fitzsimmons_thomas
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| Name: Thomas "Tommy" Fitzsimmons |
Nationality: Scotland |
| Position: inside-left |
Signing Information: Transferred from: Annbank, 11/1892, £ |
| Birthdate: 21-10-1870 |
Years at Club: 1892-1894 |
| Age: (154) |
Debut: 19/11/1892 v Aston Villa (North Road) 2-0 (League Division One) |
| Birthplace: Annbank, Ayrshire, Scotland |
Previous clubs: Annbank |
| Height: 5' 8" (1.73m) |
Farewell to Manchester United: Transferred to Annbank FC, 02/1894, £ |
| Weight: 12st (76.2kg) |
Passed Away: PA |
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Annbank was Tommy Fitzsimmons' hometown as well as his safe haven whenever he was in between clubs. The 5'8", 12 stone inside-left began his career with the local team, often partnered by his younger brother, David. He eventually made his breakthrough into the 'big time' when Glasgow giants Celtic signed him at the start of 1892-93. Incredibly, Tommy made his league debut for the Hoops against archrivals Rangers on September 24th, 1892. In a 2-2 draw, the trialist failed to light up the left wing and did not earn another call-up.
That was when Fitzsimmons came to Newton Heath, who were at the bottom of the table in their first Football League campaign. One goalscoring debut later (against Aston Villa on November 18th) he had helped lift the club three places up in the table! Alas, the Heathens quickly plummeted back to the bottom and stayed till the season's end.
Tommy was ever-present from his debut, playing 18 matches and contributing another four goals (which symmetrically came in both home and away tussles with Derby and Accrington). He also assisted the club in the play-off victory against Small Heath which preserved Heath's top flight spot. But Tommy's brightest part came in the Manchester Senior Cup. He grabbed a brace in a 2-1 win versus West Manchester, replicated his tally in the 3-1 semi-final disposition of Bury, then blagged a medal in the final when Bolton were defeated.
After appearing in nine out of the first dozen matches in 1893-94, Tommy lost his spot and never saw any first-team action after that except in the local cup competitions and friendlies. The following newspaper criticism offered a probable clue to his absence: ""Fitzsimmons appeared to a have a lot too much flesh on his body to run"! This was his cue to return home to Annbank in the spring of 1894. He stayed there until St. Mirren gave him a trial during 1894-95. Tommy made his debut against Hearts on October 13th, 1894, played 2 more league games, then returned to Annbank again in November.
In September 1895, Fitzsimmons crossed over back to England and played for Fairfield where he started off with a bang: 11 goals in five matches! He left to Glossop North End in March 1897, then returned in the summer. In October, however, Fairfield were disbanded, so, Tommy headed to Oldham County, only for them to shut down too within a few weeks!
It was time now for Tommy to hook up with his brother David at Chorley but, before that team got the chance to disband, the two siblings were signed by Wigan County in August 1898 for a combined fee of £25. They had happy times with County, particularly when they helped the club win its very first trophy: the Rawcliffe Charity Cup in 1899. Tommy, in fact, finished as the club's leading marksman with 16 goals in all competitions.
Later in September, however, Tommy felt the need to return to Annbank for the umpteenth time, and he served his hometown club until finally retiring in 1903. Thomas Fitzsimmons is one of the few sets of brothers to play for Heath or United, Thomas's brother is David Fitzsimmons. Biography kindly provided by Charbel Boujaoude. |
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| League |
League Cup |
FA Cup |
Charity Shield |
European Cup |
Europa League |
Super Cup |
Cup Winners Cup |
Inter-Continental Cup |
World Clubs Cup |
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| No |
Season |
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Season
Goals |
Season
Apps |
| 1 |
1892-1893 |
5 |
20 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
5 |
21 |
| 2 |
1893-1894 |
1 |
9 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
9 |
| TOTALS |
6 |
29 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
6 |
30 |
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