Date / Year of birth: 15th January 1977

Position: Striker

Season of first appearance: 1998/99

Season of last appearance: 2000/01

Also played for: Sittingbourne, Millwall (0), Gravesend & Northfleet, Chatham Town, Dartford and Whitstable Town

Talented Dartford-born marksman whose career was blighted by a succession of injuries.

Tom started his career with Sittingbourne and during the 1994/95 campaign he played for Kent's Under-18's side. He also made his first senior appearance for the Brickies that season, featuring in a 1-0 defeat at Margate in a Southern League Cup tie played on 8.11.94. Tom was only 17 at the time and ended up winning Sittingbourne's 'Young Player of the Year' for 1994/95. He also made one reserve team appearance for Millwall during the campaign in the midst of a trial spell with the Lions.

Tom scored 26 times for Sittingbourne during 1995/96 as the club won the Southern League Southern Division title and his tally included a goal in a 3-1 home win over Margate on 8.4.96. Tom also bagged two hat-tricks that month in games against Braintree and Witney and he had a trial spell with Nottingham Forest during the season.

Tom scored a further 21 goals for the Brickies during the next two seasons but missed a lot of matches due to injury. By the end of 1997/98 he'd scored around 50 goals in just over 100 games for Sittingbourne.

In June 1998 Tom signed for Margate and no fee was involved as financial problems at Sittingbourne had resulted in players not being paid and their contracts becoming invalid. He scored four goals in pre-season friendlies and made his competitive debut as Margate lost 2-0 on penalties at Forest Green after drawing 1-1 in the Southern League Championship Match on 9.8.98. Tom suffered an ankle injury in the second half and had to be replaced but he recovered in time to play in the first Southern League game of the new campaign - a match against Andover at Hartsdown Park on 22.8.98. Tom made a dramatic impact by scoring a hat-trick in the space of 18 second half minutes as Margate ran out 4-1 winners having been one behind and three days later he scored the only goal of the game to secure a 1-0 win at Fisher. Tom beat two defenders before slotting home and the Isle of Thanet Gazette said it was "a moment of magic" and "a rare glimpse of class" in an uninspiring game. On 29.9.98 he scored his sixth goal of the season in his tenth appearance as Margate won 2-1 at Ashford but Tom then suffered a torn hamstring in addition to a niggling knee problem and the injuries ruled him out for two months.

Tom returned to first team action on 1.12.98 when he came on as a substitute in a 2-0 defeat at Folkestone and over the next three months he made six further sporadic sub appearances which resulted in one goal - a last-minute winner to secure a 2-1 win at Fleet on 6.3.99. On 20.3.99 Tom made his first start for almost six months in a 2-0 win at Erith & Belvedere and after that he was in and out of the side for the remaining weeks of the campaign. On 3.4.99 Tom came off the bench to score in a 4-0 win at his old club Sittingbourne and on 13.4.99 he was on target in a 2-1 home defeat at the hands of Fleet.

Tom's injury-hit season seemed set to finish on a high note when he scored in a 4-0 win at Brackley on 1.5.99 that secured promotion to the Premier Division of the Southern League but after 70 minutes he was stretchered off with a broken leg. He spent four hours in Banbury Hospital and the Thanet Times said Tom "must be thinking what he has done to upset the football gods". Margate manager Chris Kinnear told the paper "He's just been unlucky. I would hope he's back in time for pre-season training. I have always thought of him as one of the players who would do well in the premiership. He is definitely a player for the future". Tom had scored ten goals in 26 appearances (ten as sub) during the campaign.

After battling back to fitness Tom had a few reserve team outings before he was named as a substitute for a home game against Weymouth on 9.11.99 but he didn't leave the bench as Margate ran out 2-0 winners. Chris Kinnear told the Isle of Thanet Gazette "I wanted to bring him on...but this wasn't really the game for him." Tom was also an unused substitute for a 0-0 draw with Dartford at Hartsdown Park on 27.11.99 and shortly after the game he joined his old club Sittingbourne on a month's loan. Kinnear told the Thanet Times "It will be ideal for Tom to play at a decent standard."

He made his first appearance for Sittingbourne in a 1-0 home defeat against Fisher on 30.11.99 and the Brickies' website noted that Tom "looked like a player well short of match practice and fitness". He didn't score before returning to Hartsdown Park at the end of December 1999.

In January 2000 Tom notched up three goals for Margate's reserves but in a game against Herne Bay towards the end of the month his injury jinx struck yet again as he tore knee ligaments. He was ruled out for the rest of the 1999/00 season and hadn't played at all for the first team.

By the summer of 2000 Tom was fit again and he scored in July friendlies against Hendon and Kingstonian at Hartsdown Park. His goal against Hendon was described as being a "superb strike" by the Thanet Times. It seemed that Tom would finally be in genuine contention for a first team place once more but on 5.8.00 he picked up a foot injury in a friendly against Hastings which put him on the sidelines for another spell. Tom returned to action in the reserves in September 2000 but then pulled a muscle which ruled him out for a few weeks and he didn't play for the senior side before the end of 2000.

On 23.1.01 Tom finally returned to first team duty when he wore the number nine shirt as Margate lost 1-0 in a Southern League Cup tie at Baldock. It was his first appearance for over 20 months as his last outing had been on 1.5.99. By then he was playing regularly for the reserves and on 13.2.01 Tom played for the first team again in a 2-1 defeat at Dover in a Kent Senior Cup tie. It turned out to be his final senior game for Margate. Despite scoring around 20 goals for the reserves before the end of the 2000/01 campaign Tom couldn't break into the first team again, mainly due to the form of Leon Braithwaite and Phil Collins.

Tom featured in some of Margate's pre-season friendlies in the summer of 2001 and the Isle of Thanet Gazette said his reappearances was "a welcome sight" but before the 2001/02 campaign proper began he was released.

He joined Isthmian Premier League outfit Gravesend & Northfleet for the start of the new season but only made six appearances (four as sub) without scoring before leaving the club.

In February 2002 Tom linked up with Chatham and stayed there until the end of 2001/02.

He spent the next two seasons playing for Sunday League side Aylesford Village before returning to senior football with Dartford at the start of the 2004/05 campaign.

In December 2004 Tom moved on to Kent League club Whitstable and made his debut for the Oystermen as a substitute in a 3-2 defeat at Ramsgate on 4.12.04. He played regularly for the remainder of the 2004/05 season but in the summer of 2005 Tom picked up a back injury that sadly ended his career at the age of only 28.

On 12.5.12 he returned to Hartsdown Park to take part in Bill Edwards' testimonial match and at that time Tom was living in the Medway area.