Introduction
Thomas "Tom" Cairney (born 20 January 1991) is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Championship club Fulham. Born in England, he has played for Scotland at under-19 and under-21 level.
Club career
Born in Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, Cairney was released from the Leeds United youth system at the age of 16 after being told he was too small. He had been with the club since the age of seven.
Hull City
Hull City gave Cairney a chance when they signed him to a youth contract in 2007. Cairney was named as Hull's Young Player of the Year for the 2008–09 season.
He played for Hull against Tottenham Hotspur in the final of the pre-season Asia Trophy in Beijing on 31 July 2009. His first team debut came against Southend United in the League Cup on 25 August 2009, when he opened the scoring with a curling long-range effort as Hull won 3–1. He went on to make his Premier League debut on 30 January 2010 in a 2–2 draw against Wolverhampton Wanderers. On 7 March 2010, Cairney scored his first league goal for Hull in a 5–1 defeat against Everton, an impressive volley from outside the area. Cairney signed a new three-year contract with the club on 31 March 2010.
Following Hull's relegation, Cairney made 23 league appearances during the 2010–11 season. He scored one goal, a curling free kick against Norwich City that helped Hull to their first away victory in 30 games.
Cairney made a total of 29 appearances for Hull in the 2011–12 season.
2012–2013
Cairney sustained a serious knee injury in late August 2012, following a reckless tackle by Doncaster's James Husband in a League Cup tie. Steve Bruce later described the challenge as a "horror tackle". After over three months out injured, Cairney returned to fitness in December 2012, appearing on the bench for Hull's away victory over Watford. Cairney made his return the following week at home to Huddersfield coming on as a 63rd-minute substitute for team-mate Corry Evans.
Blackburn Rovers
On 1 August 2013, Cairney joined Blackburn Rovers on loan until January. He made his debut in a 1–1 draw against Derby County, as a 77th-minute substitute for Alex Marrow. Two days later, Cairney made his full debut for the club in an eventful League Cup clash with Carlisle United, scoring one and providing one assist, before being sent off for the first time in his career after two bookable offences. Cairney equalised for Blackburn in a 5–2 victory over. Barnsley on 24 August, opening his Championship account for the club. After completing this permanent deal, Cairney scored his second league for Blackburn Rovers, both of them coming against Barnsley. After a successful first half of the season on loan, his move to Blackburn was made permanent on 2 January 2014. Cairney said: "I'm very pleased to sign permanently – that was a goal of mine when I came on loan in August." Cairney rounded off his successful season when fans voted him Player of the Year 2013–14.
Fulham
Cairney signed for Fulham on 26 June 2015. He scored his first goal for the club in a 2–1 defeat at home to Brighton & Hove Albion on 15 August 2015.
International career
Cairney, who has a Scottish father and an English mother, played twice for the Scotland national under-19 team in 2009. He continued to be eligible to play for England, and his Hull City captain George Boateng described Cairney as being potentially a "huge asset to the national team of England". Cairney made his debut for the Scotland under-21 side against Sweden on 11 August 2010. He made a total of six appearances for the Scotland under-21s between August 2010 and February 2012.
Career statistics
- As of match played 2 January 2017
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Hull City | 2009–10 | Premier League | 11 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | — | 14 | 2 | |
| 2010–11 | Championship | 22 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 23 | 1 | ||
| 2011–12 | Championship | 27 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 29 | 1 | ||
| 2012–13 | Championship | 10 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | 14 | 1 | ||
| Total | 70 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 1 | — | 80 | 5 | |||
| Blackburn Rovers | 2013–14 | Championship | 37 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | — | 40 | 6 | |
| 2014–15 | Championship | 39 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 45 | 3 | ||
| Total | 76 | 8 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 1 | — | 85 | 9 | |||
| Fulham | 2015–16 | Championship | 39 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 42 | 8 | |
| 2016–17 | Championship | 24 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 25 | 5 | ||
| Total | 63 | 13 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 67 | 13 | |||
| Career total | 211 | 23 | 14 | 2 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 232 | 27 | ||
Honours
Individual
- Hull City Young Player of the Season 2008–09
- Blackburn Rovers Player of the Season 2013–14
Championship Goal of the Month - December 2016