Tommy Fraser
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Thomas Francis Peter Fraser (born 5 December 1987) is an English former
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
midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...
. Starting his career with hometown club
Brighton & Hove Albion Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club, commonly referred to as Brighton, is a professional football club based in Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. Their home gr ...
, Fraser was
youth team In sporting terminology, a youth system (or youth academy) is a youth investment program within a particular team or Sports league, league, which develops and nurtures young talent in farm teams, with the vision of using them in the first team (a ...
captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...
and then a semi-regular in the first-team for three seasons. In June 2009, he signed with
Port Vale Port Vale Football Club are a professional football club based in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, England, which compete in , the third tier of the English football league system. Vale are named after the valley of ports on the Trent and Mersey Canal ...
, where he was quickly made captain. He left the club in January 2011 and immediately joined
Barnet Barnet may refer to: People *Barnet (surname) *Barnet (given name) Places United Kingdom *Chipping Barnet or High Barnet, commonly known as Barnet, one of three focal towns of the borough below. *East Barnet, a district of the borough below; anc ...
. He remained with the club London club for ten months, before joining
Whitehawk Whitehawk is a suburb in the east of Brighton, England, south of Bevendean and north of Brighton Marina. The area is a large, modern housing estate built in a downland dry valley historically known as Whitehawk Bottom. The estate was originall ...
in December 2011. Fraser emigrated to Australia in February 2013 before returning to Whitehawk in the summer. He then had brief spells at
Ebbsfleet United Ebbsfleet United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Northfleet, Kent, England. The club compete in the National League South, the sixth level of the English football league system. Founded in 1946 from the merger ...
, Peacehaven & Telscombe,
Lewes Lewes () is the county town of East Sussex, England. The town is the administrative centre of the wider Lewes (district), district of the same name. It lies on the River Ouse, Sussex, River Ouse at the point where the river cuts through the Sou ...
and Burgess Hill Town (over two spells), Whitehawk again and
Bognor Regis Town Bognor Regis Town Football Club is an English football club based in Bognor Regis, West Sussex. Nicknamed 'The Rocks’, the club is an FA Chartered Standard Community club affiliated to the Sussex County Football Association. They currently co ...
.


Early life

Fraser's father, Frankie, was a
youth team In sporting terminology, a youth system (or youth academy) is a youth investment program within a particular team or Sports league, league, which develops and nurtures young talent in farm teams, with the vision of using them in the first team (a ...
player at
Brighton & Hove Albion Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club, commonly referred to as Brighton, is a professional football club based in Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. Their home gr ...
before a knee injury ended his professional career; he went on to play for
Whitehawk Whitehawk is a suburb in the east of Brighton, England, south of Bevendean and north of Brighton Marina. The area is a large, modern housing estate built in a downland dry valley historically known as Whitehawk Bottom. The estate was originall ...
. He is also the grandson of former
Richardson Gang The Richardson Gang was an English crime gang based in South London, England in the 1960s. Also known as the "Torture Gang", they had a reputation as some of London's most sadistic gangsters. Their alleged specialties included pulling teeth ou ...
member "Mad" Frankie Fraser. He said: "I couldn't tell you anything he's done, and I've never read a book about it. I'm not really interested – he's just my grandad as far as I'm concerned." Growing up in Brighton, Fraser attended
Varndean School Varndean School is a secondary school serving a large area of Brighton, England. In 2013, 2017 and 2022, Ofsted inspectors described Varndean as a 'Good' school. Varndean shares the Surrenden Campus with Balfour Primary School, Dorothy String ...
and
Varndean College Varndean College is a sixth form college in Brighton and Hove that serves the needs of sixth form students and adults. Location Varndean College is on Surrenden Road, in the northern part of Brighton. It shares the Surrenden campus with Balfou ...
. He is an
Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
fan.


Career


Brighton & Hove Albion

Fraser was born in
Brighton Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...
and progressed through the youth ranks at
League One League One or League 1 may refer to: Association football * EFL League One, the third tier of football in England. * China League One, the second tier of football in China * K League 1, the top-tier football in South Korea * Lao League 1 * Lea ...
side
Brighton & Hove Albion Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club, commonly referred to as Brighton, is a professional football club based in Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. Their home gr ...
, where he was awarded a professional
contract A contract is an agreement that specifies certain legally enforceable rights and obligations pertaining to two or more parties. A contract typically involves consent to transfer of goods, services, money, or promise to transfer any of thos ...
in the summer of 2006. In March 2006, Fraser was sent on
loan In finance, a loan is the tender of money by one party to another with an agreement to pay it back. The recipient, or borrower, incurs a debt and is usually required to pay interest for the use of the money. The document evidencing the deb ...
to
Conference South The National League South, officially Vanarama National League South, is a professional Association football league in England. National League South is the second division of the National Leagues and step 2 of the NLS and sixth-highest ti ...
side
Bognor Regis Town Bognor Regis Town Football Club is an English football club based in Bognor Regis, West Sussex. Nicknamed 'The Rocks’, the club is an FA Chartered Standard Community club affiliated to the Sussex County Football Association. They currently co ...
, where he made only one appearance. On 9 September 2006, Fraser made his debut for Brighton at
The New Den The Den (previously The New Den) is a football stadium in Bermondsey, south-east London, and the home of Millwall Football Club. The Den is adjacent to the South London railway originating at , and a quarter-of-a-mile from the Old Den, whic ...
, coming off the bench; later in the game Fraser cleared off the line as
Millwall Millwall is a district on the western and southern side of the Isle of Dogs, in east London, England, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It lies to the immediate south of Canary Wharf and Poplar, north of Greenwich and Deptford, east of ...
looked to have scored, but Fraser's actions saved the club's
clean sheet In team sports, a shutout ( US) or clean sheet ( UK) is a game in which the losing team fails to score. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketball. Shutouts are usually seen as a result of ...
as Brighton won the match 1–0. Fraser started life on the wing, before later taking up a position in the centre of midfield. At times he was also used as a defender, a role in which he earned praise off his teammate Matt Richards in February 2008, before he was offered a one-year contract two months later. After 102 appearances and 3 goals for the "Seagulls", Fraser left Brighton after the expiration of his contract in June 2009.


Port Vale

Fraser signed with
Port Vale Port Vale Football Club are a professional football club based in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, England, which compete in , the third tier of the English football league system. Vale are named after the valley of ports on the Trent and Mersey Canal ...
on a free transfer in June 2009, linking up with former
manager Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a government bodies through business administration, nonprofit management, or the political science sub-field of public administra ...
Micky Adams Michael Richard Adams (born 8 November 1961) is an English former professional association football, footballer and football Manager (association football), manager. As a player, he was a Full-back (football), full back, and made a total of 43 ...
for the 2009–10 season. He was appointed as club
captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...
, after impressing in the pre-season. At twenty one years of age, and new to the club, his appointment came as a surprise to some, especially with more senior options in Sam Stockley,
Marc Richards Marc John Richards (born 8 July 1982) is an English former professional footballer who played as a striker and is now, upon retiring, a first-team coach at Northampton Town. A youth team player at Hednesford Town, he turned professional at Blac ...
and Gareth Owen. However, Adams had faith in the young midfielder's vocal abilities and general leadership qualities. Putting in solid performances in Vale's unbeaten start to the season, he took to the field despite still suffering with an ankle injury. His first goal for the club seemed to come in a 4–0 home win over
Grimsby Town Grimsby Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire, England, that competes in , the fourth level of the English football league system. Nicknamed "the Mariners", the club was f ...
on 5 September. However, after the match
Marc Richards Marc John Richards (born 8 July 1982) is an English former professional footballer who played as a striker and is now, upon retiring, a first-team coach at Northampton Town. A youth team player at Hednesford Town, he turned professional at Blac ...
claimed the last touch and therefore took the credit for the goal. Fraser seemed to attract violence; on 25 August,
Sheffield Wednesday Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English football league system. Formed in 1867 as an off ...
's
Francis Jeffers Francis Jeffers (born 25 January 1981) is an English football coach and former player, who was most recently a first-team coach at Oldham Athletic. Jeffers started his career at his boyhood club Everton, making his debut in 1997 as a 16-year-o ...
was
sent off In sports, an ejection (also known as dismissal, sending-off, disqualification, or early shower) is the removal of a participant from a contest due to a violation of the sport's rules. The exact violations that lead to an ejection vary depending ...
for head-butting Fraser, two weeks later Fraser and
Aldershot Town Aldershot Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Aldershot, Hampshire, England. The team competes in the National League, the fifth level of the English football league system. The club was founded in the spr ...
captain
John Halls John Halls (born 14 February 1982) is a model and former English footballer. Halls began his career with Arsenal making three appearances in the League Cup for the "Gunners" before spending time out on loan at Colchester United, Belgian c ...
almost came to blows before the match had even begun. He was transfer listed in late September, along with the entire Port Vale squad, after manager
Micky Adams Michael Richard Adams (born 8 November 1961) is an English former professional association football, footballer and football Manager (association football), manager. As a player, he was a Full-back (football), full back, and made a total of 43 ...
saw his team slip to a third consecutive defeat. He remained club captain and a first-team regular though, striking up a midfield pairing with Anthony Griffith, who he also shared a house with. His performances as captain earned him public praise from assistant manager
Geoff Horsfield Geoffrey Malcolm Horsfield (born 1 November 1973) is an English former professional footballer and football coach. He made more than 300 appearances in the Football League playing as a striker. He was a "strong and forceful" player, able to ...
, though the fans were critical at times of his inconsistency. He found himself the new focus of disgruntled supporters in early 2010, following
Danny Glover Danny Glover ( ; born July 22, 1946) is an American actor, producer, and political activist. Over his career he has received List of awards and nominations received by Danny Glover, numerous accolades including the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian A ...
's demotion to the reserves, and
Marc Richards Marc John Richards (born 8 July 1982) is an English former professional footballer who played as a striker and is now, upon retiring, a first-team coach at Northampton Town. A youth team player at Hednesford Town, he turned professional at Blac ...
' rising goal tally. Fraser vowed to ignore the booing. He also retained the captain's armband for the next season, and vowed "to be more mature both on and off the pitch" to be a better captain. At the start of the
2010–11 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...
season, Fraser set the club a goal of
promotion Promotion may refer to: Marketing * Promotion (marketing), one of the four marketing mix elements, comprising any type of marketing communication used to inform or persuade target audiences of the relative merits of a product, service, brand or i ...
, saying that "I won't be happy until I've achieved promotion with Port Vale". The strong performances of Anthony Griffith and Gary Roberts left only an unfamiliar wide role for Fraser, and a minority of fans became dissatisfied with his performances on the wing and again began booing the young captain. Micky Adams left the club in December 2010, and was replaced by
Jim Gannon James Paul Gannon (born 7 September 1968) is a professional football manager and former player who most recently was manager of Hyde United. He started and finished his career as a player in Ireland but made most of his professional appearanc ...
. Two weeks into Gannon's reign Fraser left the club by mutual consent to find first-team football, preferring this option to a loan deal.


Barnet

Fraser signed with
Barnet Barnet may refer to: People *Barnet (surname) *Barnet (given name) Places United Kingdom *Chipping Barnet or High Barnet, commonly known as Barnet, one of three focal towns of the borough below. *East Barnet, a district of the borough below; anc ...
on a deal lasting two and a half years. Signed by caretaker manager
Paul Fairclough Paul Fairclough (born 31 January 1950) is an English football manager and former player who is the manager of the England C team. As a player, he made five appearances for Cheshunt in the 1981–82 season. Managerial career Stevenage In ...
, he played under
Martin Allen Martin James Allen (born 14 August 1965) is an English football manager and former player. He played more than 100 games as a midfielder for both Queens Park Rangers and West Ham United before finishing his playing career with Portsmouth and ...
and then another caretaker manager,
Giuliano Grazioli Giuliano Stefano Luigi Grazioli (born 23 March 1975, in Marylebone) is an English former footballer who played as a striker from 1995 until 2009, notably for Barnet FC. As a footballer he also played for Wembley, Yeovil Town, Peterborough U ...
, within the space of a few months. He played a total of fifteen games for the "Bees" in what remained of the
2010–11 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...
campaign, as the club retained their
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 ...
status with a final day 1–0 win over former club Port Vale at Underhill; Fraser was a stoppage-time substitute in the game. New manager
Lawrie Sanchez Lawrence Sanchez (born 22 October 1959) is a football manager and former international footballer for Northern Ireland. The defining moment of his playing career came in the 1988 FA Cup final, when he scored the winning goal for Wimbledon aga ...
picked Fraser for just six games in 2011–12, the last of which was a 4–0 defeat to
Swindon Town Swindon Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Swindon, Wiltshire, England. The team, known as the "Robins", currently compete in , the fourth level of the English football league system. Founded as Swindon A ...
on 24 September. Two months later, Fraser left the club by mutual consent. He returned to
Vale Park Vale Park is a football stadium in the area of Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England, and it has been the home ground of Port Vale Football Club since its opening in 1950. It has a current capacity of 15,695, and was renovated durin ...
to train under
Micky Adams Michael Richard Adams (born 8 November 1961) is an English former professional association football, footballer and football Manager (association football), manager. As a player, he was a Full-back (football), full back, and made a total of 43 ...
, though was not expected to be offered a contract at Port Vale.


Non-League

Fraser joined
Whitehawk Whitehawk is a suburb in the east of Brighton, England, south of Bevendean and north of Brighton Marina. The area is a large, modern housing estate built in a downland dry valley historically known as Whitehawk Bottom. The estate was originall ...
of the
Isthmian League The Isthmian League () is a regional Association football, football league covering Greater London, East of England, East and South East England, featuring mostly semi-professional clubs. Founded in 1905 by amateur clubs in the London area, th ...
in December 2011, where he played alongside his younger brother James. Whitehawk won the Isthmian League Division One South title in 2011–12. He made 31 appearances in the
2012–13 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...
season for
Darren Freeman Darren Barry Andduet Freeman (born 22 August 1973) is an English football manager and former professional player who played as a winger and striker, making over 130 appearances in the Football League between 1995 and 2001. Playing career Born ...
's "Hawks", and was sent off in his final game in a 3–1 defeat to Harrow Borough at the
Earlsmead Stadium Rogers Family Stadium (previously Earlsmead Stadium) is a football stadium in Harrow, north-west London, England. It is the home ground of Harrow Borough F.C. The stadium has a capacity of 3,070 people, which includes 350 seats and standing ...
on 23 February. He left England to live in Australia in March 2013, signing for
National Premier Leagues Victoria The National Premier Leagues Victoria (NPL Victoria or NPL VIC) is a semi-professional soccer league in Victoria, Australia. The league is a part of the National Premier Leagues, and is the highest level within the Victorian soccer league syst ...
club
Melbourne Knights FC Melbourne Knights Football Club is an Australian professional Association football, soccer club based in the suburb of Sunshine North, Victoria, Sunshine North, Melbourne. The club currently competes in the National Premier Leagues Victoria, t ...
. He soon returned to England however, and re-signed with Whitehawk in July 2013. He played 38 Conference South games in the 2013–14 season, helping the club to finish one point above the
relegation Promotion and relegation is used by sports leagues as a process where teams can move up and down among divisions in a league system, based on their performance over a season. Leagues that use promotion and relegation systems are sometimes call ...
zone. Fraser joined Steve Brown's
Ebbsfleet United Ebbsfleet United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Northfleet, Kent, England. The club compete in the National League South, the sixth level of the English football league system. Founded in 1946 from the merger ...
, also of the Conference South, in May 2014. He signed with Isthmian League club Peacehaven & Telscombe in September 2014. He moved on to
Lewes Lewes () is the county town of East Sussex, England. The town is the administrative centre of the wider Lewes (district), district of the same name. It lies on the River Ouse, Sussex, River Ouse at the point where the river cuts through the Sou ...
three months later. After leaving Lewes in February 2015, Fraser signed for newly promoted
Isthmian League The Isthmian League () is a regional Association football, football league covering Greater London, East of England, East and South East England, featuring mostly semi-professional clubs. Founded in 1905 by amateur clubs in the London area, th ...
Premier Division side Burgess Hill Town in June 2015. He signed with Whitehawk for a third time in March 2016. Four months later he returned to Burgess Hill Town, before he joined former loan club Bognor Regis Town in November 2016.


Career statistics


Honours

Whitehawk *
Isthmian League The Isthmian League () is a regional Association football, football league covering Greater London, East of England, East and South East England, featuring mostly semi-professional clubs. Founded in 1905 by amateur clubs in the London area, th ...
Division One South: 2011–12


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fraser, Tommy 1987 births Living people Footballers from Brighton People educated at Varndean College English men's footballers English expatriate men's footballers Men's association football midfielders Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. players Bognor Regis Town F.C. players Port Vale F.C. players Barnet F.C. players Whitehawk F.C. players English expatriate sportspeople in Australia Expatriate men's soccer players in Australia Melbourne Knights FC players Ebbsfleet United F.C. players Peacehaven & Telscombe F.C. players Lewes F.C. players Burgess Hill Town F.C. players English Football League players National League (English football) players Isthmian League players 21st-century English sportsmen