George O'Brien (22 November 1935 – 18 March 2020) 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 le ...

who played as an

inside forward Forwards (also known as attackers) are outfield positions in an association football team who play the furthest up the pitch and are therefore most responsible for scoring goals as well as assisting them. As with any attacking player, the role ...

Football career

He began his career with Blairhall Colliery before becoming a professional with

Scottish Football League The Scottish Football League (SFL) was a league featuring professional and semi-professional football clubs mostly from Scotland.One club, Berwick Rangers, is based in the town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, which is located approximately 4 km south ...

club

Dunfermline Athletic Dunfermline Athletic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the city of Dunfermline, Fife. Founded in 1885, the club currently play in Scottish League One after being relegated from the 2021–22 Scottish Championship. Dunfermline ...

in 1952. He spent five years with Dunfermline, scoring 25 league goals in 93 appearances. In 1957, he moved to England to play for

Leeds United Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire in England. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of England's football league system, and plays its home matches at Elland Road S ...

in 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 ...

. He was transferred to

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 1959, having scored six times in 44 appearances during his time at

Elland Road Elland Road is a football stadium in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, which has been the home of Premier League club Leeds United since the club's formation in 1919. The stadium is the 14th largest football stadium in England. The g ...

. O'Brien spent six years at The Dell, scoring 154 league goals in 244 matches. He left Southampton in March 1966, spending a few months with

Leyton Orient Leyton Orient Football Club is a professional football club based in Leyton, East London, England, who compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. They are the second oldest football club in London to play at a professio ...

before moving on to

Aldershot Aldershot () is a town in Hampshire, England. It lies on heathland in the extreme northeast corner of the county, southwest of London. The area is administered by Rushmoor Borough Council. The town has a population of 37,131, while the Alders ...

in December 1966, where he finished his playing career.

Personal life

O'Brien died in Southampton on 18 March 2020 at the age of 84.

References

External links

Leeds United profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Obrien, George 1935 births 2020 deaths Footballers from Dunfermline Dunfermline Athletic F.C. players Leeds United F.C. players Southampton F.C. players Leyton Orient F.C. players Aldershot F.C. players Scottish Football League players English Football League players Scottish men's footballers Men's association football inside forwards Blairhall Colliery F.C. players Scottish Junior Football Association players