hay_thomas
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| Name: Thomas Hay |
Nationality: England |
| Position: goalkeeper |
Signing Information: Transferred from: Burslem FC, 08/1887, £ |
| Birthdate: 00-00-0000 |
Years at Club: 1887-1890 |
| Age: () |
Debut: 18/01/1889 v Preston North End (A) 1-6 (FA Cup 1st Round) |
| Birthplace: Staveley, Derbyshire, England |
Previous clubs: Burslem FC |
| Height: 5' 7" (1.70m) |
Farewell to Manchester United: Transferred to Accrington Stanley, 04/1890, £ |
| Weight: 11st 11lbs (74.84kg) |
Passed Away: 10/01/1940 |
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In a family of five sportsmen, Tom Hay was the most famous. He had a short name and a short frame - only 5'7" tall - but he uncharacteristically eschewed a career as a centre-forward to play in goal! And he was a brave keeper too, collecting a varied array of injuries over the years (broken collar bone, rib taken out, broken arm, etc...), probably due to his staunch beliefs: "The goalkeeper who trusts his feet when he can get his hands to the ball is mad".
Tom was born on New Street, Staveley, and began his career with his hometown club in 1882. In no time he emerged as a brilliant custodian and several sides in the Sheffield area sought his services. Eventually he joined Bolton Wanderers in October 1883, generally excelling... until he showed up drunk for a game one Christmas. After flapping at thin air all game, he was quoted explaining himself to his manager thus: "I saw three balls and tried to stop the middle one, but it turned out to be the wrong one"!
Hay was thus discarded, and he continued his nomadic path: Great Lever in 1885, Halliwell in 1886, and Burslem shortly after. Finally, in 1887, he became the second professional ever - after Jack Powell - to sign for Newton Heath. And he was worth it. Over the next three years, he established himself as the club's most prominent custodian of the decade. In 1887-88, for instance, at a time when goals were scored at a high rate, Tom only let in more than two goals on three occasions.
Alas, his professional status prevented him from trotting out for the Heathens in the Manchester Cup, which was a shame because he had to sit out three consecutive finals while at North Road. That, though, provided him with the opportunity to continuously shout from the stands regarding how and when the ball should be played! He did, mind, make up for missing out on cup medals by representing Lancashire against Staffordshire in February 1889 and Birmingham in 1890, the latter event proudly endowing him with a cap.
In the 1890 close season, Tom departed to Accrington where he sampled the Football League for three seasons. In all he played 70 league games but conceded many more. Eventually, he was transferred to Nelson, making his debut on March 25th, 1893, before returning to the Football League with Burton Swifts in October 1893... for just one game.
Hay returned to live in Staveley in 1894 and obtained employment at Hartington & Ireland Colliers. However, in time his finances worsened to such a degree that he had to sell off most of his medals. He was living at 31 Speedwell, in Staveley, when he passed away in 1940 at the age of 81. Biography kindly provided by Charbel Boujaoude. |
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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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Season
Goals |
Season
Apps |
| 1 |
1889-1890 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
| TOTALS |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
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