Thomas Halliday (11 September 1909 – 1975) was an English footballer who made 313 appearances in the Football League playing for Darlington, Norwich City and Exeter City in the 1920s and 1930s. He played non-league football in the north-east of England before joining First Division club Sunderland, but never played first-team football for that club. His primary position was that of centre half, although he also played at right back or right half.[1]
Personal information | |||
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Full name | Thomas Halliday[1] | ||
Date of birth | (1909-09-11)11 September 1909[1] | ||
Place of birth | Browney Colliery, County Durham,[1] England | ||
Date of death | 1975 (aged 65–66)[1] | ||
Position(s) | Defender, wing half | ||
Youth career | |||
– | Browney Juniors | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
– | Esh Winning | ||
– | Meadowfield | ||
1927–1928 | Sunderland | 0 | (0) |
1928–1933 | Darlington | 118 | (2) |
1933–1939 | Norwich City | 191 | (0) |
1939 | Exeter City | 14 | (0) |
*Club domestic league appearances and goals |
Halliday was born in Browney Colliery, in County Durham.[1] As a schoolboy, he played three times for Durham Schools under-15 team in the 1923–24 season,[2] and captained England Schoolboys against Wales in Cardiff.[3] He played for non-league teams in his local area,[4][1] and captained Durham Amateurs before turning professional.[5] He spent the 1927–28 season with First Division club Sunderland, but never appeared for the first team, and joined Third Division North club Darlington in 1928 as an 18-year-old.[1]
He established himself in the starting eleven, and despite his youth, captained the team for three years.[3] In the 1932–33 season, Halliday made 41 out of a possible 42 appearances in the league,[3] taking his total to 127 in senior competition.[4] In May 1933, he and Darlington teammates Harry Brown, Billy Eden and Fred Hopkinson were members of the Rest of Durham XI that faced Sunderland in a match to celebrate the silver jubilee of the Durham County Football Association.[6] Darlington had finished bottom of the Northern Section, so had to apply for re-election. Although their application was successful,[7] Halliday left the club.
He moved into the Southern Section of the Third Division with Norwich City, where he became a regular in the side. He made 40 appearances as Norwich won the divisional title and with it promotion to the Second Division for the first time in the club's history.[8] Based on Norwich's recruitment of Exeter City's Harold Houghton, the Manchester Guardian suggested that the club "realise[d] the worth of a footballer of experience and anticipation in such a struggle", and went on to list "other players of this stamp", including "Halliday, a rare centre-half".[9] In his review of the season, the Observer's J.A.H. Catton, praised Norwich's forwards, and thought that "of all the capital players behind the front line, Thomas Halliday, a centre half-back formerly of Darlington, must be highly commended."[10]
Halliday took over the captaincy from Stan Ramsay during the next season.[11] He remained with Norwich for six-and-a-half years, making the last of his 203 appearances for the club on 27 December 1938 in a 4–0 defeat away to Newcastle United,[12] and finished the season with Exeter City in the Third Division South.[1]
In recognition of his contribution to Norwich City, Halliday was elected to the club's Hall of Fame.[13] He died in 1975, aged 65 or 66.[1]
Norwich City F.C. – Hall of Fame inductees | |
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2002 | |
2003 |
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2006 | |
2009 | |
2012 |