Edwin Thomas Tompkins (1880 − 1940), known as Tom or Tommy Tompkins, was an English

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

forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People *Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Smal ...

and half back for

Doncaster Rovers Doncaster Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. The team currently competes in EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system after winning the 202 ...

and

Leeds City Leeds City Football Club was the leading professional club in Leeds, England, before the First World War. The club was highly successful in the wartime football league; however, it faced sanction for paying its players during wartime which had b ...

The Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in the world, and was the top-level football league in England from ...

at the beginning of the 20th century. Tompkins signed for Doncaster for their return to the

Second Division In sport, the Second Division, also called Division 2 or Division II is usually the second highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Following the rise of Premier League style compet ...

in 1904−05. He scored in his second game against Mexborough Town in the

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 ...

on 3 November, and 2 days later in his League debut against Burton United. It was the joint worst season in

English 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 ...

history, Doncaster ending up bottom with just 8 points from 34 games and failing to be re-elected. He then went to Denaby United in the

Midland League The Midland Football League, officially known as the Capelli Sport Midland Football League since January 2025 for sponsorship reasons, is an English football league that was founded in 2014 by the merger of the former Midland Alliance and Midl ...

for two seasons before joining

. Despite looking good in practice games, his form wasn't good and he was dropped after 11 games. At the end of the season he moved to Mexborough Town where he saw out his career back in the Midland League.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tompkins, Tommy 1880 births 1940 deaths English men's footballers Men's association football defenders Doncaster Rovers F.C. players Denaby United F.C. players Leeds City F.C. players Mexborough Athletic F.C. players English Football League players Midland Football League players Place of birth missing