Tommy Wright (footballer, born 1944)

For other people named Tommy Wright, see Tommy Wright (disambiguation).

Tommy Wright
Personal information
Full name	Thomas James Wright
Date of birth	(1944-10-21) 21 October 1944
Place of birth	Maghull, Liverpool, England
Playing position	Right fullback
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps^†	(Gls)^†
1964–1974	Everton	373	(4)
National team
1968–1970	England	12	(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (goals)

Thomas James (Tommy) Wright (born 21 October 1944 in Liverpool) is a former footballer.

Club career

He joined Everton as an apprentice in 1964 and made 373 appearances at right back and scored four goals.^[1] Wright played in the winning team in the 1966 FA Cup Final, in the unsuccessful team in the 1968 FA Cup Final and in all 42 league games in the 1969/70 season when Everton won the Football League Championship by nine points.

Wright has often been described as the best right back to play for Everton. (Another candidate for this honour is Keith Newton who Everton usually played at left back and another is Gary Stevens) George Best once described Wright as his most difficult opponent.

International career

Wright made twelve appearances for England including the classic match against Brazil in the 1970 World Cup in Mexico.^[2] Wright made his debut for England in the game in which England beat the Soviet Union in the third place match in the 1968 European Football Championship in Italy, the only player to make his England debut in a European Championship finals match. He was one of the less known talents on show for England in the 1962 World Cup but made a massive impact on the team for himself and his country.

Retirement

Wright retired in 1972 after a serious injury to his knee.

References

Everton – School of Science by James Corbett Pan Books 2003 ISBN 0-330-42006-2

England squads

England squad – UEFA Euro 1968 third place

1 Banks 2 Newton 3 Wilson 4 Mullery 5 Labone 6 Moore (c) 7 Ball 8 Hunt 9 B. Charlton 10 Hurst 11 Peters 12 Stepney 13 West 14 Knowles 15 J. Charlton 16 Wright 17 Stiles 18 Summerbee 19 Hunter 20 Bell 21 Greaves 22 Thompson Coach: Ramsey

England squad – 1970 FIFA World Cup

1 Banks 2 Newton 3 Cooper 4 Mullery 5 Labone 6 Moore (c) 7 Lee 8 Ball 9 B. Charlton 10 Hurst 11 Peters 12 Bonetti 13 Stepney 14 Wright 15 Stiles 16 Hughes 17 J. Charlton 18 Hunter 19 Bell 20 Osgood 21 Clarke 22 Astle Coach: Ramsey

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