George Webb (footballer, born 1888)

George William Webb (18 July 1888 – 28 March 1915)[3] was an English amateur footballer who spent most of his career playing at centre-forward for West Ham United in the Southern League, as well as making seven appearances for the England national amateur football team and two for the full national side.[4]

George Webb
Personal information
Full name George William Webb
Date of birth 18 July 1888
Place of birth Poplar, England
Date of death 28 March 1915(1915-03-28) (aged 26)
Place of death Stratford, England
Height 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)
Position(s) Centre-forward
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
Ilford Alliance
Ilford
Wanstead
1905–1912 West Ham United[1] 52 (23)
1912 Manchester City[2] 2 (0)
National team
England Amateurs 7
1911 England 2 (1)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Football career

Webb was born in Poplar in the East End of London and educated at Shaftesbury Road School.[5] He was the stepson of George Hone, who was involved in the creation of Thames Ironworks and became a director of West Ham United.[6] In August 1905, Webb had a pre-season trial with West Ham, going on to make occasional appearances for their reserve team,[5] while playing for various amateur sides in the Ilford area.[6]

He made his debut for West Ham's first team on 9 April 1909, when he scored the only goal in a match against local rivals, Leyton.[1][7] On 5 February 1910, he scored a hat-trick in a 5–1 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers of the Football League Second Division in the Second Round of the FA Cup.[8][9] He repeated this a year later, scoring all the goals in a 3–0 victory over First Division Preston North End.[9][10][11] Webb was described as "fast, had a great shot while a hefty physique made him even more redoubtable".[5]

Webb made seven appearances for the England national amateur football team and also represented the Southern League in representative matches.[4] His first appearances for the full national side came in the Home Championship match against Wales on 13 March 1911. In the match, played at Millwall's The Den ground, Webb scored the second goal in a 3–0 victory, with England's other two goals coming from fellow-amateur, Vivian Woodward.[12] He retained his place for the next match, against Scotland at Everton's Goodison Park stadium. The match finished 1–1, but the draw was sufficient for England to claim the championship trophy.[13] Webb's performance against Scotland was described as "a failure, largely due to the work of Low", who marked him out of the game.[14]

During his time with West Ham, Webb remained an amateur and his appearances were restricted by his business commitments. His fellow West Ham forward Danny Shea said that Webb "led too crowded a life".[6] Illness in December 1911 ruled him out for most of the remainder of that season,[6] with Fred Harrison taking over from him.[15]

In the summer of 1912, he moved to Manchester City of the Football League First Division, but after two games, both 1–0 away wins, against Notts County and Manchester United, he fell out with the club when he discovered that a transfer fee had been paid to West Ham United, which went against his principles as an amateur.[5][16] Part of the transfer deal also included the playing of a friendly game between West Ham and Manchester City at Upton Park in November 1912, the first ever meeting between the two sides, which Manchester City won 4–2.[16]

Life outside football

Webb worked in the family toy manufacturing business and was a freemason.[6] He died of tuberculosis in 1915.[5]

Honours

England

References
  1. "George Webb". The Wonderful World of West Ham United Statistics. www.westhamstats.info. Retrieved 24 November 2011.
  2. Joyce, Michael (2004). Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939. Nottingham: Tony Brown. p. 255. ISBN 1-899468-67-6.
  3. "George Webb". England Football Online. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
  4. Betts, Graham (2006). England: Player by player. Green Umbrella Publishing. p. 255. ISBN 1-905009-63-1.
  5. "George Webb". West Ham United. spartacus-educational.com. Retrieved 24 November 2011.
  6. Bloomfield, Pam. "George Webb: West Ham United 1909 – 1911". West Ham United memorabilia collection. "They Fly So High". Retrieved 24 November 2011.
  7. "West Ham 1 – 0 Leyton". www.westhamstats.info. 9 April 1909. Retrieved 24 November 2011.
  8. "Wolverhampton Wanderers 1 – 0 West Ham". www.westhamstats.info. 5 February 1910. Retrieved 24 November 2011.
  9. Collett, Mike (2003). The Complete Record of the FA Cup. Sports Books. p. 646. ISBN 1-899807-19-5.
  10. "West Ham 3 – 0 Preston North End". www.westhamstats.info. 4 February 1911. Retrieved 24 November 2011.
  11. "West Ham United 3 – 0 Preston North End". The Giant Killers: 1911. www.freewebs.com. Retrieved 24 November 2011.
  12. "England 3 – 0 Wales". www.englandstats.com. 13 March 1911. Retrieved 25 November 2011.
  13. "England 1 – 1 Scotland". www.englandstats.com. 1 April 1911. Retrieved 25 November 2011.
  14. "Championship goes to the Rose". England 1 Scotland 1 (Match report). www.londonhearts.com. 1 April 1911. p. 2. Retrieved 25 November 2011.
  15. "Fred Harrison". The Wonderful World of West Ham United Statistics. www.westhamstats.info. Retrieved 24 November 2011.
  16. Hogg, Tony (1995). West Ham United Who's Who. London: Independent UK Sports Publications. p. 212. ISBN 1-899429-01-8.
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