George Smith (footballer, born 1908) explained

George Smith
Fullname:George Smith
Birth Date:20 November 1908
Birth Place:Sunderland England
Death Date:1986
Position:Left half, centre half
Youthyears1:
Years1:19??–1930
Clubs1:Easington Colliery Welfare
Years2:1930–1932
Clubs2:Watford
Caps2:1
Goals2:0
Years3:1932–1933
Caps3:2
Goals3:0
Years4:1933–1934
Clubs4:Darlington
Caps4:13
Goals4:1
Years5:1934–1936
Years6:1936–19??
Clubs6:Bath City

George Smith (20 November 19081986) 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]

Football career

Smith was born in Sunderland, which was then in County Durham.[1] He began his football career with the Easington school team,[2] 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.[3] The trial came to nothing, but a year laterby which time he was reportedly "one of the best half-backs in the Wearside League"[2] he signed for Watford.[4]

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,[4] but played only twice in the league,[1] and in the summer of 1933 returned to the north-east of England to join Darlington.[5] 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.[6] He scored 11 goals over the season,[7] 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.[8] He played twice for Bath City in the 1936–37 season.[9]

Notes and References

  1. Book: Joyce, Michael . Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939 . SoccerData . Nottingham . 242 . 2004 . 978-1-899468-67-6.
  2. News: Sporting news of the day reviewed. Orient bound . Reflector . Sunderland Echo . 4 August 1932 . 8 . subscription . British Newspaper Archive.
  3. News: A trial with Orient . Daily Mail . Hull . 2 December 1929 . 9 . subscription . British Newspaper Archive.
  4. Web site: Players: Smith to Strouts . Watford Football Club archive 1881–2017 . Trefor Jones . 8 . 14 October 2017 . 14 October 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171014182949/http://www.watfordfcarchive.com/downloads/players/+Smith-Strouts.pdf . dead .
  5. News: Sports review. Quaker signing . Argus . Sunderland Echo . 12 July 1933 . 9 . subscription . British Newspaper Archive.
  6. News: Under the searchlight. Joined Yeovil . Reflector . Sunderland Echo . 27 June 1934 . 9 . subscription . British Newspaper Archive.
  7. Web site: Season 1934–35 Goals . Ciderspace . 21 October 2014.
  8. Web site: Yeovil Town Story part 8: Season 1934–1935: First Division Liverpool come to Huish in the F.A. Cup . Ciderspace . 21 October 2014.
  9. Web site: Past players: S . Bath City F.C. . 14 October 2017 . 14 October 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171014184057/http://old.bathcityfc.com/pastplayers_s.htm . dead .