Reid Tommy Image 1 Oldham Athletic 1933

Description

Motherwell, Lanarkshire born centre forward Tommy Reid began his football career with Blantyre Victoria in 1923 before joining Scottish League Clydebank in 1925. He was signed by First Division Liverpool for £1,000 in April 1926, making his Football League debut against Sheffield United on 1st May scoring twice in a 2-2 draw at Anfield. By no means speedy or graceful, he was the archetypal old-fashioned centre-forward who happened to be a goalscoring machine!

Reid often scored in pairs – the next season he repeated that two-goal debut performance on no less than five separate occasions. Reid was Liverpool’s second-highest scorer in the League behind goalscoring legend Gordon Hodgson in 1927-28 with 15 from 25 games. However he was only called on six times the following season, scoring in his first two matches but not adding to his impressive scoring record in his last four appearances, leaving him with 31 goals from 55 games.

Only 24 years old when he left Liverpool in February 1929, Reid went on a scoring spree for Manchester United, netting 14 in 17 First Division games for the rest of the 1928-29 season, including another 5 pairs, but 22 goals in 43 games in the next two campaigns couldn’t prevent United being relegated into the Second Division at the end of the 1930-31 season. Reid added 27 goals in 36 games in two seasons in Second Division being described in their match programme as “somewhat cumbersome in his methods, but he is an opportunist of the first water.”

After 67 goals in 101 appearances for The Red Devils, he was loaned to neighbours and fellow Second Division club Oldham Athletic in March 1933, where he scored nine in 13 games in the remainder of the 1932-33 season to help keep them from relegation. His loan was made permanent when The Latics’ Supporters Club donated the £400 needed. Reid was Oldham’s top scorer the following season with 17 goals and stayed at Oldham until September 1935, when he joined Barrow after 35 goals in 71 appearances. His single season at Holker Street again saw him top the scoring charts with 21 goals in 35 appearances before he moved down into non league football joining Prescot Cables in 1936, moving to Rhyl in 1937 before retirement.