Tommy Capel
Encyclopedia
Thomas A. "Tommy" Capel (27 June 1922 – 5 October 2009) was an English
professional footballer who scored 120 goals from 276 appearances in the Football League
playing for Manchester City
, Chesterfield
, Birmingham City
, Nottingham Forest
, Coventry City
and Halifax Town
. He played as an inside left
.
, Gosling's, in Manchester, and for Droylsden
, before joining Manchester City
in 1941, He made his competitive debut on 4 January 1947 in a 1–0 win in the Football League Second Division
away at Chesterfield
. Bob Brocklebank
signed him for Chesterfield in October 1947. He scored on his league debut for the club, finished his first season as the club's leading scorer with 16 despite joining well after the start of the season, and in something under two seasons scored a total of 27 league goals from 62 appearances. In the 1949 close season Brocklebank signed him for a second time, taking him to First Division
club Birmingham City
for a fee of £10,000.
Capel, described as a "powerful, bustling player", failed to settle at Birmingham, and moved to Nottingham Forest
a few months later. He and Wally Ardron
formed "a lethal striking partnership" which contributed to Forest, under the management of Billy Walker
, winning the Third Division South
title in the 1950–51 season. Capel spent four-and-a-half seasons at Forest, and scored 72 goals from 162 appearances in all competitions.
In the 1954 close season, Capel joined Coventry City
, for whom he scored 19 goals from 34 league matches in the Third Division South, and finished off his league career with a few months at Third Division North
club Halifax Town
, thus completing the set of playing in all four divisions of the Football League
.
Capel spent the 1956–57 season with non-league
side Heanor Town
. They won the Central Alliance North title, scoring 158 goals in the 30 games available, and finished the season with a flourish. Capel had scored four in a match for Nottingham Forest against Gillingham
in 1950: he went one better in Heanor's last game of the season against Sutton Town, "scoring all five goals including one from the penalty spot with his unfavoured right foot".
, Manchester
. He served in the Royal Marines
during the Second World War, alongside fellow footballers Eddie Quigley
and Ken Oliver. His younger brother Freddie also became a professional footballer. The pair were on Chesterfield's books at the same time, but played together only once, for the reserve team
.
He died in October 2009, aged 87.
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...
professional footballer who scored 120 goals from 276 appearances in the Football League
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
playing for Manchester City
Manchester City F.C.
Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...
, Chesterfield
Chesterfield F.C.
Chesterfield Football Club is an English football club based in Chesterfield, Derbyshire. The club currently plays in Football League One, the third tier of English football. Despite being the fourth oldest Football League club in England, they have spent most of their existence in the lower...
, Birmingham City
Birmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
, Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest F.C.
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an English Association Football club based in West Bridgford, Nottingham, that plays in the Football League Championship...
, Coventry City
Coventry City F.C.
Coventry City Football Club, otherwise known as the Sky Blues owing to the traditional colour of their strip, are a professional English Football league club based in Coventry...
and Halifax Town
Halifax Town A.F.C.
Halifax Town Association Football Club were an English football team who most recently played in the Conference National, although prior to that they participated in the Football League for over eighty years...
. He played as an inside left
Inside forward
In football, the position of inside forward was popularly used in the late nineteenth and first half of the 20th centuries. The inside forwards would support the centre forwards, running and making space in the opposition defence, and, as the passing game developed, supporting him with passes...
.
Career
Capel played football for a works teamWorks team
A works team is a sports team that is financed and run by a manufacturer or other business. Sometimes, works teams contain or are entirely made up of employees of the supporting company.-Africa:...
, Gosling's, in Manchester, and for Droylsden
Droylsden F.C.
Droylsden F.C. is an English football club based in Droylsden, near Manchester. As of the 2011–12 season, they play in the Conference North.-History:...
, before joining Manchester City
Manchester City F.C.
Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...
in 1941, He made his competitive debut on 4 January 1947 in a 1–0 win 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...
away at Chesterfield
Chesterfield F.C.
Chesterfield Football Club is an English football club based in Chesterfield, Derbyshire. The club currently plays in Football League One, the third tier of English football. Despite being the fourth oldest Football League club in England, they have spent most of their existence in the lower...
. Bob Brocklebank
Bob Brocklebank
Bob Brocklebank was an English footballer and manager.He played for Aston Villa and Burnley, where he was top goalscorer in 1937-38 before becoming a manager, at Chesterfield, Birmingham City, Hull City and Bradford City....
signed him for Chesterfield in October 1947. He scored on his league debut for the club, finished his first season as the club's leading scorer with 16 despite joining well after the start of the season, and in something under two seasons scored a total of 27 league goals from 62 appearances. In the 1949 close season Brocklebank signed him for a second time, taking him to First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
club Birmingham City
Birmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
for a fee of £10,000.
Capel, described as a "powerful, bustling player", failed to settle at Birmingham, and moved to Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest F.C.
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an English Association Football club based in West Bridgford, Nottingham, that plays in the Football League Championship...
a few months later. He and Wally Ardron
Wally Ardron
Wally Ardron was a footballer born in Swinton, South Yorkshire, and who played as a centre forward. He joined Rotherham United from Denaby United, and went on to score 98 Football League goals for Rotherham, either side of World War II.Joining Nottingham Forest in 1949 he scored 25 goals in his...
formed "a lethal striking partnership" which contributed to Forest, under the management of Billy Walker
Billy Walker
William Henry "Billy" Walker was a prominent English footballer of the 1920s and 1930s. He is considered by many to be the greatest footballer to ever play for Aston Villa Football Club-Biography:...
, winning the Third Division South
Football League Third Division South
The Football League Third Division South was a level of English professional football which ran in parallel to Third Division North from 1921 to 1958....
title in the 1950–51 season. Capel spent four-and-a-half seasons at Forest, and scored 72 goals from 162 appearances in all competitions.
In the 1954 close season, Capel joined Coventry City
Coventry City F.C.
Coventry City Football Club, otherwise known as the Sky Blues owing to the traditional colour of their strip, are a professional English Football league club based in Coventry...
, for whom he scored 19 goals from 34 league matches in the Third Division South, and finished off his league career with a few months at Third Division North
Football League Third Division North
The Third Division North of The Football League was a tier in the English association football league system from 1921 to 1958. It ran parallel to Third Division South with clubs elected to the League or relegated from a higher division allocated to one or the other according to geographical position...
club Halifax Town
Halifax Town A.F.C.
Halifax Town Association Football Club were an English football team who most recently played in the Conference National, although prior to that they participated in the Football League for over eighty years...
, thus completing the set of playing in all four divisions of the Football League
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
.
Capel spent the 1956–57 season with non-league
Non-league football
Non-League football is football in England played at a level below that of the Premier League and The Football League. The term non-League was commonly used well before 1992 when the top football clubs in England all belonged to The Football League; all clubs who were not a part of The Football...
side Heanor Town
Heanor Town F.C.
Heanor Town Football Club is a football club established in 1883 and based in Heanor, Derbyshire, England. They have reached the First Round proper of the FA Cup six times in their history...
. They won the Central Alliance North title, scoring 158 goals in the 30 games available, and finished the season with a flourish. Capel had scored four in a match for Nottingham Forest against 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...
in 1950: he went one better in Heanor's last game of the season against Sutton Town, "scoring all five goals including one from the penalty spot with his unfavoured right foot".
Personal life
Capel was born in Chorlton-on-MedlockChorlton-on-Medlock
Chorlton-on-Medlock is an inner city area of Manchester, England.Historically a part of Lancashire, the northern border of Chorlton-on-Medlock is the River Medlock which runs immediately south of Manchester city centre. Its other borders roughly correspond to Stockport Road, Hathersage Road, Moss...
, Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
. He served in the Royal Marines
Royal Marines
The Corps of Her Majesty's Royal Marines, commonly just referred to as the Royal Marines , are the marine corps and amphibious infantry of the United Kingdom and, along with the Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary, form the Naval Service...
during the Second World War, alongside fellow footballers Eddie Quigley
Eddie Quigley
Edward "Eddie" Quigley was an English football player and manager.He was born in Bury, Lancashire, the son of Edward and Martha Quigley....
and Ken Oliver. His younger brother Freddie also became a professional footballer. The pair were on Chesterfield's books at the same time, but played together only once, for the reserve team
Reserve team
Large professional sports clubs often have far more players under contract than could possibly play in a match. As a result, many of these clubs create second teams composed of players who need playing time, but have little hope of playing on the first team. The players on this second team are...
.
He died in October 2009, aged 87.
External links
- Capel's League stats at Neil Brown's site