George Kinnell (22 December 1937 – 16 October 2021) was a Scottish
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 ...
who played in
the Football League
The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional association football, football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in Association football around the wor ...
for
Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough ( ) is a town on the southern bank of the River Tees in North Yorkshire, England. It is near the North York Moors national park. It is the namesake and main town of its local borough council area.
Until the early 1800s, the a ...
,
Oldham Athletic
Oldham Athletic Association Football Club is a professional football club in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system.
The history of Oldham Athletic be ...
,
Sunderland and
Stoke City.
Career
Born in
Cowdenbeath
Cowdenbeath (; sco, Coudenbeith) is a town and burgh in west Fife, Scotland. It is north-east of Dunfermline and north of the capital, Edinburgh. The town grew up around the extensive coalfields of the area and became a police burgh in 189 ...
, Kinnell started his career in Scotland firstly playing for junior club
Crossgates Primrose before joining
Aberdeen
Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...
in 1959 for £200.
After serving four years with the "Dons" Kinnell earned a move to English
Football League side
Stoke City in 1963 for a fee of £35,000.
Although he was a midfielder by trade manager
Tony Waddington
Anthony Waddington (9 November 1924 – 21 January 1994) was an English football manager at both Crewe Alexandra and Stoke City.
Waddington had a seven-year playing career with Crewe Alexandra before becoming a coach at Stoke City. He progre ...
played him in forward position during the
1965–66 season due his physical strength.
He never managed to adapt to his new role and quickly returned to the midfield.
He later joined
Oldham Athletic
Oldham Athletic Association Football Club is a professional football club in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system.
The history of Oldham Athletic be ...
,
Sunderland, and
Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough ( ) is a town on the southern bank of the River Tees in North Yorkshire, England. It is near the North York Moors national park. It is the namesake and main town of its local borough council area.
Until the early 1800s, the a ...
and he finished his career in Australia, firstly in Melbourne with
Juventus where he helped the club win the
Victorian State League
The National Premier Leagues Victoria, commonly known as NPL Victoria, is a semi-professional soccer league in Victoria, Australia. The league is a part of the National Premier Leagues, and is the highest level within the Victorian soccer leagu ...
and
Dockerty Cup
The Dockerty Cup is an annual association football knock-out competition open to all Victorian clubs across the Victorian football league system. The tournament is named after the former president of Football Federation Victoria Harry Dockerty. ...
in 1970 and then in Perth, with
Kingsway Olympic and
Kiev.
Personal life
Kinnell was the brother of footballer
Andy Kinnell and the cousin of Scotland international
Jim Baxter
James Curran Baxter (29 September 1939 – 14 April 2001) was a Scottish professional footballer who played as a left half. He is generally regarded as one of the country's greatest ever players. He was born, educated and started his career ...
.
He died on 16 October 2021, at the age of 83.
Career statistics
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kinnell, George
1937 births
2021 deaths
People from Cowdenbeath
Scottish footballers
Association football midfielders
Stoke City F.C. players
Middlesbrough F.C. players
Aberdeen F.C. players
Oldham Athletic A.F.C. players
Sunderland A.F.C. players
English Football League players
Scottish Football League players
Crossgates Primrose F.C. players
Vancouver Royals players
United Soccer Association players
Scottish expatriate footballers
Scottish expatriate sportspeople in Canada
Expatriate soccer players in Canada