Tom Phillipson
Posted on: Wed 17 Nov 2004
William Thomas Phillipson was born on 31st October, 1898, in Ryton-on-Tyne. He was destined to become one of the greatest goalscorers in Wolverhampton Wanderers' history. His junior footballing days in the north east were to show the scoring potential of the young Geordie.
In one school game his side scored 15 goals and all but one of them was converted by Tom. The next match again resulted in a rout, this time he got ten out of 12. Tom had hoped to make his future playing with his boyhood heroes Newcastle United, yet strangely he didn't impress the management at St. James' Park and he moved south to Swindon Town who sold him to Wolves for £1,000 in December, 1923.
He made his debut immediately against a then league side, Durham City. Although he failed to score Wolves won 2-1, in front of a crowd of 24,741, to reinforce their position at the top of Division Three (North). Tom only missed one game in the rest of that season. His first goals came in the shape of a hat trick when he returned to the north east to help Wolves demolish another team that has long disappeared from league activities, Ashington, the score 7-1.
A week after that game Wolves took on Darlington in the FA Cup first round and he got two more in a 3-1 victory. Come the end of the season he had made 28 appearances and scored 14 goals. Wolves, who lost only three times in the league campaign, won the division and promotion.
The season of 1924/25 saw Tom miss only six of Wolves' 44 league and cup games. He scored 16 goals to finish as his side's top scorer and Wanderers finished sixth in Division Two. But the following year he moved up a gear and, despite missing eleven games during the first part of the season, he scored an amazing 37 goals.
On Christmas Day Wolves travelled to Oldham Athletic. Up to that game Tom notched just four goals. That Yuletide he got both as Wolves won 2-1. Incredibly in the 23 remaining league and cup games that season, Tom failed to score in only five of them. He hit hat-tricks against Middlesbrough and Stockport then blasted four in his side's 7-1 demolition of Barnsley. Wolves just missed out on promotion finishing fourth.
The following season was one of disappointment for the Molineux outfit. They slumped to 15th in the table despite more scoring heroics from Phillipson. He hit another hat-trick at the beginning of November as Wolves again trounced Barnsley, this time by 9-1, and Tom scored in every one of the next 12 league games including a five goal haul against Bradford and a hat trick against Clapton Orient.
He finished the season, once more, as his sides leading scorer - this time with 31. During the close season in l927, Wolves parted company with manager Fred Scotchbrook and bought in a new man who was to become part of Molineux folklore, Major Frank Buckley. The change of leadership seemed to affect Tom and in 24 games he scored eleven times, still a fair strike rate, but below what the Major expected from him.
He netted his last goal for the club in the 2-1 home victory against Barnsley and just a week later, on the 18th February, 1928, he played his last game in gold and black as Wolves went down 4-0 at the Hawthorns. Sheffield United offered a substantial fee for his services, one that the Molineux board felt they couldn't turn down, and, much to the disappointment of the Wolves fans, the likeable Phillipson left his home of five years.
He was never the same player after his move and he retired after a short period at Bramall Lane. He returned to Wolverhampton where he opened a business and he also went into local government, a move which led to him being made Mayor of Wolverhampton in 1938. Well respected within the community, he remained in Wolverhampton until his death on the 19th November, 1965, aged 67.
WOLVES PLAYING CAREER 1923-1928
League Appearances 144 Goals 104
FA Cup Appearances 15 Goals 7
TOTAL APPEARANCES 159 GOALS 111
In one school game his side scored 15 goals and all but one of them was converted by Tom. The next match again resulted in a rout, this time he got ten out of 12. Tom had hoped to make his future playing with his boyhood heroes Newcastle United, yet strangely he didn't impress the management at St. James' Park and he moved south to Swindon Town who sold him to Wolves for £1,000 in December, 1923.
He made his debut immediately against a then league side, Durham City. Although he failed to score Wolves won 2-1, in front of a crowd of 24,741, to reinforce their position at the top of Division Three (North). Tom only missed one game in the rest of that season. His first goals came in the shape of a hat trick when he returned to the north east to help Wolves demolish another team that has long disappeared from league activities, Ashington, the score 7-1.
A week after that game Wolves took on Darlington in the FA Cup first round and he got two more in a 3-1 victory. Come the end of the season he had made 28 appearances and scored 14 goals. Wolves, who lost only three times in the league campaign, won the division and promotion.
The season of 1924/25 saw Tom miss only six of Wolves' 44 league and cup games. He scored 16 goals to finish as his side's top scorer and Wanderers finished sixth in Division Two. But the following year he moved up a gear and, despite missing eleven games during the first part of the season, he scored an amazing 37 goals.
On Christmas Day Wolves travelled to Oldham Athletic. Up to that game Tom notched just four goals. That Yuletide he got both as Wolves won 2-1. Incredibly in the 23 remaining league and cup games that season, Tom failed to score in only five of them. He hit hat-tricks against Middlesbrough and Stockport then blasted four in his side's 7-1 demolition of Barnsley. Wolves just missed out on promotion finishing fourth.
The following season was one of disappointment for the Molineux outfit. They slumped to 15th in the table despite more scoring heroics from Phillipson. He hit another hat-trick at the beginning of November as Wolves again trounced Barnsley, this time by 9-1, and Tom scored in every one of the next 12 league games including a five goal haul against Bradford and a hat trick against Clapton Orient.
He finished the season, once more, as his sides leading scorer - this time with 31. During the close season in l927, Wolves parted company with manager Fred Scotchbrook and bought in a new man who was to become part of Molineux folklore, Major Frank Buckley. The change of leadership seemed to affect Tom and in 24 games he scored eleven times, still a fair strike rate, but below what the Major expected from him.
He netted his last goal for the club in the 2-1 home victory against Barnsley and just a week later, on the 18th February, 1928, he played his last game in gold and black as Wolves went down 4-0 at the Hawthorns. Sheffield United offered a substantial fee for his services, one that the Molineux board felt they couldn't turn down, and, much to the disappointment of the Wolves fans, the likeable Phillipson left his home of five years.
He was never the same player after his move and he retired after a short period at Bramall Lane. He returned to Wolverhampton where he opened a business and he also went into local government, a move which led to him being made Mayor of Wolverhampton in 1938. Well respected within the community, he remained in Wolverhampton until his death on the 19th November, 1965, aged 67.
WOLVES PLAYING CAREER 1923-1928
League Appearances 144 Goals 104
FA Cup Appearances 15 Goals 7
TOTAL APPEARANCES 159 GOALS 111
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