Thomas Nicol (24 February 1870 – 10 June 1915)[1] was a Scottish footballer who played for Burnley first as a centre forward and then as a full back in the 1890s, before later becoming a bowls champion in Southampton.
Nicol was born in Whitburn, West Lothian and after playing local football in Scotland with Mossend Swifts, he was one of several Scottish players recruited by Burnley.
For his Burnley debut on 7 March 1891 he replaced leading scorer Claude Lambie, who had returned to Scotland, and scored a hat-trick in a 6–2 victory over Preston North End.
After Burnley's captain, Alex Stewart, and Blackburn's Joe Lofthouse had been sent off for fighting, the remaining Rovers players, with the exception of goalkeeper Arthur, walked off the pitch in protest.
At the "Saints", Nicol reverted to the right-back position lining up alongside Harry Haynes; their defensive prowess helped Southampton to retain their Southern League title, conceding only 18 goals from 22 matches.
The Saints also reached the 1898 FA Cup semi-final, where they were defeated by Nottingham Forest in rather controversial circumstances after goalkeeper George Clawley had his eyes "choked with snow" and conceded two goals in the final minutes of the game.