| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | (1892-10-30)30 October 1892 | ||
| Place of birth | Hamilton, Scotland[1] | ||
| Date of death | 30 November 1967(1967-11-30) (aged 75) | ||
| Place of death | Larkhall, Scotland | ||
| Position | Inside right | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| Burnbank Athletic | |||
| 19??–1911 | Larkhall Thistle | ||
| 1911–1912 | Bristol City | 11 | (1) |
| 1912–1913 | Peebles Rovers | ||
| 1913 | St Johnstone | 11 | (1) |
| 1913–1927 | Rangers | 407 | (138) |
| 1927–1932 | Bradford City | 135 | (32) |
| International career | |||
| 1919 | Scotland (wartime)[2] | 1 | (0) |
| 1920–1925 | Scotland | 8 | (1) |
| 1922–1926 | Scottish League XI | 6 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Thomas Cairns (30 October 1892 – 30 November 1967) was a Scottishfootballer who played forBristol City,Peebles Rovers,St Johnstone,Rangers,Bradford City andScotland.[3][4]
Born inMerryton,Lanarkshire, Cairns made his name inJunior football, helpingBurnbank Athletic to theScottish Junior Cup in 1911. He also appeared forLarkhall Thistle before earning an opportunity in the senior leagues. His first professional club wasBristol City, where he played for two seasons from 1911. He joinedPeebles Rovers in 1913 and had a short spell withSt Johnstone before joiningRangers in November 1913. He made his debut againstHamilton Academical on 27 December 1913 and played a total of nine games in his first season as Rangers finished second to rivalsCeltic in Division One.
Cairns was a regular in the Rangers team thefollowing season, missing just one league game. He continued to be a regular in the team for the next two seasons but it was inseason 1917–18 that he won his first League title (Rangers' first for five years). Cairns was an ever-present and scored 11 goals.[5]
Cairns enjoyed further League title successes in1919–20,1920–21,1922–23,1923–24,1924–25 and1926–27 before joiningBradford City. His final Rangers appearance was in a 2–1 win overQueen's Park on 1 March 1927. In his time with Bradford he made 135 appearances and won aFootball League Division Three North winner's medal in 1929. He retired from football in 1932 and later worked as a scout forArsenal.
Cairns was alsocapped at international level, making eight Scotland appearances. He made his international debut in aBritish Home Championship match againstWales on 26 February 1920 and he scored in a 1–1 draw. During his international career, he was never on the losing side, winning six games and drawing two. His final international appearance was on 4 April 1925 in a 2–0 win overEngland atHampden Park. Cairns also represented theScottish League XI.[6]
Two of Cairns's brothers played football at Junior level, with Hugh winning the Scottish Junior Cup in 1908 and John claiming the same trophy as a teammate of Tommy in 1911.[7]
{{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires|journal= (help)
