The club are sad to report that one of our longest-serving former goalkeepers, Tommy May, has passed away.
Tommy, the uncle of Hoops’ fixture secretary Colin Adams, was born in 1931 and started playing for Deal during their days in the old Kent League in the early 1950s after initially making his mark in the club’s reserve team.
He then became a familiar figure at the Charles Ground over the next 20 years or so, either playing in the first team or as “back up” goalie for players such as Ray Prior.
When his Hoops’ career finally came to an end Tommy carried on playing in local soccer for clubs such as Loyals in the Kent Amateur League and Borough Athletic in the Deal Sunday League.
Deal Town FC Chairman remembers “I came up against Tommy many times when he was playing for Loyals on a Saturday and Borough Athletic in the Deal League. He was a great servant to local football and a true gentleman.”
Tommy’s funeral will take place at Barham Crematorium on Tuesday, March 17.
