Wells Tommy Image 1 Clapton Orient 1936

Description

Nunhead, London born outside left Tommy Wells began his football career with Parkfield United before joining Arsenal as an amateur in September 1924. He spent time with Guildford United in 1924 and Sheppey United in 1925 before turning professional with Arsenal in July 1926, however he never made the Arsenal first eleven before he was signed by Third Division (South) club Northampton Town in February 1927, for whom he made his Football League debut at Exeter City the same month, scoring in a 3-2 defeat, soon establishing himself as their first choice on the left wing.

The following campaign proved the most prolific of Wells’ career as he scored 15 goals for The Cobblers, including a hat-trick in a 10-0 victory over Walsall in November 1927 as Northampton finished runners up in the Third Division (South), narrowly missing out on promotion, and he scored 9 League goals in each of the next two seasons, including a further hat-trick in a 3-2 win at Bristol Rovers in November 1929, as a strong team finished third and fourth respectively in the division.

One of his most famous goals helped Northampton to a major giant killing when they won 2-0 at First Division grandees Huddersfield Town in an FA Cup fourth round tie at Leeds Road in January 1934. A consistent goalscorer, he scored 1o goals in 1930-31, 12 goals in 1931-32 and 13 in 1933-34, including a further treble in a 5-3 win over Exeter City in December 1933, missing only one match in their 1932-33 campaign, however he lost his place in January 1935 and played just twice more for The Cobblers that April before joining Swindon Town in June 1935 after 84 goals in 305 appearances over nine seasons playing for Northampton Town. He is sixth on the all time list of goalscorers for The Cobblers and thirteenth on the list of appearance makers.

In a struggling Swindon team he scored 7 goals in 38 matches for The Robins including a hat-trick in a 4-1 victory over Reading in February 1936, but after a single season he returned to London to join Clapton Orient in May 1936. However he lost his place after the first two matches of the season and scored twice in only 5 appearances for The O’s before retiring from football in the summer of 1937.