George Albert Ratcliffe (7 December 1876 – 4 June 1944) was an English footballer.

Club career

Ratcliffe played his early football in the North Staffordshire League. His football skills resulted in him being signed by

Crewe Alexandra Crewe Alexandra Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Crewe, Cheshire, that competes in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. Nicknamed 'The Railwaymen' because of ...

. Later he had spells at

Sheffield United Sheffield United Football Club is a professional football club in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . They are nicknamed "the Blades" due to Sheffield's history of cutlery production. The team have played home games at ...

and

Grimsby Town Grimsby Town Football Club is a professional football club based in Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire, England, that in the 2022–23 season will compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system, following the victory in ...

. In 1900,

Arnold Hills Arnold Frank Hills (12 March 1857 – 7 March 1927) was an English businessman, sportsman, philanthropist, and promoter of vegetarianism. Biography Hills was born in Denmark Hill, Surrey, son of a manufacturing chemist. Arnold Hills was also a ...

decided to bring in some experienced players to his new

West Ham West Ham is an area in East London, located east of Charing Cross in the west of the modern London Borough of Newham. The area, which lies immediately to the north of the River Thames and east of the River Lea, was originally an ancien ...

side. He played in 17 games in his first season, bagging 4 goals. Three of those coming in the last two matches of the season. The 1901-02 season was a big improvement and he ended up as joint top scorer with

Billy Grassam William Grassam (20 November 1878 – 1943) was a Scottish footballer who played as a forward. Career Grassam played for Scottish Junior Football Association sides Redcliffe Thistle and Maryhill before joining English side Burslem Port Vale ...

, scoring 10 times in 24 games. At the end of the season Ratcliffe was transferred to

Doncaster Rovers Doncaster Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. The team compete in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. The club play their home games at ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ratcliffe, George 1876 births 1944 deaths Crewe Alexandra F.C. players Doncaster Rovers F.C. players English men's footballers Men's association football wingers Grimsby Town F.C. players Footballers from Hanley, Staffordshire West Ham United F.C. players