Player profile
Tommy Leishman
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Birthdate: 3 September 1937 Birthplace: Stenhousemuir, Scotland Other clubs: St. Mirren (1953-59), Hibernian (1963-65), Linfield (1965-68), Stranraer (1968-70) Bought from: St. Mirren Signed for LFC: £10,000, 20.11.1959 |
Liverpool debut: 28.12.1959 Last appearance: 27.10.1962 Debut goal: 24.08.1960 Last goal: 08.09.1962 Contract expiry: January 1963 Win ratio: 50.85% W:60 D:29 L:29 Honours: Second Division 1961/62 LFC league games/goals: 107 / 6 Total LFC games/goals: 118 / 7 |
Player profile
Tough guy Leishman excelled in the Second Division but was surplus to requirements when Liverpool made the step up to top-flight football. Leishman was a Scottish left-half who arrived at Anfield as a 22-year-old from St. Mirren in November 1959. He figured in 15 of the last 19 League matches of the 1959/60 season and became a regular member of the side for the next two years, missing only three League fixtures during that period. He was a vital part in Shankly’s 3-3-4 masterplan implemented in the 1960/61 season after a terrible start to the campaign. He moved inside-left Jimmy Harrower back as a semi half-back thus drawing his opposing half-back out of place and from his position playing either Tommy Leishman or Johnny Wheeler as they moved forward supplying the drive and support which the forward line so badly needed. Liverpool finally climbed back into the top division after winning the second division title by eight points from Leyton Orient in 1961/62. Leishman only missed one League match and Shankly noted that "Tommy Leishman had settled down and having mellowed in his game was playing extremely well." Leishman proved inadequate for the top-flight and was soon replaced by his compatriot Willie Stevenson.Appearances per season
| Season | League | FA | LC | Europe | Other | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Totals | 107 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 118 |
| 1959-1960 | 15 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 |
| 1960-1961 | 40 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 44 |
| 1961-1962 | 41 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 46 |
| 1962-1963 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 |
A more detailed look at the player's appearances
| Total | Opponent |
|---|---|
| 6 | Sunderland |
| 6 | Luton Town |
| 5 | Charlton Athletic |
| 5 | Rotherham United |
| 5 | Preston North End |
| 5 | Huddersfield Town |
| 5 | Middlesbrough |
| 5 | Swansea City |
| 5 | Brighton & Hove Albion |
| 5 | Stoke City |
| 4 | Ipswich Town |
| 4 | Bristol Rovers |
| 4 | Leyton Orient |
| 4 | Scunthorpe United |
| 4 | Plymouth Argyle |
| 4 | Leeds United |
| 4 | Southampton |
| 4 | Norwich City |
| 3 | Lincoln City |
| 3 | Portsmouth |
| 3 | Derby |
| 3 | Sheffield United |
| 2 | Newcastle United |
| 2 | Bury |
| 2 | Walsall |
| 1 | Coventry City |
| 1 | Manchester United |
| 1 | Chelsea |
| 1 | Oldham Athletic |
| 1 | Blackpool |
| 1 | Manchester City |
| 1 | Blackburn Rovers |
| 1 | West Ham United |
| 1 | Nottingham Forest |
| 1 | Everton |
| 1 | Wolves |
| 1 | Bolton Wanderers |
| 1 | Leicester City |
| 1 | WBA |
| 1 | Hull City |
| 1 | Aston Villa |
| Total | Competition |
|---|---|
| 107 | League |
| 9 | FA Cup |
| 2 | League Cup |
Goals per season
| Season | League | FA | LC | Europe | Other | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Totals | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| 1959-1960 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1960-1961 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| 1961-1962 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1962-1963 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
A more detailed look at the player's goalscoring
| Total | Opponent |
|---|---|
| 2 | Scunthorpe United |
| 1 | Leyton Orient |
| 1 | Leeds United |
| 1 | Southampton |
| 1 | Luton Town |
| 1 | Nottingham Forest |
| Total | Competition |
|---|---|
| 6 | League |
| 1 | League Cup |
| Total | Goal minute period |
|---|---|
| 1 | 1-15 minutes |
| 1 | 16-30 minutes |
| 1 | 31-45 minutes |
| 1 | 46-60 minutes |
| 3 | 76-90 minutes |
| Total | Open play/Penalty |
|---|---|
| 7 | Open play |
Milestone Appearances
| # | Date | Against | Stadium | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 28.12.1959 | Charlton Athletic | Anfield | League |
| 50 | 04.03.1961 | Portsmouth | Fratton Park | League |
| 100 | 31.03.1962 | Luton Town | Kenilworth Road | League |
Milestone Goals
| # | Minute | Date | Against | Stadium | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11 | 24.08.1960 | Southampton | The Dell | League |
Related Articles
Silenced Kop!
News Chronicle and Daily Dispatch report on Liverpool - Charlton Athletic on 28.12.1959. More
Lethal Leishman snuffs Hamilton
The Daily Express report on Liverpool - Sheffield United on 16.01.1960. More
Unique Programmes: The Beginning of the League Cup.
Although Liverpool were late developers in the League Cup we have certainly made up for lost time – winning it a record seven times since its inception in the 1960-61 season. More
Other Clubs
| Club | Season | Club rank | League apps | League goals | Total apps | Total goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Mirren | 1957-1958 | Scotland Division 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| St. Mirren | 1958-1959 | Scotland Division 1 | 11 | 1 | 11 | 1 |
| St. Mirren | 1959-1960 | Scotland Division 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Hibernian | 1962-1963 | Scotland Division 1 | 13 | 1 | 13 | 1 |
| Hibernian | 1963-1964 | Scotland Division 1 | 14 | 0 | 14 | 0 |
| Hibernian | 1964-1965 | Scotland Division 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Linfield | 1965-1968 | Irish League | 0 | 0 | 112 | 24 |
| Stranraer | 1967-1968 | Scotland Division 2 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Stranraer | 1968-1969 | Scotland Division 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Stranraer | 1969-1970 | Scotland Division 2 | 23 | 2 | 26 | 2 |
| Total | 72 | 4 | 187 | 28 | ||