Tom Keetley
Thomas Keetley | |
|---|---|
| Born | Template:Birth date Derby, England |
| Died | August 18, 1958 (aged 59) |
| Occupation | Professional footballer |
| Years active | 1919–1934 |
| Known for | Football League centre forward, Doncaster Rovers' highest league goal scorer |
Thomas Keetley (16 November 1898 – 18 August 1958) was a professional English footballer who played primarily as a centre forward. Throughout his career, he amassed a total of 284 goals in the Football League from 1919 until 1934.
Life and career
Originating from Derby, Keetley hailed from a family deeply involved in football, with several brothers—including Arthur, Harry, Joe, Frank, and Charlie—also playing professionally. He launched his league career at Bradford Park Avenue during the 1919–20 season, appearing in 22 league matches over a span of four years. In the 1923–24 season, he signed for Doncaster Rovers, where he joined three of his siblings who were also part of the squad.
Keetley holds the distinction of being Doncaster’s highest-ever league goal scorer, having netted 180 goals for the club. Additionally, he set a club record by scoring six goals in a single Third Division (North) match against Ashington on 16 February 1929.
In 1929, Keetley transferred to Notts County for a fee of £750. He made an immediate impact by scoring a hat-trick on his debut in a 3–1 victory over Bristol City. During the 1930–31 campaign, he scored 39 league goals—a club record that remained unbroken for 92 years until it was surpassed in 2023. Over his tenure at Notts County, he tallied 94 goals across 103 league appearances.
In 1933, Keetley moved to Lincoln City, where he featured in ten matches before concluding his playing days with short spells at non-League teams Gresley Rovers and Heanor Town in 1934.
Ranked 29th among all-time English and Scottish league goal scorers, Keetley boasts an impressive goals-per-game ratio of 0.75, placing him ninth on that list. As of June 2005, he was positioned nineteenth on the list of highest scorers in English league football history.
Following his retirement from the professional game, Keetley became the landlord of the Rose and Crown pub located in Chellaston, Derby.