Brandon Tom Image 2 Hull City 1921

Description

Right back Tom Brandon Jr was the son of Tom Brandon of Blackburn Rovers and Scotland, and also the nephew of Harry Brandon, who won the FA Cup with Sheffield Wednesday in 1896. Blackburn born, he had been on Rovers’ books as an amateur in 1909-10 and also played for Darwen in 1910 and South Liverpool in 1911 before he signed for Southern League West Ham United in the 1913 close season, making his debut in the Southern League against Bristol Rovers that September.

He played 36 games at right back for The Hammers before peacetime football was suspended due to the onset of the First World War, but after regular appearances in his debut season he had lost his place at the start of the 1914-15 season and made only two appearances before he returned to Upton Park after the War and played two War Cup matches for them in April 1919, more than four years after his last League match in January 1915.

He then signed for Bristol Rovers in the summer of 1919 and played a further Southern League season at Eastville before joining Second Division Hull City in June 1920, for whom he made his Football League debut at his alma mater West Ham United in August 1920. From Christmas 1920 he was also regularly employed in the front line at inside right before reverting to right back from September 1921. In June 1922, after 5 goals in 61 matches for The Tigers, he signed for Bradford Park Avenue and his three  seasons there saw him make 91 appearances, in his first season they finished runners up in the Third Division (North) narrowly missing out on promotion, thereafter recording two fifth place finishes. In July 1925 he signed for Wigan Borough but played only 9 times for them that season before joining non league Bootle Borough a year later.

His father Tom Brandon Sr played for St Mirren, Blackburn Rovers and Sheffield Wednesday in the 1890’s, his uncle Harry Brandon played for St Mirren, Clyde, Sheffield Wednesday and Chesterfield in the same decade.