Derek Tomkinson (6 April 1931 – 28 July 2021) was an English professional footballer who played as an inside forward for Burton Albion, Port Vale, Crewe Alexandra, and Macclesfield Town. He helped the "Valiants" to win the Third Division North title in the 1953–54 season. He also won the Cheshire Senior Cup with Macclesfield Town in 1960.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Derek Tomkinson[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 6 April 1931[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Stoke-on-Trent, England[1] | ||
| Date of death | 28 July 2021 (aged 90)[2] | ||
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)[3] | ||
| Position(s) | Inside forward | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1949–1951 | Port Vale | 0 | (0) |
| 1951–1952 | Burton Albion | ||
| 1952–1955 | Port Vale | 29 | (5) |
| 1955–1957 | Crewe Alexandra | 17 | (1) |
| 1958–1961 | Macclesfield Town | 99 | (2) |
| 1961–1962 | Altrincham | ||
| Total | 145+ | (8+) | |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Career
editTomkinson joined Port Vale as an amateur in 1949 after his father took him to The Old Recreation Ground and asked staff, "could you give my boy a game?".[1][4] He never played a first-team match and instead departed for Burton Albion in 1951.[1] He returned to Port Vale in December 1952 to sign as a professional. He made his debut on Boxing Day 1951 in a 4–1 win over Crewe Alexandra at Gresty Road.[1] He played five further Third Division North games in 1952–53, as the "Valiants" finished second in the league.[1] Having forced his way into first-team contention by scoring a hat-trick for the reserve team against the first XI, he went on to score five goals in 20 games in the 1953–54 title-winning campaign.[4] He played in the FA Cup semi-final defeat to West Bromwich Albion.[4][1] He was primarily used as a reserve for Albert Leake, though took Ken Griffiths place in the semi-final after Griffiths failed a fitness test.[4] He played four Second Division games in 1954–55, before leaving Vale Park for Crewe Alexandra.[1]
The "Railwaymen" finished bottom of the Third Division North in 1955–56 and 1956–57 under the stewardship of Maurice Lindley. He then moved on to Cheshire County League side Macclesfield Town in 1958, appearing as a regular first-team player for three seasons and helping the "Silkmen" to win the Cheshire Senior Cup in 1960.[5] He made 39 appearances for Altrincham during the 1961–62 season.[5]
Post-retirement
editTomkinson became a company secretary in the pottery industry and worked at Keele University before emigrating to Europe.[4] He later returned to England and, in December 2013, was living in Cullompton, though he would go on to reside in a care home in Sidmouth.[6][4]
Career statistics
edit| Club | Season | Division | League | FA Cup | Other | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| Port Vale | 1952–53[7] | Third Division North | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| 1953–54[7] | Third Division North | 19 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 5 | |
| 1954–55[7] | Second Division | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |
| Total | 29 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 5 | ||
| Crewe Alexandra | 1956–57[7] | Third Division North | 17 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 1 |
| Macclesfield Town | 1958–59[8] | Cheshire County League | 23 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 25 | 0 |
| 1959–60[9] | Cheshire County League | 35 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 44 | 3 | |
| 1960–61[10] | Cheshire County League | 41 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 48 | 0 | |
| Total | 99 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 117 | 0 | ||
Honours
editPort Vale
Macclesfield Town
- Cheshire Senior Cup: 1960[5]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h i Kent, Jeff (1996). Port Vale Personalities. Witan Books. p. 292. ISBN 0-9529152-0-0.
- ^ "Derek Tomkinson (1931 - 2021)". Port Vale F.C. 28 July 2021. Retrieved 28 July 2021.
- ^ "Altrincham FC". www.lusaweb.co.uk. Retrieved 22 March 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f official matchday programme Port Vale v Exeter City (PDF). 2 April 2021. p. 8. Retrieved 20 August 2023.
- ^ a b c "Profile". silkmenarchives.org.uk. Archived from the original on 5 November 2014. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
- ^ "Cup semi-finalists Derek Tomkinson is alive and well and living in Devon". The Sentinel. 14 December 2013. Retrieved 15 December 2013.
- ^ a b c d Derek Tomkinson at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)
- ^ "Stats". silkmenarchives.org.uk. Retrieved 12 July 2016.
- ^ "Stats". silkmenarchives.org.uk. Retrieved 12 July 2016.
- ^ "Stats". silkmenarchives.org.uk. Retrieved 12 July 2016.
- ^ Sherwin, Phil; Askey, Steve (2013), Men of Steele: The story of Port Vale's stunning 1953/54 season, Pass Publishing, ISBN 978-0-9926579-1-8