Biography
Jimmy Thompson was an experienced and once-prolific striker who joined Hull City in October 1931, answering to an injury crisis in the forward line. Some players are known for their longevity in the Tigers first team – Thompson was the opposite. He signed in the first week of October, played a reserve game on the Thursday (in which the local press suggest he was not match fit), played a Division Three North game on the Saturday at Lincoln, injured his ankle at Sincil Bank and left the club a few weeks later. Thompson had actually come out of retirement to join City but his time at Anlaby Road was shortlived.
Born in West Ham in the East End of London, James William Thompson took a “have boots will travel” approach to professional football. After playing local league football for London Docklands team Custom House, Thompson gave the Football League a go at 23 years of age and joined Charlton Athletic as an amateur. Within four months he had played twice for Charlton, moved to non-league Wimbledon (where he scored five goals in an FA Cup qualifying tie against Redhill) and returned to the professional ranks with Millwall. He had season-long spells at Coventry and Clapton Orient before joining Division Three South side Luton Town in July 1925. He was the Hatters’ top goalscorer in his first season with 25 league goals, and added another 16 in his second season. This form led to a move to Second Division Chelsea in 1927 and he again scored 25 league goals to finish the season top scorer. He was again top scorer for Chelsea in 1928/29, with a more modest 9 goals, before joining Norwich City in the 1929 close season. A season in Norfolk yielded 17 goals in Division Three South, followed by short spells at Sunderland and Fulham.
After his brief spell at Hull City in October 1931 Thompson played for several other clubs, even briefly joining FC Luzern in Switzerland in 1935. Despite his itinerant career he managed to score just shy of 100 senior goals overall in 150 appearances. After his playing days ended Thompson joined the coaching staff at non-league sides Letchworth and Enfield before managing Southern League side Dartford FC immediately before World War Two in 1939. He scouted for both Chelsea and Southampton in the 1950s and 1960s, unearthing England internationals Jimmy Greaves and Terry Venables for the Blues. Thompson retired to Epsom in Surrey where he died in August 1984.
Details
Nationality: England
Date/Place of Birth: 19 April 1898, West Ham
Hull City First Game: 10 October 1931, Lincoln City A (Division Three North), 33 years, 174 days old
Hull City Final Game: 10 October 1931, Lincoln City A (Division Three North), 33 years, 174 days old
Clubs
Custom House (1919-1921), Charlton Athletic (1921), Wimbledon (1921), Millwall (1921-1922), Coventry City (1923-1924), Clapton Orient (1924-1925), Luton Town (1925-1927), Chelsea (1927-1929), Norwich City (1929-1930), Sunderland (1930), Fulham (1930-1931), Hull City (1931), Tunbridge Wells Rangers (1931-1932), Tranmere Rovers (1932), Sittingbourne (1932-1934), Peterborough & Fletton United (1934-1935), Linfield (1935), Aldershot (1935), FC Luzern (1935)
Hull City Record
Career: 1 apps, 0 goals
Jimmy Thompson| Season | LGE App | LGE Gls | FAC App | FAC Gls | FLC App | FLC Gls | EUR App | EUR Gls | OTH App | OTH Gls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1931/32 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |