Player Profile

Morrison was quite a curious character who vanished following Sunderland’s title celebration dinner in May 1936, leaving his medal, wife and child behind him. At that time a fellow by the name of Jock Anderson arrived in the ancient village of Gamlingay, near the border of Cambridgeshire and Bedfordshire. He was with a gang of men, who slept in the open and made a living there by pea picking. Anderson wanted to feature for the local village football side and soon his skills were making headlines and many scouts came to watch in view of signing him for league clubs. The centre-forward’s exploits had inspired Gamlingay to reach the top of their division but in the beginning of December 1936 Anderson had departed the village without notifi cation. Gamlingay’s form collapsed in his absence. The Cambridge Independent Pressrevealed on 11 December 1936 who Anderson really was. ‘Gamlingay Football Club have been playing an international footballer unawares. The man was known as Anderson, but it transpires that he is Tom Morrison, the Scottish international and former Sunderland full back, who mysteriously vanished from his home seven months ago.’ Four days before the article was published Morrison was in court in Sunderland as he was charged for leaving his wife and child ‘chargeable to the Public Assistance Committee’. After Morrison’s solicitor promised that the money paid in relief to Mrs. Morrison would be repaid to the authorities along with costs, the charge was withdrawn. Morrison signed for Ayr United before the start of the 1936/37 season but disappeared again from his home and did not report for training. His contract with the club was terminated in August 1937.