George William John Leslie (9 July 1907 – 22 November 1986) was an English 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 as a

centre-half 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 the Football League for Walsall. Leslie was also on the books at Charlton Athletic but failed to make a first-team appearance. He additionally featured for Slough Town,

Red Star Olympique Red Star Football Club, also known simply as Red Star (), is a French association football club founded in Paris in 1897, and is the fourth oldest French football club, after Standard AC of Paris, Le Havre AC and Girondins de Bordeaux. In t ...

in Paris, France,

Guildford City Guildford City Football Club (formerly Guildford United and AFC Guildford) is a football club based in Guildford, Surrey, England. The club was established in 1921, folded in 1974 and was reformed in 1996. Guildford City play in the . Histo ...

and Colchester United.

Career

Born in

Slough Slough () is a town and unparished area in the unitary authority of the same name in Berkshire, England, bordering west London. It lies in the Thames Valley, west of central London and north-east of Reading, at the intersection of the M4 ...

, Leslie began his career with Slough Town before making a move to Charlton Athletic in 1930. He failed to break into the first-team, instead opting to move to France to ply his trade, featuring for Paris-based

. He returned to England in 1932, joining up with

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 ...

club Walsall. With Walsall, Leslie featured in an FA Cup giant killing when his

Third Division North The Third Division North of the Football League was a tier in the English football league system from 1921 to 1958. It ran in parallel with the Third Division South with clubs elected to the League or relegated from a higher division allocated to ...

side defeated First Division

Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...

2–0 in the third round of the 1932–33 competition. Leslie would go on to make 88 Football League appearances for Walsall, scoring twice before drifting back into non-league football with

. Colchester United manager

Ted Davis Ted or Teddy Davis may refer to: *Ted Davis (American football) (1942–2019), American college and National Football League player *Ted Davis (footballer) (1892–?), British goalkeeper *Ted Davis (sportscaster), American radio announcer * Ted Dav ...

signed him from Guildford for the newly formed Southern League club in the summer of 1937. Leslie made his debut for the U's in their first-ever professional match on 28 August 1937 as Colchester fell to a 3–0 defeat to Yeovil & Petters United at the Huish. Leslie suffered from a string of injury problems while with Colchester as he was required to undergo a cartilage operation in May 1938, and suffered further setbacks in October 1938, requiring further fitness training at Highbury, London. On his return to first-team action, Leslie was named club captain, having been voted as the best centre-half in the Southern League for the 1937–38 campaign. He was just behind

Jack Hodge John Hodge (1906 – March 1996) was an English professional footballer who played as an outside right in the Football League for Bristol City and Luton Town. He played in his hometown of Plymouth for a number of local amateur clubs, joining ...

in becoming the first player for the club to reach 100 first-team appearances. Leslie ended his time with Colchester during the 1939–40 season, when the league was abandoned due to the onset of World War II. He made his final appearance in a 0–0 draw against Ipswich Town Reserves on 2 September 1939, bringing his total appearances to 102 in all competitions. Following the war, Leslie assisted fellow former Colchester United player

Cecil Allan Cecil A. Allan (1 August 1914 – 11 May 2003) was a Northern Irish footballer who made one appearance for Ireland in 1935. He played as a full-back in the Irish Football League for Linfield and Cliftonville, earning a move to Chelsea in ...

in running the Colchester Casuals junior side.

Death

Leslie died in Colchester at the age of 79 on 22 November 1986.

Honours

;Colchester United *1937–38 Southern League Cup winner *1937–38 Southern Football League Mid-Week section runner-up *1938–39 Southern Football League winner *1938–39 Southern Football League Mid-Week section runner-up :''All honours referenced by:''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Leslie, George 1907 births 1986 deaths Footballers from Slough English men's footballers Men's association football defenders Slough Town F.C. players Charlton Athletic F.C. players Red Star FC players Walsall F.C. players Guildford City F.C. players Colchester United F.C. players English Football League players Southern Football League players English expatriate men's footballers Expatriate men's footballers in France