William Thomson Player Profile
Personal
- Full Name: William Thomson
- Born: April 29th, 1874 (Dundee)
- Died: December 12th, 1917 (Greenock)
Career
- Position: Right Winger
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Dundee Career Totals:
57 first team competitive appearances
10 first team competitive goals - Also Played For: Bolton Wanderers, Bristol City, Dundee Our Boys, Victoria United
Dundee Career Summary
| League | FA Cup | Other Cups | TOTAL | Competitive | Friendlies | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| 1893-94 | 17 | 4 | - | - | - | - | 17 | 4 | 24 | 13 | ||
| 1894-95 | 15 | 3 | 5 | 1 | - | - | 20 | 4 | 13 | 4 | ||
| 1895-96 | 18 | 2 | 2 | - | - | - | 20 | 2 | 26 | 4 | ||
| TOTAL | 50 | 9 | 7 | 1 | - | - | 57 | 10 | 63 | 21 | ||
NOTES:
Other Cups may include: Anglo-Scottish Cup, Challenge Cup, Cup Winners' Cup, Drybrough Cup, International Soccer League, League Cup, Summer Cup, Texaco Cup.
Biography
William Thomson was one of the earliest players to be capped for Scotland whilst playing for Dundee and won his solitary cap in the first ever international in the city of Dundee.
Born in Dundee Thomson started his football career with juvenile side Clydemore FC before joining Dundee side Our Boys in 1892. On January 7th 1893 Our Boys faced local rivals East End on a snow covered pitch and winger Thomson was on target in the 4-4 draw. However the match was abandoned ten minutes from time when the crowd broke through the ropes and pelted an East End official with snowballs when he remonstrated with them before retreating to the safety of the dressing rooms. The crowd then switched their attention to the centre circle where blows were exchanged and the committee men of both clubs thought it prudent to bring the game to an early conclusion.
In the aftermath, with both ambitious clubs wearying of the monotonous round of local fixtures, an amalgamation was proposed but was strenuously opposed by members of both clubs. However that changed on May 13th when Mr Andrew Buttar, an official of Our Boys proposed an amalgamation, suggesting the new club should apply for admission to the Scottish League and it had the desired effect as a week later the clubs met in the Mathers Hotel in Unions Street to form the Dundee Football and Athletic Club.
The new club were admitted into the Scottish League at its AGM on June 12th and the new Dundee FC had to prepare a team to take its bow in August. Although Scotland international outside-left Sandy Keillor and goalkeeper Bill McKie were signed from Montrose, most of the players came from the amalgamated clubs. Ferrier, Longair, Petrie, Craik, Dundas and Gilligan came from East End while Brown, Craig, McInroy, Salmond and Willie Thomson came from Our Boys.
Conservatively therefore this small spirited winger Willie Thomson became a founder member of The Dee as he survived the merger. By all accounts he was an elusive player which enabled him to avoid the lunges of heavier opponents and despite his size had a lion’s heart.
On Saturday 12th August 1893 – it was truly the Glorious Twelfth for the city’s growing army of football fans – the new Dundee side, which included Thomson on the right-wing took the field at West Craigie Park against Rangers and started their Scottish League life with a 3-3 draw against last season’s runners-up in front of a crowd of 5,000.
The following week Thomson lined up against defending champions Celtic at home in front of 8,000 and would miss just one league match in Dundee’s inaugural year.
On December 9th Thomson scored his first goal for the club with the opener in a 4-0 home win over Dumbarton and a fortnight later was on the score sheet again in a 7-3 Forfarshire Cup semi-final win over Arbroath.
In the Final at Carolina Port, which would become Dundee’s home in March, Thomson scored again in a 4-0 win over Dundee Harp, winning the Dark Blues their first silverware in their inaugural season.
With the League campaign just 18 matches Dundee filled up their calendar with glamour friendlies against English opposition and Bill was on target in an 8-2 home win over Newcastle United in April and scored the winner in a 2-1 victory over Newton Heath (the forerunner of Manchester United) on New Year’s Day.
In Dundee’s second season, Thomson was a mainstay of the side as The Dee retained the Forfarshire Cup and reached the Scottish Cup semi-final. In a three match semi-final watched by over 55,000, Dundee couldn’t get past Renton who won the second replay at Celtic Park 3-0 to end the Dark Blues’ dreams of national glory – for fifteen years at least.
In Dundee’s third season Willie was an ever present and he was rewarded for his consistent wing play with a call up for the national side. Thomson’s only appearance for his country came on March 21st 1896 and he didn’t have to travel far because Scotland met Wales in a British International Challenge match at Carolina Port.
Dundee FC supplied both wingers for the side with Willie Thomson on the right and Sandy Keillor on the left and Keillor became the first Dundee player to score for Scotland in the 4-0 win. It was the first international to be held in the city of ‘Jute, Jam and Journalism’ and attracted a crowd of 11,700.
Whereas Keillor went on to win further international honours, this was Thomson’s one and only Scotland appearance and not long afterwards the wee winger was off to try his luck in England.
In a bid to balance the books at the end of the 1895-96 season, a new Dundee FC committee arranged a close season tour of England and met some famous names like Preston North End, Burnley, Nottingham Forest, Sheffield United and Corinthians which set a new British record of 60,000. Despite providing some much needed income even sterner measures were required and amongst a cost cutting departures were Sandy Gilligan – who scored Dundee’s first ever goal – and Willie Thomson, who were transferred to Bolton Wanderers where Bill spent three years before hanging up his boots.
William Thomson may not be one of the more famous names in the history of Dundee FC but he certainly set his mark playing in the club’s first ever match and playing in the first ever Scotland international hosted by Dundee Football Club
Debut
August 12th, 1893
Dundee 3 - 3 Rangers
League (Division One)
Playing Statistics - First Team Competitive matches (All Seasons)
| Competition | |
|
NPS | G2G |  |
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Win % | Draw % | Loss % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| League | 50 | 9 | - | 0.18 | - | - | 38.0 | 14.0 | 48.0 |
| Scottish Cup | 7 | 1 | - | 0.14 | - | - | 57.1 | 28.6 | 14.3 |
| Totals: | 57 | 10 | - | 0.18 | - | - | 40.4 | 15.8 | 43.9 |
| Recent Starting Appearances (First Team Competitive matches) |
|---|
| Feb 29th, 1896 | 29/02/96 | League | Division One | vs. Rangers (A) | 1 - 3 |
| Jan 25th, 1896 | 25/01/96 | Scottish Cup | 2nd Round | vs. Third Lanark (A) | 1 - 4 |
| Jan 18th, 1896 | 18/01/96 | League | Division One | vs. Hibernian (H) | 1 - 3 |
| Jan 11th, 1896 | 11/01/96 | Scottish Cup | 1st Round | vs. Morton (A) | 3 - 2 |
| Dec 14th, 1895 | 14/12/95 | League | Division One | vs. Clyde (H) | 1 - 2 |
| Recent Goals Scored (First Team Competitive matches) |
|---|
| Dec 7th, 1895 | 07/12/95 | League | Division One | vs. Dumbarton (A) | 2 - 1 |
| Oct 12th, 1895 | 12/10/95 | League | Division One | vs. Hearts (H) | 5 - 0 |
| Nov 24th, 1894 | 24/11/94 | Scottish Cup | 1st Round | vs. Orion (A) | 5 - 1 |
| Oct 13th, 1894 | 13/10/94 | League | Division One | vs. Dumbarton (A) | 4 - 2 |
| Sep 29th, 1894 | 29/09/94 | League | Division One | vs. St Bernard's (H) | 2 - 2 |
| List of First Team Competitive matches played (click to expand) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| List of First Team Competitive goals scored (click to expand) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| = Starting Appearances (Sub Appearances) | = Goals | NPS = Squad Appearances (as Non-Playing Sub) | GtGR = Goals to Games Ratio
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| Yel = Yellow Cards/Cautions | Red = Red Cards/Dismissals | W/D/L - Games won, drawn or lost as percentage of games played in |
Timeline
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Date of Birth
William was born on this date in Dundee.
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First Non-Competitive Appearance (Friendly)
Dundee Harp 3 - 3 Dundee
Friendly (FR)
The Dundee football season opened on Wednesday, when a friendly game was played on East Dock Street Park between Harp, the ground team, and the newly formed combination, the Dundee. The Harp eleven we
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First Team Debut
Dundee 3 - 3 Rangers
League (Division One)
The football season in Dundee has made a most, auspicious opening, and there can be no doubt whether that the inclusion of a local team in the Scottish Football League will give a powerful impetus to
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First Goal
Dundee 4 - 0 Dumbarton
League (Division One)
This important fixture came West Craigie Park on Saturday afternoon. A good game was looked forward to, as both clubs were none too well off on the League table, although the Dumbarton held the better
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50th Appearance
Dundee 2 - 0 Third Lanark
League (Division One)
These teams met at Carolina Port on Saturday in the second of their home-and-home League engagements. The day was bright but cold, and the ground inclined to be heavy. There was rather & small attend.
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Last Goal
Dumbarton 1 - 2 Dundee
League (Division One)
At Boghead in wintry weather, and in presence of about 500 spectators. The ground was thickly coated with snow, and the surface underneath was hard and slippery, rendering the footing insecure.
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50th League Appearance
Rangers 3 - 1 Dundee
League (Division One)
These clubs completed their league engagements on on Saturday at Ibrox Park, Govan. There was a large attendance of spectators, over 2000 present.The teams were:- Dundee - Coventry; Darroch an
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Last Appearance
Rangers 3 - 1 Dundee
League (Division One)
These clubs completed their league engagements on on Saturday at Ibrox Park, Govan. There was a large attendance of spectators, over 2000 present.The teams were:- Dundee - Coventry; Darroch an
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International Debut
William earned his first International cap for Scotland, playing against Wales.
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Date of Death
William died on this date in Greenock.
International Career (Scotland) 
Caps: 1
International Debut: March 21st, 1896 v. Wales
Made international debut in a 4-0 victory for Scotland against Wales at Carolina Park in 1896.