TOMMY LAWTON

BORN: Farnworth, Lancashire, October 6, 1919.

FAMILY: His mother, Elizabeth Riley, was a textile mill weaver and his father, Thomas Lawton Senior, a railway signalman who abandoned the family when his son was 18 months old. Elizabeth took Tommy to live with her father, James Riley. EDUCATION: Castle Hill School, Bolton. EARLY DAYS: Lawton’s maternal grandfather, James Riley, was an avid football fan and player who spotted his grandson’s talent early. Playing with his mother’s four brothers, Tommy honed his skills in ‘jumpers for goalposts’ games. On his 17th birthday, Lawton signed as a professional with Burnley for £7 a week with bonuses of £2 for a win and £1 for a draw. The average working man earned £4 a week. In December 1936, Everton signed Lawton for a fee of £6,500, then a record for a teenager. He played his first international for England against Wales in October 1938. HEIGHT: 5ft 11in. WAGES: £15 a week at his career peak. CLUBS: Burnley (1936-7), Everton (1937-45), Chelsea (1945-7), Notts County (1947-52), Brentford (1952-53), Arsenal (1953-55), Kettering Town (1956-57). ENGLAND CAPS: 23. INTERNATIONAL GOALS: 22 (four against Portugal in 1947). LEAGUE GOALS: 232 in 390 appearances.

PERSONAL HONOURS: First Division top scorer 1937-8 and 1938-9.

CLUB HONOURS: Everton — First Division champions 1938-9. Arsenal — Charity Shield 1953. England — British Home Championships winner 1938-39, 1946-47, 1947-48.

HOME: At the end of his life, a rented semi-detached house in Nottingham.

PERSONAL LIFE: Lawton married Rosaleen Kavanagh in 1941. They had one daughter, Amanda, but divorced in 1951. Lawton married his second wife, Gladys Rose, in 1952. They had a son, Thomas. Gladys, also a divorcee, had a daughter, Carol, from her previous marriage, who Lawton raised as his own.

CARS: Unable to afford one, Lawton took the bus into Nottingham.

THEY SAID: ‘Tall, powerful, agile and crafty, the complete centre forward’ (Wilf Mannion, England player).