Tommy Gore

{{Infobox football biography

| name = Tommy Gore

| image =

| caption =

| fullname = Thomas John Gore

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1953|11|26|df=y}}

| birth_place = Liverpool, England

| death_date =

| height = {{height|ft=5|in=7}}{{cite book |last1=Rollin |first1=Jack |title=Rothmans football yearbook |date=1980 |publisher=Queen Anne Press |location=London |isbn=0362020175 |page= 394|url=https://archive.org/details/rothmansfootball00roll/mode/2up/search/port+vale |access-date=14 April 2020}}

| position = Midfielder

| youthyears1 = | youthclubs1 = Liverpool

| youthyears2 = | youthclubs2 = Tranmere Rovers

| years1 = 1974–1980

| clubs1 = Wigan Athletic

| caps1 = 287

| goals1 = 41

| years2 = 1974–1975

| clubs2 = → Dallas Tornado (loan)

| caps2 = 35

| goals2 = 3

| years3 = 1980–1983

| clubs3 = Bury

| caps3 = 119

| goals3 = 16

| years4 = 1983–1984

| clubs4 = Port Vale

| caps4 = 36

| goals4 = 2

| totalcaps = 477

| totalgoals = 62

}}

Thomas John Gore (born 26 November 1953) is an English former footballer who played as a midfielder. He played 257 league appearances in a six-year career in the Football League.

He began his career at Liverpool, playing in the 1972 FA Youth Cup final. He later joined Tranmere Rovers before signing with Wigan Athletic in January 1974. He helped the club to the Northern Premier League title in 1974–75, as well as second-place finishes in 1973–74 and 1977–78, before Wigan were granted Football League status in 1978. He was voted the club's Player of the Year in 1978–79 and moved on to Bury in October 1980. At Wigan, he spent two summers in the United States with Dallas Tornado. He switched to Port Vale in July 1983 before a neck injury forced his retirement in October 1984.

Career

Gore played youth football for Liverpool, playing for the "Reds" in the 1972 FA Youth Cup final defeat to Aston Villa. He moved on to Tranmere Rovers before joining Wigan Athletic in January 1974.{{cite web|url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/gore-and-glory-p0t9jwtn7k2|title=Gore and glory|last=Hodkinson|first=Mark|date=13 August 2005|work=The Times|access-date=10 April 2009}} He made 185 Northern Premier League appearances for Wigan, as they finished as runners-up in 1973–74, champions in 1974–75, sixth in 1975–76, 14th in 1976–77, and then second again in 1977–78.{{cite web | url=http://www.yeoldetreeandcrown.co.uk/modules/news/article.php?storyid=57 | title=Latics A–Z | access-date=10 September 2010 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090106143719/http://www.yeoldetreeandcrown.co.uk/modules/news/article.php?storyid=57 | archive-date=6 January 2009 }} He also spent the 1974 and 1975 summers in the North American Soccer League with Dallas Tornado.[http://www.nasljerseys.com/Players/G/Gore.Tommy.htm Tommy Gore NASL Statistics] He played against Hereford United in Wigan's first ever Football League game and scored in a 1–1 draw at Tranmere Rovers in a Football League Cup first round first leg fixture on 12 August 1978, which was Wigan's first competitive goal as a Football League club. He was an ever-present in Ian McNeill's side throughout the 1978–79 Fourth Division campaign. He was also voted as the "Latics" first-ever Player of the Year.{{cite web|title=Who Gets Your Vote?|url=http://www.wiganlatics.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10429~655342,00.html|work=wiganlatics.co.uk|access-date=28 February 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120225084959/http://www.wiganlatics.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0%2C%2C10429~655342%2C00.html|archive-date=25 February 2012}} In the 1979–80 season, he scored the winning goal for Wigan against Chelsea in the third round of the FA Cup. He was suddenly transferred to Bury in October 1980, having made 102 consecutive league appearances since the club's first Football League fixture.

Manager Jim Iley led the "Shakers" to 12th in the Fourth Division in 1980–81, ninth in 1981–82, and fifth in 1982–83, just one place and two points behind promoted club Scunthorpe United.

Gore joined Port Vale in July 1983 after manager John McGrath secured the midfielder on a free transfer.{{cite book|last=Kent|first=Jeff|title=Port Vale Personalities|publisher=Witan Books|page=114|year=1996|isbn=0-9529152-0-0}} He made 43 appearances for "Valiants" in 1983–84, scoring three goals, as new manager John Rudge failed to prevent relegation out of the Third Division. He suffered a neck injury in a League Cup game against former club Bury in August 1984, which forced his retirement two months later.

Post-retirement

After retiring, Gore owned and ran a snooker club in Wigan for eight years. He now lives in Billinge and runs a cleaning company providing cleaning services on board ships. An accomplished golfer, he became club captain at Dean Wood Golf Club.{{cite web|title=Tommy Gore (6): Seniors Victory Trophy Friday 23rd September 2011|url=http://www.deanwoodgolfclub.co.uk/viewround.php?roundid=25619|work=deanwoodgolfclub.co.uk|access-date=3 April 2012}} He has also worked as a co-commentator on Wish FM and iFollow Latics.{{cite news |title=Wigan Athletic FC |url=https://wiganathletic.com/news/2018/august/on-this-day-tommy-gore-on-the-physical-demands-of-going-full-time-in-1978/ |access-date=12 April 2021 |publisher=Wigan Athletic F.C.}}

Career statistics

rowspan="2"\|Club !rowspan="2"\|Season !colspan="3"\|League !colspan="2"\|FA Cup !colspan="2"\|Other !colspan="2"\|Total
class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;" \|+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competition{{ENFA}}{{cite web\|title=profile\|url=http://www.neilbrown.newcastlefans.com/player3/tommygore.html\|work=neilbrown\|access-date=28 February 2012}}
Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
rowspan="4"\|Dallas Tornado	1974	NASL	20	3	–	–	–	–	20	3
1975	NASL	15	0	–	–	–	–	15	0
1976	NASL	0	0	–	–	–	–	0	0
colspan="2"\|Total !35	3	0	0	0	0	35	3
rowspan="4"\|Wigan Athletic \|1978–79 \|Fourth Division \|46	2	2	1	3	1	51	4
1979–80 \|Fourth Division \|46	9	6	3	2	0	54	12
1980–81 \|Fourth Division \|10	3	0	0	4	3	14	6
colspan="2"\|Total !102	14	8	4	9	4	119	22
rowspan="4"\|Bury \|1980–81 \|Fourth Division \|30	3	5	0	1	0	36	3
1981–82 \|Fourth Division \|45	4	4	0	5	2	54	6
1982–83 \|Fourth Division \|44	9	1	0	2	1	47	10
colspan="2"\|Total !119	16	10	0	8	3	137	19
rowspan="3"\|Port Vale \|1983–84 \|Third Division \|36	2	1	0	6	1	43	3
1984–85 \|Fourth Division \|0	0	0	0	1	0	1	0
colspan="2"\|Total !36	2	1	0	7	1	44	3
colspan="3"\|Career total !257	32	19	4	24	8	300	44