[6] On 14 February 1953, Preston North End were playing Sheffield Wednesday at Deepdale; Derek Dooley was chasing a long pass from Albert Quixall when he collided with Thompson just as he made contact with the ball, breaking the centre-forward's leg in two places.
A penalty conceded by Tommy Docherty and a late goal from Frank Griffin who slipped the ball under Thompson turned the game which ended 3–2.
[10] During his time at the Deepdale club, Thompson also won England 'B' honours;[10] his international appearance came on 22 May 1954 when he was a half-time substitute for Ray King in a 2–0 defeat by their Swiss equivalents.
[11] Thompson joined Manchester City in June 1956 as understudy to Bert Trautmann, making only two first-team appearances in his year at Maine Road.
[6] In the summer of 1957, Thompson joined Carlisle United where he stayed for five seasons making 206 appearances before retiring in 1962, dropping down to non-League football with Morecambe.