Drain Tom Image 3 Exeter City 1908

Description

Much travelled Pollokshaws, Glasgow born centre forward Tom Drain, nicknamed “Digger” played junior football for Drongan Juniors in 1899 and after a fine display in an Ayrshire Junior Cup Final was taken onto the books at Glasgow Celtic in 1900 without making their first eleven. He joined Ayr in 1901 and played for Maybole in 1902, where he was a Scottish Junior international playing and scoring in a match against England Juniors, before heading south to England where he joined Second Division club Bradford City in 1903, making his Football League debut against Barnsley that October, scoring in a 3-1 victory. He scored in each of his first four matches for The Bantams including a hat-trick against Bolton Wanderers in a 3-3 draw, but he fell out of favour at Valley Parade early in 1905 and transferred to new Football League entrant Leeds City in July 1905 after 13 goals in 34 appearances.

He will be remembered as the player who scored the first goals for Leeds City after their election to the Football League. He scored both goals as City earned their first point in their third game in a 2-2 draw with Lincoln City at Elland Road on 11th September 1905. but he was soon a reserve with Fred Hargreaves preferred to him and after scoring 3 times in 9 appearances he returned to Scotland with Kilmarnock in May 1906, scoring 4 times in 19 matches for Killy. He then joined Aberdeen in June 1907, where he played 7 matches and moved to Vale of Leven early in 1908, before heading back to England with North Eastern League club Carlisle United later in 1908 before a move to Southern League club Exeter City later the same year ahead of The Grecian’s first ever professional season, where he was described as “unsurpassed as a dribbler on his day, being speedy, quick and alert”, scoring once in 14 matches for the Devon club.

He then returned to Football League action when he joined First Division club Woolwich Arsenal for the start of the 1909-10 campaign, making his debut in a 5-1 home defeat to Aston Villa on the opening day of the season, playing once more before a move to Second Division club Blackpool in October 1909, where he made 4 appearances as a half back. He finally returned to Scotland firstly with Nithsdale Wanderers in 1910 and finally with Galston in 1911.

His grandson Ted Drain later played football for Australia after the Second World War.