Tom Farquharson

Tom Farquharson

Personal information
Full name	Thomas Gerard Farquharson[1]
Date of birth	(1899-12-04)4 December 1899
Place of birth	Dublin, Ireland
Date of death	24 December 1970(1970-12-24) (aged 71)
Place of death	Canada
Height	1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)[1]
Position(s)	Goalkeeper
Youth career
1916–1919	Annually
1919–1920	CYMS
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1921	Oakdale
1921–1922	Abertillery Town
1922–1935	Cardiff City	445	(0)
International career
1923–1925	Ireland	7	(0)
1929–1931	Irish Free State	4	(0)
1931	Welsh League XI	1	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Thomas Gerard Farquharson (4 December 1899 – 24 December 1970) was an Irish professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. Born in Dublin, he played youth football for local sides. In his teens, he became a member of the Irish Republican Army and was arrested by the British Army for removing wanted posters and held in Mountjoy Prison. He was released on the basis that he would leave Ireland, which he did, choosing to settle in South Wales.

Farquharson played football for Oakdale and Abertillery Town before being spotted by Football League side Cardiff City in 1922 for whom he made his professional debut that May. He helped the side finish as runners-up in the First Division during the 1923–24 season and reach the 1925 FA Cup final. In 1927, he was a member of the Cardiff City team that became the only non-English side to win the FA Cup. He remained with the club until 1935, winning the Welsh Cup on four occasions and the FA Charity Shield once. Farquharson played in 445 Football League matches for Cardiff, which remained a club record until 1985.

A dual internationalist, he also played for both Ireland teams – the Irish Free State national football team and the Ireland national football team (IFA). After making his debut for the IFA side in 1923, he went on to win seven caps. In 1931, he caused controversy by rejecting a call up to instead play for the Irish Free State side with whom he won a further four caps.