Lewis Tommy Image 2 Bradford Park Avenue 1936

Description

Ellesmere Port, Cheshire born inside or outside left Tommy Lewis began his senior football career with First Division club Everton, signing for them in April 1927. He made his Football League debut at outside left in a defeat at Newcastle United in May 1929, his only appearance for The Toffees, and after three years at Goodison Park he joined Third Division (North) club Wrexham in June 1930. He immediately established himself in The Dragons’ first eleven and after scoring 4 goals in his first six matches, he scored 4 more in his seventh match, a 7-0 win over Crewe Alexandra, finishing the season with 16 goals as Wrexham finished third in the division.

After 11 goals in 1931-32, Lewis switched to the inside left berth from October 1932 and scored a further 17 goals for Wrexham as they finished runners up in the division, narrowly missing out on promotion, his haul including a hat-trick in a thrashing of Hartlepools United in January 1933. After 44 goals in 113 appearances he was bought by Second Division club Bradford Park Avenue in June 1933, where initially he played at inside left until switching back to the left wing in January 1934. He continued to be a regular goalscorer for The Avenue and had his career best goalscoring season in 1937-38 when he scored 25 goals, including a hat-trick at Chesterfield in April 1938 when he scored all three goals in the match. Although Bradford’s second highest goalscorer behind centre forward George Henson, no other Avenue player managed more than 7 goals.

Lewis was then sold to First Division club Blackpool in December 1938 after 69 goals in exactly 200 appearances for Bradford Park Avenue, and at Bloomfield Road he scored 4 goals in 11 appearances, but having lost his place in March 1939 his career was effectively ended by the outbreak of the Second World War in September 1939.