Cawley: Thomas Edward (Tom)

1917-1919 (Leeds City War-time Guest Player Details)

Inside Forward

Born: Sheffield: 21-11-1891

Debut: v Bradford Park Avenue (h): 07-04-1917

Height & Weight: Unknown

Not to be confused with his father of the same name, who had enjoyed a career with Wenesday and played for the two Sheffield clubs in the Nineteenth Century, including the 1890 F.A. Cup final which Wednesday lost 6-1 to Blackburn Rovers. In 1886, Cawley made a stand when disgruntled Wednesday players who wanted to turn professional broke away to form Sheffield Rovers. When the new club met to formally adopt professionalism, Cawley pleaded that Wednesday should be given one last chance, which the board agreed to and the initiative was abandoned. Born in November of 1981 the young Tom Cawley, followed in his father's footsteps but never rose to the same heights. He signed for Wednesday in 1909, but it was several seasons into WW1, when there were no Football League fixtures and therefore he never played any Football League games for Wednesday. He joined Leeds City in 1914 but had to wait almost three years before being given his first game for City. During preparations for the 1915-16 season, it seemed likely that Cawley would make the step up into City's first team, but in the end he was overlooked in favour of Arthur Price. According to Old Ebor in the Yorkshire Evening Post on 27th November 1915: "Cawley, another City reserve, is playing with Sheffield Wednesday - and with distinction, too - with the consent of the Leeds management. They could not find a place for him in their first team and so willingly agreed to his playing for the Wednesday, for whom his father has done many years' service." Cawley played, with the City directors' permission, and did well for Wednesday in a 0-0 draw at Elland Road against Leeds on 11th December 1915, when, according to the Evening Post, "On the Sheffield side, Cawley, the Leeds City reserve player of last season, who has been permitted to assist the Owls this season, confirmed the favourable reports which have been received as to his recent form. The experience he is gaining with the First League team should be very useful when the time comes for him to rejoin Leeds City." Cawley continued to turn out with Wednesday in 1916-17, again playing against his host club, on 14th October when Clem Stephenson scored the goal as City won 1-0. He finally made his first team bow for Leeds as the replacement for Levi Thorpe at left-half when the Peacocks lost 2-0 at Bradford Park Avenue in a Subsidiary Tournament game on 7th April 1917, retaining his place for the 1-0 victory at Huddersfield two days later. He played on the opening day of the Principal Tournament 1917-18 season, against The Wednesday, at Inside-Left in place of Arthur Price but reverted to playing for the Sheffield side again following this when Arthur Price was free to play for Leeds. He had to wait until November, when Clem Stephenson could not play, to get his next game at Inside-Right. Eight weeks later he was called into the team at Outside-Right to solve a long standing problem position and apart for one game, when he stood down to let the illustrious Charlie Buchan parade his talents for the Elland Road patrons, he played every game in the Principle and Subsidiary Tournaments, scoring six times in Twenty-six appearances. This run included both games of the two-legged play off for the unofficial League championship against Stoke in May 1918. When his shot struck the bar in the first game at Elland Road, Billy Hibbert followed up to open the scoring. He was again in favour for half of the 1918-1919 Principle Tournament before giving way to Tom Hall shortly after the Armistice. He ended his City days with ten goals from forty-three appearances. He joined Rotherham County in August 1919 and scored six times in thirty-six appearances during the next three seasons. He played wherever he could secure a game, but often at Wing-Half. He could never establish himself as a regular and had to be content to play the odd game whenever others became unavailable. He left Rotherham at the end of the 1921-22 season and went into Non-League with Worksop Town and Scunthorpe and Lindsey United. He died in 1980.