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ObituariesPlease email details for the obituary section as well as additions and clarifications with source notes to enquiries@11v11.com
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TAPSCOTT, Derek RobertBorn: Barry, Wales 1932-06-30 Died: Cardiff, Wales 2008-06-12Derek Tapscott, who has died aged 75, was a prolific Arsenal forward of the 1950s, then spent seven seasons at Cardiff City and was 14 times a Welsh international. At 5ft 9in tall and weighing 10st 12lb, he was no giant, but his courage and pace made him a formidable opponent, whether playing at inside right, his basic position, or on the right wing, where his speed was a great advantage. On a number of occasions he played inside right to Arthur Milton, capped for England both at soccer and cricket, and outside right to Jimmy Logie. Alas, those days were mediocre ones for an Arsenal side in which their revered manager, Tom Whittaker, seemed to have lost his way. Nonetheless, to his credit it was he who signed Tapscott, then a bricklayer, from Barry Town in October 1953 for £2,000. Tapscott was born in Barry, the fifth of 16 children of a coalman and his wife. He left school at 14, became a butcher's delivery boy and then took a succession of jobs before signing for Barry as an amateur in 1949 and then as a part-time professional in 1953 after national service in the army. Playing initially in the Arsenal reserves, he scored 13 goals in his first 15 games. Promotion to the first team came on April 10 1954, and he celebrated it with two goals against Liverpool. Again playing at inside right alongside centre forward Tommy Lawton - then enjoying what one might call a last hurrah at Highbury - he scored two more in a home win against Portsmouth. In his first five games, he scored five goals. He won his first cap for Wales in a 2-0 defeat against Austria on May 9 1954 but went on to score a total of four goals for his country. The 1954-55 season saw Tapscott as an established member of the Arsenal first team, with 13 goals in 37 appearances. By the time he left for Cardiff City, in September 1958, he had scored 68 goals in 132 games, but he was omitted from the Welsh squad that lost narrowly to Brazil in the World Cup quarter-finals earlier that year. However, in the 1957-58 season he lost his place in the Arsenal attack. Unlike most of the first team, he had poor relations with the innovative Ron Greenwood, appointed as coach to the manager and former goalkeeper George Swindin, in December 1957. Bill Dodgin, Arsenal's centre half at the time and a keen student of the game, spoke of Swindin and Greenwood and their contrasting methods as "night and day". But Tapscott once told me, speaking of Greenwood and mimicking a punch: "I'd like to hit him." He refused at first to move to Cardiff but then changed his mind, leaving a team for which he had scored an impressive 27 goals in 1956-57. Signed for £10,000, he spent seven seasons at Ninian Park, helping Cardiff to promotion to the First Division in 1960 and scoring a club record six goals in a 16-0 win against non-league Knighton Town in a Welsh cup tie. In 1965, after 194 appearances and 79 goals, he moved to Newport County, then played for non-league clubs. On retiring, he worked in the sporting goods trade for Gola and wrote his autobiography, Tappy. He is survived by his wife Glenys and two daughters. Brian Glanville, The Guardian (www.guardian.co.uk)
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THOMSON MBE, JP HamishBorn. Dumbarton 14.92.10 Died. Altrincham 22.9.99A talented all-round sportsman, Thomson represented Scotland at schoolboy level and went on to play for Cowdenbeath. He was also an avid golfer, fisherman and bowler and played for Scotland’s curling team. He won the MBE for bravery during the war and returned from military service to the family newspaper and printing business. He was proprietor and editor of the Lennox Herald for many years.
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THRESHER Theodore MichaelBorn. Cullompton 9.3.31 Died. Bristol 28.12.99Michael Thresher was a hard working and modest full back who was one of the fastest and most dependable defenders in Bristol City’s post-war history. He signed for the club in January 1954 from Chard Town for just £100, having completed his national service. He made his debut in the 3rd Division South in December 1954 in a 2-0 away win at Reading and stayed in the team for ten years, missing only when injured. His speed and hard tackling made him a difficult opponent. Although not tall, he never stopped running and opponents in the 3rd and 2nd Divisions in the 1950s and early 1960s knew that they were in for a tough ninety minutes when faced with Thresher. At the end of that first season, Mike won a 3rd Division South Championship medal and in 1959 he twice faced Stanley (later Sir Stanley) Matthews in an F.A. Cup tie and replay. He gave Matthews no quarter on the pitch but, after the first match, he waited outside the Blackpool dressing room to ask his illustrious opponent for his autograph. He eventually left Bristol City in July 1965 on a free transfer to Bath City. During his career with Bristol City, he played 379 League appearances plus 2 abandoned matches, 29 F.A. Cup plus 1 abandoned, 9 F.L. Cup, 8 Gloucestershire Cup and 1 Welsh Cup matches for the club and scored just 1 League goal right at the end of his career.
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TICHY LajosBorn: Budapest 1935-03-21 Died: Budapest 1999-01-06Lajos Tichy was understudy to the great Puskas at Honved during the 1950s and succeeded him at both club and country after the Hungarian uprising in 1956. He had a ferocious shot and scored 49 goals in 71 internationals, including four in the 1958 World Cup Finals and three in the 1962 Finals. He scored 247 goals in 320 League games for Honved for whom he played between 1953 and 1971 and was the League's top scorer five times. He later became trainer of the Honved youth team.
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TIGHE Terence “Tommy” WilliamBorn. Edinburgh 12.8.34 Died. c4.2000Tighe began his career as an inside forward and moved back to wing-half during his successful spell with Accrington Stanley. His career began with Newton Grange Star and he graduated to play for Hibernian between 1953/4. He spent 1956-57 with Dunfermline and joined Accrington, then members of the 3rd Division North in June 1957. His debut for Stanley was at inside-left in the second game of the 1957/8 season but a fractured jaw put him out of the side and he switched to wing-half whilst playing for the reserves during his comeback period. He returned to the League side at Christmas but as a wing-half and played the majority of his games from then on in the half-back line. He was a good club man at Peel Park, playing under three managers and one caretaker during his three-and-a-half years with the club. He proved to be a strong tackler with very good distribution. During his spell at Accrington he played 117 League games (20 goals), 8 F.A. Cup (4) and 1 League Cup (0). After leaving Accrington he joined Crewe Alexandra in December 1960 (5 goals in 86 League games) and moved to Southport in August 1963 (3 goals in 36 League games). He spent 1964/5 with Runcorn and finished his career at Great Harwood.
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TONER WilliamBorn: Glasgow 1929-12-18 Died: Scotland 1999-03-00Willie Toner enjoyed a long and successful professional soccer career and with more luck could have won many more honours. He was a tall, heavily built centre-half. As well as being dominant in the air he was remarkably adept with his feet but his greatest attribute was the calm authority he bought to his defence. Starting with Queen's Park, he moved to Celtic in February 1948 and spent three years at Parkhead without ever threatening to become a regular. In May 1951 he joined Sheffield United and in 1953 he won a 2nd Division Championship medal as the Blades returned to the top flight. He scored twice in 55 League appearances for the Blades. He was anxious to return to Scotland however and in 1954/5 Kilmarnock paid £2,000 for his services. He was therefore in at the beginning of a decade in which Killie became one of Scotland's leading clubs. Toner played a major part in the club's three excursions to Hampden in the Scottish Cup Finals of 1957 and 1960 and the League Cup Final of 1961. Unfortunately all three efforts ended in defeat at the final hurdle but Toner's form attracted the attention of the international selectors. He played five times for the Scottish League and in the autumn of 1959 he was capped twice by his country. The first game was a highly convincing 3-0 win in Cardiff against Wales but a month later a 2-2 draw at Hampden was deemed unsatisfactory and Toner was not chosen again. In April 1963 he moved to Hibs. The move was to prove an unhappy one and later that year he joined Ayr United where he finished his playing career. He was appointed Dumbarton manager in October 1964 and held the post for three years before leaving the game. His son Kevin is currently a grade 1 referee, thus preserving the family link with Scottish football.
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TOVEY William JamesBorn. Bristol 18.10.31 Died. Bristol 8.1.2000Tovey played for Bristol City, his only club, from 1948 to 1953. His original appearances were as a left-winger but the majority of his appearances were at half-back. His club record reads 57 League appearances (2 goals), 3 F.A. Cup (0) and 1 Gloucestershire Cup.
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