Thomas William Sword (born 12 November 1957) is a former professional football defender, who primarily played for Stockport County and has since been inducted into their Hall of Fame.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Thomas William Sword[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 12 November 1957[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Newcastle-upon-Tyne,[1] England | ||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)[2] | ||
| Position(s) | Defender | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| Bishop Auckland | |||
| 1979–1986 | Stockport County | 238 | (51) |
| 1986–1987 | Hartlepool United | 18 | (0) |
| 1987 | → Halifax Town (loan) | 8 | (2) |
| 1987 | Stockport County | 7 | (1) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 17:01, 12 January 2009 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 17:01, 12 January 2009 (UTC) | |||
Biography
editBorn in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Sword started his professional footballing career with Stockport County after making a name for himself as a free-scoring striker in the Northern Football League with Bishop Auckland. He started in good form at County, scoring twice in a 2–1 win over Hartlepool United on his full debut, but was soon asked to play in defence when County were short due to injuries. Sword enjoyed a successful transition from striker to defender, playing out the remainder of his career at the back. Despite playing from defence, he maintained a good scoring record thanks mostly to converting 25 penalties. Sword was transferred to Hartlepool for £5,000 in July 1986, but soon returned to County for a brief stint to finish his footballing career.
He was awarded a testimonial against Manchester City soon after finishing playing professionally. In 2005, he was inducted into Stockport's Hall of Fame.[3]
References
edit- ^ a b c "Tommy Sword". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
- ^ Dunk, Peter, ed. (1987). Rothmans Football Yearbook 1987–88. London: Queen Anne Press. p. 344. ISBN 978-0-356-14354-5.
- ^ Stockport County Hall of Fame Archived 16 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine