*Indicates unconfirmed information. Figures in brackets after English team names indicate all appearances made and goals scored in competitive matches for Football League clubs from 1888 onwards. For Scottish League clubs the figures show details of all competitive appearances and goals scored from 1946/47 onwards.
Laurie Thomson
Appearances: 150+2 Goals: 41
Date / Year of birth: 26th August 1936
Position: Midfielder / Striker
Season of first appearance: 1963/64
Season of last appearance: 1967/68
Also played for: Bo'ness United (Scotland), Partick Thistle (Scotland) (16,1), Carlisle United (12,1), St.Johnstone (Scotland) (21,7), Alloa Athletic (Scotland) (22,6), Ashford Town, Folkestone, Hastings United and Canterbury City
Talented 5' 10" tall Scottish Youth international born in Menstrie who began his career in Scotland with Bo'ness United before being signed by Partick Thistle in April 1955.
Laurie played alongside his brother Bobby at Partick and Bobby later played for Liverpool and Luton before moving to Australia.
Laurie was something of a fringe player with Thistle and the highlight of his time at the club came when he won a Scottish League Cup runners-up medal as Hearts beat Partick 5-1 in front of 80,000 fans in the 1959 Final at Hampden Park.
In January 1960 Laurie was transferred to Carlisle and he played 12 Football League games for the Cumbrian side before the end of the 1959/60 season. He then returned to Scotland in August 1960 and joined St.Johnstone.
One of Laurie's team-mates there was Alex Ferguson and Ferguson, by then Sir Alex of Manchester United fame, later mentioned Laurie in his autobiography. After making 21 appearances for St.Johnstone during the 1960/61 and 1961/62 seasons Laurie was released by the club in April 1962. He joined Alloa for the 1962/63 campaign.
After being freed by Alloa in March 1963 Laurie dropped into English non-league football and signed for Ashford. Early in 1964 he requested a transfer and in February 1964 Laurie joined Margate. He'd scored nine goals in 40 Southern League games for Ashford.
He'd caught the eye of manager Almer Hall playing in the Kent Senior Cup Final against Margate at the end of the 1962/63 season and Laurie chose to sign for the club despite a host of other Southern League sides approaching him. He made his debut on 15.2.64 in a Kent Floodlight Cup game against Ramsgate at Hartsdown Park. Although Margate lost 2-0 Laurie turned in what the local press referred to as "a sparkling performance", impressing with his hard work and incisive passing. He went on to make 17 appearances before the end of the season and scored four times.
During the 1964/65 season Laurie scored 17 times in 58 appearances and his intelligent play led to the local paper saying that he "prompted with astounding guile". He was harshly sent off in a game against Tonbridge on 31.10.64 but quickly made amends. A week later, on 7.11.64, Laurie had a storming game in a 4-1 defeat at Yeovil. Despite Margate's defeat the local press said that "seldom can one man have covered so much ground in 90 minutes" and called Laurie "star of the attack, star of the defence".
Laurie was virtually ever-present during the 1965/66 season and was thought of as the "general" of the Margate side, working hard, whether playing in midfield or attack, and always trying to carve out goalscoring opportunities for team-mates. He made a total of 56 appearances and scored 16 goals, including long range 'rockets' in games against Nuneaton (13.11.65), Romford (20.11.65) and King's Lynn (7.2.66).
Laurie also scored a hat-trick in a 5-2 win over Yeovil at Hartsdown Park on 30.4.66 and found the net in both the home and away legs of the Kent Floodlight Cup Final against Dartford in May 1966. He was described by the local press as being a "sharp-shooter as well as a creator" and was said to have "fought like a Bengal tiger" in a game against Ashford on 11.10.65. However Laurie was transfer-listed at the end of the season, shortly after Margate's relegation from the Southern League Premier Division had been confirmed.
In June 1966 he was part of the Margate squad that played three matches during a tour of West Germany and Laurie ended up staying with Margate for the 1966/67 campaign. He started it in fine style, enthusiastic as ever, and scored with a 20-yarder on the opening day - a 5-2 win over Barry at Hartsdown Park on 20.8.66. Laurie looked all set for a good season but on 24.9.66 he broke his right leg in the dying seconds of a game against Dartford at Hartsdown Park and was out of action for six months. At the time of the injury Almer Hall said that Laurie would be "a difficult man to replace."
He battled back to fitness in March 1967 and played in a handful of reserve team games, plus one further first team match, before the end of the season as Margate won promotion from the Southern League Division One by finishing as runners-up. In total Laurie made 12 appearances (one as a substitute) and scored twice.
He began the 1967/68 season in the first team but struggled to re-capture his best form and suffered from numerous niggling injuries. Laurie made nine appearances early on (one as a substitute) and scored twice but spent the remainder of the campaign in the reserves. His last goal for Margate turned out to be the one he scored in a 4-1 win over Ashford in a Kent Floodlight Cup tie at Hartsdown Park on 25.9.67 and at the end of the season Laurie was released.
He began the 1968/69 campaign at Folkestone but joined Hastings in October 1968, scoring on his debut for them.
Laurie then moved on to Canterbury where he spent the 1969/70, 1970/71 and 1971/72 seasons. He made 59 Southern League appearances (two as sub) for City during that spell and scored six goals.
Laurie later dropped into amateur football and during the 1973/74 season he played for Thanet Premier Sunday League club Tartan Rangers alongside his old Margate colleague Arthur Blackley. Laurie also played for Tartan during the 1974/75 campaign and was given a 28 day ban in February 1975.
In 1977 Laurie emigrated to Canada and was living in Toronto when he died suddenly of a heart attack on 10.3.06 aged 69. His niece Jacquie said Laurie always had a laugh and a story to tell and that he had been very proud of his time at Margate. She also felt that his heart had never left Scotland, despite living in Canada for almost 30 years. Laurie's nephew Gordon said that Laurie had visited Scotland almost every year and that his fondest memories of playing football came from his time with Margate. Gordon also said that whenever he spoke to Laurie on the phone he always knew Margate's latest result and where they were in the league. Laurie had also insisted on Gordon recording Margate's FA Cup tie against Fulham when it was live on Sky TV in 1997.
The Thanet Times marked Laurie's passing with an article fittingly titled "Death of Laurie, A Margate Hero".
Laurie completed a questionnaire for this site which you can see here.
|
SEASON (CLUB) |
FULL (MAX) |
SUB |
GLS |
FAC |
SLC |
KSC |
KSS |
KFC | |
|
1963/64 (MFC) |
17 (60) |
N/A |
4 |
SOUTHERN LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION (17TH OF 22) |
1R |
2R |
2R |
1R |
GR |
|
SEASON (CLUB) |
FULL (MAX) |
SUB |
GLS |
FAC |
SLC |
KSC |
KFL |
| |
|
1964/65 (MFC) |
58 (71) |
N/A |
17 |
SOUTHERN LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION (6TH OF 22) |
4QR |
2R |
3R |
GR |
|
|
SEASON (CLUB) |
FULL (MAX) |
SUB |
GLS |
|
FAC |
SLC |
KSC |
KFC |
KSS |
|
1965/66 (MFC) |
56 (67) |
N/A |
16 |
SOUTHERN LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION (22ND OF 22) |
1QR |
2R |
SF |
RU |
SF |
| Margate relegated to
Division One. Played and scored in Kent Floodlight Cup Final 1st Leg (12.05.66 - lost 3-1 at Dartford). Played and scored in Kent Floodlight Cup Final 2nd Leg (18.05.66 - lost 5-2 at home to Dartford). | |||||||||
|
SEASON (CLUB) |
FULL (MAX) |
SUB |
GLS |
|
FAC |
SLC |
KSC |
KFC |
KSS |
|
1966/67 (MFC) |
11 (72) |
1 |
2 |
SOUTHERN LEAGUE DIVISION ONE (2ND OF 24) |
3QR |
QF |
RU |
GR |
2R |
| Margate promoted to Premier Division. | |||||||||
|
SEASON (CLUB) |
FULL (MAX) |
SUB |
GLS |
|
FAC |
SLC |
KSC |
KFC |
KSS |
|
1967/68 (MFC) |
8 (82) |
1 |
2 |
SOUTHERN LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION (8TH OF 22) |
2R |
W |
1R |
GR |
N/A |