Tom Nolan
Personal information
Full name Thomas Gerard Nolan[1]
Date of birth (1909-06-13)13 June 1909[1]
Place of birth Preston, England[1]
Date of death 1969 (aged 59–60)[1]
Height 5 ft 10+1⁄2 in (1.79 m)[2]
Position(s) Centre-forward
Youth career
Preston Catholic College
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
Preston North End
Manchester Central
1931–1935 Port Vale 107 (52)
1935–1936 Bradford Park Avenue 36 (14)
1936–1940 Port Vale 94 (35)
Total 237+ (103+)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Thomas Gerard Nolan (13 June 1909 – 1969) was an English footballer, noted for his powerful cannonball shots. He was Port Vale's most prolific forward of the 1930s.[3]

Career

Nolan played for Preston North End and Manchester Central, before joining Port Vale in October 1931.[1] He hit 11 goals in 21 games to become the club's top-scorer, helping the "Valiants" to remain in the Second Division on goal average.[1] Nolan then scored eight goals in 17 appearances in 1932–33, including a hat-trick in a 4–1 win over Plymouth Argyle at The Old Recreation Ground on 29 April.[1]

In the 1933–34 season he scored 22 goals in 32 appearances, including hat-tricks in home wins over Bury, Hull City, and Nottingham Forest.[1] He was the club's top-scorer for a second-successive season in 1934–35, hitting 16 goals in 40 games.[1] However, he was transferred to Bradford Park Avenue in July 1935.[1] He hit 17 goals in 42 league appearances at Park Avenue, before he returned to Port Vale in a trade for George Stabb in September 1936.[1] The "Valiants" had been relegated to the Third Division North in his absence.[1] He hit 12 goals in 41 appearances in 1936–37, including a hat-trick over eventual league champions Stockport County.[1] He was dropped at the start of the 1937–38 campaign in favour of Jack Roberts, though he still managed to hit the net seven times in his 20 appearances.[1] He hit 17 goals in 41 games in 1938–39 to become the club's top-scorer for a fourth time.[1] In February 1940, Nolan retired from the game due to his war duties.[1] In his two spells with Port Vale he scored 96 goals in 221 appearances, over all competitions.[1]

Career statistics

Source:[4]

Club Season Division League FA Cup Other Total
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Port Vale 1931–32 Second Division 19823002111
1932–33 Second Division 1780000178
1933–34 Second Division 322200003222
1934–35 Second Division 391610004016
Total 10754330011057
Bradford Park Avenue 1935–36 Second Division 351463004117
1936–37 Second Division 10000010
Total 361463004217
Port Vale 1936–37 Third Division North 371110314112
1937–38 Third Division North 1871010207
1938–39 Third Division South 391720004117
Total 9435404110236
Career total 23710313641254110

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Kent, Jeff (1996). Port Vale Personalities. Witan Books. p. 215. ISBN 0-9529152-0-0.
  2. ↑ "Bradford. Backs wanted. Directors show no lack of enterprise". Sunday Dispatch Football Guide. London. 23 August 1936. p. vii – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ↑ Fielding, Rob (15 April 2021). "Five of the best - Port Vale strikers of the 1930s". onevalefan.co.uk. Retrieved 16 April 2021.
  4. ↑ Tom Nolan at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)
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