Tom Nolan (footballer, born 1909)
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Thomas Gerard Nolan[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 13 June 1909[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Preston, England[1] | ||
| Date of death | 1969 (aged 59–60)[1] | ||
| Playing position | Centre-forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Preston Catholic College | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| Preston North End | |||
| Manchester Central | |||
| 1931–1935 | Port Vale | 107 | (52) |
| 1935–1936 | Bradford Park Avenue | 42 | (17) |
| 1936–1940 | Port Vale | 94 | (35) |
| Total | 243+ | (134+) | |
|
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (goals) | |||
Thomas Gerard "Tom" Nolan (13 June 1909 – 1969) was an English footballer, noted for his powerful cannonball shots.
Playing career
Nolan played for Preston North End and Manchester Central, before joining Port Vale in October 1931.[1] He hit 11 goals in 21 games to become the club's top-scorer, helping the "Valiants" to remain in the Second Division on goal average.[1] Nolan then scored eight goals in 17 appearances in 1932–33, including a hat-trick in a 4–1 win over Plymouth Argyle at The Old Recreation Ground on 29 April.[1]
In the 1933–34 season he scored 22 goals in 32 appearances, including hat-tricks in home wins over Bury, Hull City, and Nottingham Forest.[1] He was the club's top-scorer for a second successive season in 1934–35, hitting 16 goals in 40 games.[1] However, he was transferred to Bradford Park Avenue in July 1935.[1] He hit 17 goals in 42 league appearances at Park Avenue, before he returned to Port Vale in a trade for George Stabb in September 1936.[1] The "Valiants" had been relegated to the Third Division North in his absence.[1] He hit 12 goals in 41 appearances in 1936–37, including a hat-trick over eventual league champions Stockport County.[1] He was dropped at the start of the 1937–38 campaign in favour of Jack Roberts, though he still managed to hit the net seven times in his 20 appearances.[1] He hit 17 goals in 41 games in 1938–39 to become the club's top-scorer for a fourth time.[1] In February 1940, Nolan retired from the game due to his war duties.[1] In his two spells with Port Vale he scored 96 goals in 221 appearances, over all competitions.[1]