Tom Fillingham
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Thomas Fillingham (6 September 1904 – 1 May 1960) was an English professional
footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...
who played as a
centre half In the sport of association football, a defender is an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Defenders fall into four main categ ...
. He made 212 appearances in the
Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional association football, football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in Association football around the world, the w ...
in the late 1920s and 1930s. Born in
Bulwell Bulwell is a market town and former civil parish in the Nottingham district, in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire, England. It is south-west of Hucknall and to the north-west of Nottingham. The United Kingdom Census 2011 recorded the p ...
,
Nottinghamshire Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated ''Notts.'') is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. The county is bordered by South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. Th ...
, Fillingham worked at a colliery and a dyehouse and played local football in the Nottinghamshire area before turning professional with
Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...
, for whom he went on to play 183 games in the
Football League First Division The Football League First Division was the top division of the Football League in England from 1888 until the end of the 1991–92 season, when its teams broke away to form the Premier League. From 1992 to 2004, the name First Division was g ...
. He was a strong, versatile player; originally a forward, he converted to defence, becoming first choice at centre half as the replacement for George Morrall, while remaining keen to push forward. He sustained an injury playing for Birmingham in 1934 which resulted in him losing an eye some 15 years later. In 1938 Fillingham moved to
Ipswich Town Ipswich Town Football Club is a professional football club based in Ipswich, Suffolk, England. The club currently competes in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. Ipswich Town were founded in 1878 but did not turn ...
, and played in their first ever match in the
Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional association football, football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in Association football around the world, the w ...
. He made guest appearances for clubs in the Nottinghamshire area during the Second World War, but did not play afterwards. He was also a good cricketer and golfer. He died in Bulwell in 1960 at the age of 55.


Honours

Birmingham *
FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...
finalist: 1930–31


References

1904 births 1960 deaths Sportspeople from Bulwell Footballers from Nottinghamshire English men's footballers Men's association football defenders Birmingham City F.C. players Ipswich Town F.C. players English Football League players 20th-century English sportsmen {{England-footy-defender-1900s-stub