to a Flight Lieutenant in the Royal Air Force...
.
Thomson was also an excellent cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
er with Wynnstay
Wynnstay
Wynnstay was a famous estate in Wales, the family seat of the Wynns. It is located at Ruabon, near Wrexham.During the 17th century, Sir John Wynn, 5th Baronet inherited the Watstay Estate through his marriage to Jane Evans , and renamed it the Wynnstay Estate...
C.C.
Football career
In 1869, Thomson (assisted by his younger brother) helped form the Plasmodic club which in 1872 amalgamated with two other Ruabon clubs, "Ruabon Rovers" and "Ruabon Volunteers", and under the guidance of Llewelyn KenrickLlewelyn Kenrick
Samuel Llewelyn Kenrick was a Welsh solicitor who became the founder of the Football Association of Wales and organised the first Welsh international football match against Scotland in 1876...
became Ruabon Druids
Druids F.C.
Ruabon Druids F.C. were a football club based in village of Ruabon near Wrexham. The club was founded in 1869 as Plasmadoc F.C. by David Thomson and his brother, George, of Ruabon...
. Thomson became the first president of the amalgamated club. All three played a prominent role in the foundation of the Football Association of Wales
Football Association of Wales
The Football Association of Wales is the governing body of association football in Wales. It is a member of FIFA, UEFA and the IFAB.Established in 1876 , it is the third-oldest national association in the world, and is one of the four associations The Football Association of Wales (FAW) is the...
in early 1876, with David attending the first meeting of the Association, when they agreed to adopt the Football Association
The Football Association
The Football Association, also known as simply The FA, is the governing body of football in England, and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. It was formed in 1863, and is the oldest national football association...
rules. Thomson was also a member of the Shropshire Wanderers club
Shropshire Wanderers F.C.
Shropshire Wanderers F.C. were an amateur association football club based in Shrewsbury, England. They were active during the 1870s.They entered the FA Cup competition in each of the years from 1873-74 to 1877-78. Their greatest success came in 1874-75, when they reached the Semi-finals where they...
.
In February 1876, Kenrick organized trial matches to select Welsh players to represent their country in a match against Scotland
Scotland national football team
The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...
. The international match
Scotland v Wales (1876)
The first international match for the Wales national football team came on 25 March 1876 when they played Scotland at Hamilton Crescent, Partick, the home of the West of Scotland Cricket Club, with the Scots claiming an emphatic 4–0 victory...
was played at Hamilton Crescent
Hamilton Crescent
Hamilton Crescent is a cricket ground located in the Partick area of Glasgow, Scotland. It is the home of the West of Scotland Cricket Club.Hamilton Crescent is famous for holding the first ever international football match, played between Scotland and England...
, Partick
Partick
Partick is an area of Glasgow on the north bank of the River Clyde, just across from Govan. To the west lies Whiteinch. Partick was a Police burgh from 1852 until 1912 when it was incorporated into the city.-History:...
, the home of the West of Scotland Cricket Club on 25 March 1876, with Thomson playing as a goalkeeper. The Welsh were well defeated, conceding four goals without reply. Thomson had a tough international baptism with at least one of the Scots goals coming when Thomson and the ball were charged over the line.
Thomson died suddenly in September 1876, in his late 20s. As a mark of respect, the Druids players wore black armbands throughout the 1876–77 season.