Tom Metcalf’s early years as a footballer coincided with a period of upheaval among his home-town clubs. Thus he left Midland League Burton Wanderers when they amalgamated, in 1901, with Burton Swifts of the Football League, Division II, to form Burton United. A season-and-a-half later, he joined United, who had taken the Swifts’ place. He had failed to get a game in the League, however, when Southampton offered him the prospect of Southern League football.

He would make but one appearance in that League – at left-half during his second season – but he otherwise had to be content with Reserves football (albeit including a Hampshire Senior Cup winners’ medal) and a few games in the Western League side.

After which, he joined Salisbury City,  then in the Southern League’s Division II and establishing a minor colony of ex-Saints (see below) – until he accepted the chance to play in the Second Division, a few times, for Wolves.  But he returned, at the end of the season, to Salisbury. A cooper by trade, Tom made barrels for the brewers, Coope and Alsopps, in Burton. In 1916, he joined the Middlesex Regiment. Transferring to the Royal Engineers 67th Field Company in 1918, he was wounded within two months of arriving in France. Suffering gunshot wounds, burns and deafness, he returned to Chatham for the remainder of the War.