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| Tom Hyslop |
 Bryce Scouller (his real birth name  ) was born on Sunday, 20th August, 1871, in Auchinleck, East Ayrshire.
The 6' 3 forward signed for Thistle in May, 1900, having most recently been with Rangers. Aged 28, he made his debut appearance on Wednesday, 15th August, 1900, in a 3-3 draw away to Celtic in the SFL First Division. That day, Tom became a member of our scoring debutant's club. He scored the last of his 9 goals on Saturday, 1st December, 1900, in a 6-2 defeat at home to Celtic in the SFL First Division. He played his last game for the club on Saturday, 5th January, 1901, in a 2-1 defeat at home to Morton in the SFL First Division, having appeared as a Jag on 26 occasions. His club-list included Elderslie, 2nd Scots Guards, Millwall Athletic, Sunderland, Stoke, Rangers, Partick Thistle, Dundee Wanderers, Johnstone, Abercorn, Philadelphia Thistle and Tacony. Tom died on Tuesday, 21st April, 1936, in Paisley, Renfrewshire, aged 64. |
 At 6 feet 3 inches tall Tom Hyslop was indeed both physically and mentally an imposing character. The Auchinleck-born striker played his first match for the Jags 5 days before his 29th birthday, a 3-3 League draw at Parkhead on 15th August 1900, opening his Thistle scoring account on the day. He played for Thistle on 26 occasions during that 1900-01 season. In a Glasgow Cup tie against Normal Athletic, Thistle won 2-0, and the match report reads “Goals by Paul in the 1st half (after good work by Hyslop) and Hyslop himself after the break saw Thistle (pretty much at full strength) through against amateur opposition who were pinned back in defence for long spells.” Tom though was no stranger to football by the time he became a Jag, and his long club list continued after he left the Jags for foreign fields. Not football though. He left to become a soldier again. In the Boer War! Tom had previously joined The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders in 1888 using his birth name of Bryce Scouller. He would appear to have deserted from the army around a year later. He rejoined the army, this time the 2 Battalion Scots Guards in 1890 under the assumed name of Thomas Hyslop, Hyslop being his mother’s maiden name. He became a forward in the Scots Guards football team, bringing them success in the Army Cup on two occasions. He played for the Guards team from 1890 to 1892. Sunderland bought Tom’s army contract, and he headed for Wearside. He played for Sunderland on 19 occasions between 1893-94, scoring 10 goals. He was part of the Sunderland team that won the English First Division in the 1894-95 season. Between 1896-98 Tom was a Rangers player, helping them win 2 First Division titles. He then spent successive seasons with Stoke and Rangers again, before joining Thistle in 1900. Tom was capped twice by Scotland, and the opponents on both occasions were England. His first cap was in 1896, with his second following a year later. Scotland won 2-1 on both occasions. In keeping with the man he was capped under his Tom Hyslop name, not his real Bryce Scouller one. In March 1901 he joined up for a third time, and saw action in South Africa with The Scottish Yeomanry against the Boers in the Second Boer War. When he enlisted on this occasion he reverted back to his real name, Bryce Scouller! He returned to Scotland and played for Dundee Wanderers and Johnstone, before emigrating to Canada where he worked in the carpet industry. Tom moved to the United States, where he played for Philadelphia Thistle and Tacony. Tom found great success in the twilight of his footballing career with Tacony, who were widely regarded as one of the best teams in the country. In season 1909-10, and for the first time since the John A. Manz team had won the cup in 1897, a Philadelphia team was the winner of the American Cup (see 'Gallery' tab). Tacony hadn't so much as lost a friendly, a league, or cup match the entire season, with only two draws in the league to spoil their perfect report card. As the 1910 Spalding Official Soccer Foot Ball Guide (then the official record of the American game) put it: “It cannot be denied that Tacony was the team of the year.” Tom went on to coach the side and even turned out occasionally as a 40-year-old in season 1911-12. When World War 1 came along, he enlisted (again) in the Canadian Expeditionary Force, using his birth name, but a false date of birth. He was sent to the European theatre, but thankfully didn’t see frontline action. In 1922, Tom returned to Scotland, and lived in Paisley, where he died in 1936 aged 64. There is an extended biography of Tom’s life in 'The Men Who Made Scotland' by Andy Mitchell. On account of his service during WWI, Tom is included in our feature piece, The Partick Thistle returned →. |
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