Born in Glasgow,[3] Thompson played for Scottish junior club Carnoustie Panmure before joining Portsmouth.

Needing to beat Aston Villa to ensure they stayed ahead of Wolverhampton Wanderers on goal average, Thompson scored twice in a 5–1 win.

[5] Thompson took over as manager of Guildford City towards the end of the 1955–56 Southern League season, in which they won the title.

[9] A few days later, he was appointed manager of Southern League Worcester City, leading them to victory against Liverpool in the 1958–59 FA Cup and remaining in post until 1962.

This biographical article related to association football in Scotland, about a midfielder born in the 1920s, is a stub.