Biography
Outside right Thomas Mordue joined the Tigers in September 1923 as a teenage goalscorer who had made his reputation in County Durham junior football. Manager Bill McCracken used Mordue sparingly on the right wing, selecting him for three games in the Autumn and three games in March 1924. None of those six games were won, which perhaps influenced the club’s directors and they released Mordue, still only eighteen, in the 1924 close season.
Thomas Mordue, often known as “Tommy” or “Tucker” during his career, was born in Kimblesworth, a colliery village between Durham and Chester-le-Street, and grew up in the County Durham mining communities of Kimblesworth, Sacriston and Horden. His father was a coal miner born in Edmondsley who lost his life during World War One, placing a reliance on Thomas and his brothers at a young age to earn money for the family. The Mordue family worked at the colliery in Horden, one of the newer twentieth century coastal pits that drew coal from deep seams under the North Sea, and was also renowned for its sporting endeavours – Thomas’s brother Billy and several of his cousins were also footballers, while his uncle Jackie Mordue played for Sunderland and won international caps for England in 1912 and 1913. Thomas played for Herrington Swifts in the Wearside League before attracting the attention of Hull City’s extensive scouting system in the North East of England mining communities, signing for the Tigers in September 1923.
Mordue returned to Horden in 1924 and played a season with Horden Athletic. By November 1925 he was on a hot streak of form that yielded 22 goals in ten matches, which encouraged Division One side Newcastle United to give Thomas a second chance in the professional game. After netting more goals in the Magpies’ Reserves side, Mordue scored on his first team debut against Sheffield United in December 1925 then also scored a crowd pleasing goal against arch-rivals Sunderland in February 1926. However he managed only five starts for Newcastle United as he competed with Scottish international goalscorer Hughie Gallacher for a starting position.
In October 1926 he moved to Division One side Sheffield United for a £500 fee, he made his October 1926 debut against Tottenham Hotspur and in two seasons with the Blades he made seven starts. In September 1928 he returned to the Durham Coast and signed for Division Three North side Hartlepool United, he scored on his debut that month against Darlington. Mordue found his feet at the Victoria Ground, operating in the inside left position and scoring 27 goals in 104 senior appearances across three seasons including thirteen goals in the 1928/29 season. Mordue left Hartlepool United in the 1931 close season.
In September 1931 Mordue joined Wearside League side Shotton Colliery Welfare but within a few weeks he had switched to divisional rivals Horden Colliery Welfare. He served the Horden side for five seasons, often playing alongside his brother Billy, before drawing his playing days to a close in the late 1930s. In 1939 he was living in Horden and working at the local colliery. He died in Horden in November 1975.
As well as a footballer, Thomas was an accomplished Fives player, a local version of handball. He won several trophies at the same time as pursuing his football career, indeed several of his Fives matches were well publicised affairs that attracted large crowds and significant volumes of gambling, especially when his arch rival Tucker Gill from West Auckland was involved.
Details
Nationality: England
Date/Place of Birth: 22 June 1905, Kimblesworth
Hull City First Game: 27 October 1923, Stoke A (Division Two), 18 years, 127 days old
Hull City Final Game: 29 March 1924, Barnsley A (Division Two), 18 years, 281 days old
Clubs
Herrington Swifts, Hull City (1923-1924), Horden Athletic (1924-1925), Newcastle United (1925-1926), Sheffield United (1926-1928), Hartlepool United (1928-1931), Shotton Colliery Welfare (1931), Horden Colliery Welfare (1931-1936), Horden Coke Ovens (1936-1937)
Hull City Record
Career: 6 apps, 0 goals
Thomas Mordue| Season | LGE App | LGE Gls | FAC App | FAC Gls | FLC App | FLC Gls | EUR App | EUR Gls | OTH App | OTH Gls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1923/24 | 6 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Thomas Mordue was my Grandfather, a man who I loved and worshipped.
Growing up were, very happy times with him as my own father was a civil
engineer and for the sake of steady schooling, I lived with my grandparents.
As a youngster, they were very happy times despite money being tight
rationing was still in place in my early years but they were very happy times.
I knew my grandad had been a pro footballer, I knew about Jackie Mordue and
his Sunderland exploits but being a young child we never really asked the important
questions that we should have done.
It was only when I turned 18 and would go for a pint in Horden ‘ Big Club ‘ and
when home on leave from the army taking Grandad out for a pint that I learned
of his sporting exploits in football and together with Great uncle Billy Handball.
He was so well respected in the mining community, I would tingle with pride as I
listened to the old lads talking about him over a pint.
When my Grandad sadly passed it was like the whole of Horden turned out for his
funeral, the streets were lined by the community a very fitting tribute to a very remarkable man
I still miss him and still talk about him to this day, a true, ‘ LOCAL HERO’…
Fabulous tribute Peter, thank you for sharing it.