Tom Jennings (footballer)

Tom Jennings

Personal information
Full name	Thomas Hamilton Oliver Jennings
Date of birth	8 March 1902
Place of birth	Strathaven, Scotland
Date of death	2 July 1973 (aged 71)
Place of death	Johnstone, Scotland
Playing position	Striker
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps^†	(Gls)^†
?	Cadzow St Anne's	?	(?)
1919	Tottenham Hotspur (trial)	0	(0)
1921–1925	Raith Rovers	?	(?)
1925–1931	Leeds United	167	(112)
1931–1933	Chester City	48	(33)
?	Bangor City	?	(?)
Teams managed
	Bangor City
1934–1939	Third Lanark
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (goals)

Thomas 'Tom' Hamilton Oliver Jennings (8 March 1902 – 1973) was a Scottish footballer.

Career

Jennings started his career with Cadzow St Anne's and had a trial with Tottenham Hotspur in 1919, playing no games for the club.^[1] He then moved on to Raith Rovers, before joining Leeds United in March 1925.^[1] He made 167 league appearances for the club, in which he scored 112 goals, before he joined Chester City in June 1931.^[1] He made 48 league appearances and scored 33 goals and in 1933 joined Bangor City. .^[1]

Jennings officially scored Chester's first ever Football League goal in a 1–1 draw with Wrexham on 2 September 1931. Although Chester had beaten Wigan Borough 4-0 four days earlier (with Jennings scoring the third goal), the result was deleted after Wigan resigned from the Football League in October 1931.

Later in the season he scored Chester's first Football League hat-trick,^[2] when he scored all the club's goals in a 5–1 win over Walsall in January 1932. His tally of five goals in one game has only been matched once (by Barry Jepson in 1958) and never bettered by a Chester player in a Football League fixture.^[3] Jennings also scored four times in a 7–2 win over Rochdale in April 1932 and comfortably ended the season as Chester's top scorer, with 30 league goals to his name. But he only played nine more league games for the club after this and moved on.

Jennings later managed Bangor City and Third Lanark.^[4]

References

1. Joyce, Michael (2004). Football League Players' Records 1888–1939. Tony Brown. p. 138. ISBN 1-899468-67-6.
2. Chas Sumner (1997). On the Borderline: The Official History of Chester City 1885-1997. p. 51. ISBN 1-874427-52-6.
3. Chas Sumner (1997). On the Borderline: The Official History of Chester City 1885-1997. p. 130. ISBN 1-874427-52-6.
4. "Jennings: Thomas Hamilton Oliver (Tom)". Leeds United F.C. History. Retrieved 25 January 2011.