Younger: Thomas (Tommy)

1961-1962 (Player Details)

Goalkeeper

Born: Edinburgh: 10-04-1930

Debut: Preston North End (a): 30-09-1961

6’1” 14st 11lb (1957)

He began at Scottish junior club Hutchison Vale Boys Club, and then he joined Hibernian in 1948. He did his National Service with the BAOR and flew home from Germany each weekend to play for Hibs. He won the first of twenty-four full Scottish caps at Easter Road, was picked for the Scottish League three times and won Scottish League Championship medals in 1951 and 1952. He made one hundred and seventy-seven League appearances for Hibs before a £9,000 move took him to Liverpool in June 1956. He became the Reds’ number one, replacing Doug Rudham and Dave Underwood, who had shared the goalkeeping duties during the previous season. He made one hundred and twenty League appearances at Anfield and a further seven in the Cup, and he went on to captain Scotland’s 1958 World Cup squad. He was widely regarded as one of the finest goalkeepers in Britain. He had good command of his penalty area and was a big presence, weighing in at almost fifteen stone. Younger spent three years at Liverpool, only missing six matches during this time, Younger played in all but two of the League matches in his first season of 1956-57 and missed only another four during the next two seasons. He lost his place to Bert Slater at the start of the 1959-60 season and in June 1959 he was appointed Player-Manager of Falkirk. He had made six League appearances before a back injury led to him ending his career in February 1960 but, after finding out that the injury wasn't as bad as first diagnosed, he returned to England in a playing role with Stoke City the following month. He made ten League appearances for Stoke and was also Assistant-Manager. He played in Non-League with Rhyl and had a spell with Toronto City but the veteran Scottish International goalkeeper played out the autumn of his career at Elland Road. He was thirty-one when Leeds signed him in September 1961. He finally retired in October 1962 and did some scouting for Leeds until being appointed coach to Toronto City in Canada. In October 1969 he returned to Scotland as a public relations officer at Hibernian, where he also became a Director. Younger, who was a partner in a vending machine business, was President of the Scottish FA at the time of his death on 13th January 1984, aged fifty-three.