Thomas Kilpatrick

Veteran Scottish winger Thomas Kilpatrick joined Ballymena for the final two seasons of his career adding valuable experience to a forward line that reached two Irish Cup Finals during his stay.

Born in Lanarkshire and having spent his formative footballing years with junior sides Benburb, and Kilsyth St. Patricks it was with Glasgow Ashfield that Thomas started to attract attention of senior sides and was recruited by Edinburgh club Hibernian in September 1915.

Playing to the backdrop of the First World War, Hibs were struggling in the 1915/1916 and Kilpatrick was thrown into the deep end, making his senior debut as a 20-year-old in the Edinburgh derby defeat against Heart of Midlothian at home shortly after signing. The young winger impressed and retained his place in the team until January of his debut campaign, making a dozen appearances and scoring his first professional goal in the 1-0 win over Raith Rovers as the club finished one place above the bottom in the Scottish First Division.

By the start of the 1916/1917 season, Thomas was now an important part of this young team – as he scored on his first start of the new season in a 4-3 win over Hamilton, it would be the first of twelve goals in green and white colours that season, the highest return of Kilpatrick’s career – which included a hat-trick against Queen’s Park in March as he finished top goalscorer at the club as they finished sixteenth in the table.

Kilpatrick failed to live up to the heights of the previous season come the 1917/1918 campaign, as once again Hibernian failed to make an impact domestically, and despite continuing as a regular in the team – the 22-year-old only managed three goals during the season, and incidentally also picked up two red cards – both in games against Partick Thistle!

Hibernian would finish bottom of the Scottish League during the 1918/1919 season, as the war finally drew to a close. Thomas would eventually clock up his 100th appearance for the Easter Road club during his final season (1919/1920) but would pick up a bad injury in March 1920 against Clydebank in what would prove to be his final game for the club, who released the winger come the end of the season.

Upon his departure from Edinburgh, he hastily signed a deal with non-league Cowdenbeath in the summer of 1920, but having failed to shake off his injury from the previous season he barely featured for the club before securing a move back to the league with Dundee in November 1920, making his debut shortly after in a 1-0 defeat to Airdrieonians. Kilpatrick quickly established himself as a regular figure at Den’s Park as the Dark Blues finished fourth in the Scottish Football League – the highest placing of Kilpatrick’s career to date!

Thomas ultimately failed to settle in Dundee, and the arrival of fellow winger Hugh Lorimer to Dundee, sparked a surprise transfer back west to join fellow league club Ayr United in November 1921, having only scored one goal in 38 appearances for the club.

It would be the start of a successful spell at the Somerset Park club as the 26 year-old made his debut for Ayr United came in a scoreless draw with Celtic in December 1921. United would eventually finish 14th in the 1921/1922 season and in the following campaign, he quickly was receiving plaudits in the press for his performances as Ayr would eventually secure a top half finish in the First Division in his first full season at the club.

Now an experienced campaigner and one of the first names on the teamsheet - by the 1924/1925 Tom had clocked up over 100 appearances for the club, the goals had largely dried up from his formative years in senior football, but he proved a regular and reliable provider of goals for his team-mates in the forward line. It was that same season that Ayr were cruelly relegated on the final day of the season as remarkably only three points separated the bottom nine clubs, with Kilpatrick and his team-mates eventually ending up 19th from the 20 clubs in the First Division standings.

Aye United missed out on promotion by a single point in their first season back in the second tier, and ultimately 1926 was to prove a hugely difficult year for Tom on and off the pitch, as he was bereaved of his wife in July 1926, followed by a leg break in a game against Queen of the South in December which kept him out for the remainder of the 1926/1927 season. The club also offered him a benefit at the end of the season.

Kilpatrick returned to full fitness and starred for Ayr United as the Honest Men cantered to the Second Division title in 1927/1928 under manager Archie Buchanan. It would a fitting end to 33-year-old Tom’s seventh and final season at Somerset Park, the popular winger clocking up 199 appearances, scoring 12 goals to cement his place in club history.

In search of regular football in October 1928, he joined East Stirlingshire on a free transfer. After featuring regularly for the Second Division outfit in the first half of the 1928/1929 season, he found appearances harder to come by in the latter parts of the campaign, as the Shire finished mid-table and Thomas was eventually given a free transfer at the end of the season.

After being without a club for the start of the 1929/1930 campaign and spending the summer training with former club Ayr, the 34-year-old was recruited by Irish Cup holders Ballymena in October 1929 to fill the problematic outside forward position vacated by Walter Clarke in the summer. Initially on a one-month trial after enduring a stuttering start to the campaign, Kilpatrick’s experience quickly showed for the Light Blues – kicking off with a 5-0 win against Glenavon in his club debut at the Showgrounds. The move was quickly made permanent for the remainder of the campaign as Ballymena progressed to the final of the Irish for the second year in succession – as Thomas started in the narrow 4-3 defeat to a Linfield side inspired by four-goal hero Joe Bambrick.

Starting the 1930/1931 season as a first-choice winger, he made 30 appearances (scoring three times) – as he battled for his position with Johnny Dalrymple throughout the season. Despite scoring the winning goal in the Irish Cup semi-final victory over Derry City at Solitude, he did not make the eleven for the final – as Ballymena lost the showpiece once again to Linfield. Thomas finished the season strongly as the club once again finished fifth in the Irish League standings.

However, after a total of 60 appearances and 5 goals for the Braidmen, Kilpatrick was given a free transfer in the summer of 1931, having just turned 36 years old. It was strongly rumoured in the local press that he would be signing for Glentoran but the move never materialised and his football career came to an unceremonious end and returned to live in his native Scotland.

Thomas Kilpatrick passed away in April 1962 in Mauchline, aged 67.

Career
Benburb; Kilsyth St Patricks; Glasgow Ashfield; (Sep 1915) Hibernian; (1920) Cowdenbeath; (Nov 1920) Dundee; (Dec 1921) Ayr United; (Oct 1928) East Stirlingshire; (Oct 1929) Ballymena

Honours
(with Ayr United)
Scottish Second Division: (winner) 1927/1928
(with Ballymena)
Irish Cup: (finalist) 1929/1930