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Tommy Lawton
| Category: | Male Player |
| Year Inducted: | 2003 |
Profile by Football's Greatest Heroes author Robert Galvin, the official National Football Hall of Fame book:
Tommy Lawton, the owner of arguably the most distinctive head of hair in post-war football, was an automatic choice as England for a decade, a centre-forward described by Joe Mercer as ‘technically, surely the greatest number nine of all time'.
At his peak in the late 1940s, Lawton was the central figure in the most celebrated of all England forward lines: Matthews, Mannion, Mortensen and Finney supplied the chances, but Lawton was the undisputed leader, the fulcrum, of the attack. ‘The lightest mover of any big man who played football,' said Alex James.
Lawton , whose slicked back black hair and centre-parting made him an instantly recognisable figure, was rated by many of his contemporaries as the greatest ever practitioner of the art, surpassing even Dixie Dean, once his hero and mentor at Everton. ‘With Tommy I could guarantee he would make contact with nine out of ten crosses,' Matthews said.
At the height of his career Lawton earned in the region of £3,000 a year, making him, it was claimed, the first ever footballer to the top rate of tax. Sadly, though, he would end his life a lonely, impoverished figure.
Lawton was a football prodigy. At the age of 16 years and 174 days, he became the youngest centre-forward ever to play League football, according to newspapers of the day. The day after signing professional in 1936, Lawton scored a hat-trick against Spurs, outwitting Arthur Rowe, the Spurs and England centre-half.
Everton had seen enough. The club paid £6,500, a record fee for a teenager, the following December. The veteran Dean immediately took him under his wing. ‘You'll be no bloody good at this heading lark 'til you move your feet more,' Dean told him. ‘Tommy soon learned. He had just the right build for a centre-forward.'
The following season, his first full campaign at Goodison Park , Lawton was the leading scorer in the First Division, with a total of 28 goals.
Leading scorer again in 1938-39, his tally of 35 goals that season helped Everton lift the title. ‘It was easily the best club side I ever played in,' Lawton recalled.
In 1945 Lawton left Everton for Chelsea , a decision he would later regret. Having already lost six prime years of his career to the war, Lawton then became something of a footballing nomad, with stints at Notts County , Brentford and Arsenal.
He stayed only one full season at Stamford Bridge before making the most controversial move of his career. Notts County of the Third Division paid a record transfer fee of £20,000 for his signature. He was also promised a job outside football to augment his income. The transfer caused a sensation.
It was certainly good business for County: the club won promotion and crowds rose almost four-fold.
At 28 years of age, Lawton was in his prime. Yet, the following season Lawton made his last appearance for England . Both Billy Wright and Stanley Matthews thought he was dropped prematurely. ‘It was a huge mistake,' Matthews said.
Reflecting on Lawton 's contribution over the years, Billy Wright cited one goal above all others: a first-time shot ‘that barely rose four inches from the ground' against Italy in 1948. ‘No hesitation, no nerves, just the work of a truly great player, a natural goal-scorer.'