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English Football Legends Series

Tommy Lawton was one of the game's great centre forwards. A brilliant header of the ball, he was also blessed with exceptional pace and a powerful shot with either foot.

Tommy Lawton

Clubs: Burnley, Everton, Chelsea, Notts County, Brentford, Arsenal

Position: Forward

Appearances*: 390

Goals*: 231

Honours: League Championship, 1

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* League appearances and goals only

Everton

Beginning his career with Burnley in 1936, his precocious talent soon attracted the attention of Everton, who bought him to to play alongside the brilliant, but aging, Dixie Dean.

Lawton quickly settled in at Goodison, scoring 34 goals in 1938/39, as Everton won the title in the last pre-war season.

Chelsea

After spending the war as an army physical training instructor, Lawton joined Chelsea for 11,500 pounds in 1945.

In 1946/1947 he broke the club's scoring record, with 26 goals in 34 matches. But he struggled to settle in London and clashed with Chelsea manager Billy Birrell.

Notts County

Lawton asked for a transfer, and despite being at his peak, caused a sensation by moving to Third Division Notts County for a record fee of 20, 000 pounds.

At County, he immediately gained iconic status, as attendances at Meadow Lane soared. And he repaid their adoration in goals - 103 of them in 166 appearances.

He helped the club to win promotion to Division Two in 1950, and even achieved the rare feat of being selected for England while playing in the lower leagues.

In total Lawton won 23 England caps, and scored 22 international goals.

Later Career

In 1952, he took on the player-manager role at Brentford but, by his own admission, found it a struggle.

He ended his career with a flourish at Arsenal, playing some great football and scoring 13 times in 35 games.

Death and legacy

Tommy Lawton died of pneumonia in 1996. He was 77 years old.

He was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame in 2003.

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