George Smith (footballer, born 1908)

George Smith (20 November 1908 – 1986) was an English footballer who played as a left half or centre half in the Football League for Watford, Clapton Orient and Darlington. He also played non-league football for Easington Colliery Welfare, Yeovil & Petters United and Bath City.[1]

George Smith
Personal information
Full name George Smith[1]
Date of birth (1908-11-20)20 November 1908[1]
Place of birth Sunderland[1] England
Date of death 1986[2]
Height 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)[3]
Position(s) Left half, centre half
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
19??–1930 Easington Colliery Welfare
1930–1932 Watford 1 (0)
1932–1933 Clapton Orient 2 (0)
1933–1934 Darlington 13 (1)
1934–1936 Yeovil & Petters United
1936–19?? Bath City
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Football career

Smith was born in Sunderland, which was then in County Durham.[1] He began his football career with the Easington school team,[4] and had been playing football as a centre half for Easington Colliery Welfare for "two or three seasons" when he joined Third Division South club Clapton Orient on trial in December 1929.[5] The trial came to nothing, but a year later – by which time he was reportedly "one of the best half-backs in the Wearside League"[4] – he signed for Watford.[6]

He made his Football League debut in the last match of the season, a 1–0 win at Norwich City in the Third Division South, which proved to be his only senior appearance for the club. In August 1932, he signed for Clapton Orient on a free transfer,[6] but played only twice in the league,[1] and in the summer of 1933 returned to the north-east of England to join Darlington.[3] He appeared more frequently for Darlington, playing 13 times in the Third Division North and scoring once.[1]

In June 1934, he joined Southern League club Yeovil & Petters United.[7] He scored 11 goals over the season,[8] helping the club win the Western Section of the Southern League and reach the third round proper of the 1934–35 FA Cup, in which they lost to First Division Liverpool.[9] He played twice for Bath City in the 1936–37 season.[10]

References
  1. Joyce, Michael (2004). Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939. Nottingham: SoccerData. p. 242. ISBN 978-1-899468-67-6.
  2. George Smith at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)
  3. 'Argus' (12 July 1933). "Sports review. Quaker signing". Sunderland Echo. p. 9 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  4. 'Reflector' (4 August 1932). "Sporting news of the day reviewed. Orient bound". Sunderland Echo. p. 8 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  5. "A trial with Orient". Daily Mail. Hull. 2 December 1929. p. 9 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  6. "Players: Smith to Strouts" (PDF). Watford Football Club archive 1881–2017. Trefor Jones. p. 8. Retrieved 14 October 2017.
  7. 'Reflector' (27 June 1934). "Under the searchlight. Joined Yeovil". Sunderland Echo. p. 9 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  8. "Season 1934–35 Goals". Ciderspace. Retrieved 21 October 2014.
  9. "Yeovil Town Story part 8: Season 1934–1935: First Division Liverpool come to Huish in the F.A. Cup". Ciderspace. Retrieved 21 October 2014.
  10. "Past players: S". Bath City F.C. Retrieved 14 October 2017.
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