George Green (1891 – 9 November 1958) was a professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...

who played at full-back for

Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...

in the period prior to the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

Football career

Green was born in

Crayford Crayford is a town and electoral ward in South East London, England, within the London Borough of Bexley. It lies east of Bexleyheath and north west of Dartford. Crayford was in the historic county of Kent until 1965. The settlement deve ...

in north-west

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

and started his football career with

Northfleet United Northfleet United Football Club was a football club based in Northfleet, Kent. Around 1890 organised team football was being played in the town and in 1892 the Northfleet F.C. club was founded. It flourished for a few years in the mid-1890s u ...

, playing in the Kent League. By 1914, he had attracted attention from several clubs, including

Derby County Derby County Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Derby, Derbyshire, England. In 2022, it was announced that DCFC was acquired by Clowes Developments (UK) Ltd, a Derbyshire-based property group. Founded in 1884 ...

and

Fulham Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea. The area faces Wandsworth ...

the Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...

, and

Brighton Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...

and

of the Southern League. He signed for Southampton in April 1914, and made his debut at

right-back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...

in a 2–1 defeat at

Northampton Northampton () is a market town and civil parish in the East Midlands of England, on the River Nene, north-west of London and south-east of Birmingham. The county town of Northamptonshire, Northampton is one of the largest towns in England; ...

on 18 April, the penultimate match of the 1913–14 season, filling in for the injured Fred Smith. Following Smith's retirement in the summer of 1914, Green became the established right-back, playing in the first twelve matches of the 1914–15 season, before losing his place to

Jack Small John Small (7 October 1765 – 21 January 1836)
at the CricketArchive was an English

in November, although he returned to the side in March. Described as "an outstanding full-back, neat in style and quick off the mark", Green was expected to go far in the game, but his career was interrupted by the outbreak of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, bringing the end of normal football in 1915. The "Saints" retained his registration during the war and he returned to the club in 1918, making a few appearances in the wartime leagues. In 1919, Green decided to return to Kent and Southampton agreed to release him. He re-signed for

and helped them win the Kent League title in 1919–20.

Honours

Northfleet United * Kent League champions: 1919–20

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Green, George 1891 births 1958 deaths People from Crayford Footballers from the London Borough of Bexley English men's footballers Men's association football defenders Northfleet United F.C. players Southampton F.C. players Southern Football League players Kent Football League (1894–1959) players