Tommy Harmer
From TheChels.info - The Chelsea Football Club Wiki
| Tommy Harmer | |
| |
| Full Name | Thomas Charles Harmer |
| Date of Birth | 2 February 1928 |
| Place of Birth | Hackney, London |
| Player | |
| Position | Inside forward |
| Chelsea career | 1962-1964 |
| Debut | 20 October 1962 |
| Games (goals) | 9 (1) |
| Other clubs | Tottenham Hotspur Watford |
| Staff | |
| Years | 1964-1967 |
| Role(s) | Youth Team Coach |
| Other clubs | - |
Tommy Harmer (2 February 1928 – 25 December 2007) was an English inside forward who played for Chelsea in the early 1960s. A skilful player of relatively short stature and slight build, he joined the club at the age of 34 and made nine appearances over the course of two seasons. He later coached the Chelsea youth team.
Contents |
Before Chelsea
Harmer started his career at Tottenham Hotspur where he would eventually establish himself in the first team under Jimmy Anderson, forming an effective partnership with Danny Blanchflower. [1] He went on to make 222 league appearances for the North London side, scoring 51 goals. He joined Watford in 1959, who were then a Third Division side, before joining Chelsea in 1962 at the age of 34.
Chelsea career
Harmer joined a Chelsea side who were looking to achieve promotion to the top flight at the first attempt, having been relegated the previous season. He made his debut in October, in a 3-2 home win against Middlesbrough, and also started the next match but would have to wait until March for his third appearance. Despite a strong first half of the season that resulted in Chelsea topping the table at Christmas, form had been patchy since February, with several away losses hindering the Blues' promotion charge. In the penultimate match of the league season third-placed Chelsea travelled to second-placed Sunderland; the Blues needing a win to retain a realistic chance of gaining promotion. Harmer's only goal for the club came in this match; his first half strike the solitary goal in a 1-0 win that meant the Blues could regain top-flight status by beating Portsmouth on the final day of the season. Harmer also started that match; a 7-0 rout in which Chelsea secured their return to the First Division in style.
He made four further appearances during the 1963-64 season, the most notable of which was a 2-1 away win against his old club Tottenham Hotspur, in which he set up both of Bobby Tambling's goals. The first came after just 35 seconds; Tambling finishing after being played in by Harmer's clever chipped pass.
Harmer stayed at Chelsea following retirement from playing, coaching the youth team until 1967. He died on Christmas Day 2007 at the age of 79. [2]
International
Despite his performances while at Tottenham and his abundant talent, Harmer never won a full international cap. His only international representation was an appearance for the England B team.
Statistics
| Season | Prem | FA Cup | League Cup | Europe | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |
| 1962-63 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 |
| 1963-64 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Total | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 1 |
Goals
| # | Season | Date | Year | Competition | Opponent | Score | Result | Venue |
| 1 | 1962-63 | 18 May | 1963 | Second Division | Sunderland | 1-0 | 1-0 | Roker Park |
