George Wilson (14 January 1892 – 25 November 1961) was an English

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 in his club career at

Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the North West England, northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the Borough of Blackpool, borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, betw ...

and

Sheffield Wednesday Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1867 as an offshoot of ...

between 1912 and 1925. He made twelve appearances for

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, seven as captain. __TOC__

Career

Wilson was born in

Kirkham, Lancashire Kirkham (originally Kirkam-in-Amounderness) is a town and civil parish in the Borough of Fylde in Lancashire, England, midway between Blackpool and Preston ( west of Preston) and adjacent to the smaller town of Wesham. It owes its existence to ...

, and after playing schoolboy football in both Blackpool and Preston, he joined

Fleetwood Fleetwood is a coastal town in the Borough of Wyre in Lancashire, England, at the northwest corner of the Fylde. It had a population of 25,939 at the United Kingdom Census 2011, 2011 census. Fleetwood acquired its modern character in the 1830 ...

and then

Morecambe Morecambe ( ) is a seaside town and civil parish in the City of Lancaster district in Lancashire, England. It is in Morecambe Bay on the Irish Sea. Name The first use of the name was by John Whitaker in his ''History of Manchester'' (1771), w ...

, playing in the

West Lancashire League The West Lancashire Football League is a football competition based in northern England, consisting of five divisions – three for first teams (Premier, One and Two), and two for reserve teams. The league is currently sponsored by Lancaster ...

. He was spotted by a third

Fylde Coast The Fylde () is a coastal plain in western Lancashire, England. It is roughly a square-shaped peninsula, bounded by Morecambe Bay to the north, the Ribble estuary to the south, the Irish Sea to the west, and the foot of the Bowland hills to ...

club,

, and signed for the

Bloomfield Road Bloomfield Road is a single-tier football stadium in Blackpool, Lancashire, England, which has been the home of Blackpool F.C. since 1901. It is the third stadium in the club's existence, the previous two being Raikes Hall Gardens and the ...

outfit in early 1912, making his debut on 27 January in a home victory over

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 ...

.Calley, Roy (1992). ''Blackpool: A Complete Record 1887–1992'' After starting his first two games as a

forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People * Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Sm ...

, Wilson was moved into a

midfield Midfield is the part of a sports field that lies approximately in the center. In American football, association football (soccer) and field hockey, it is the area in and around the center circle, as well as the players who occupy that region. In ...

role for the final seven games of the 1911–12 season. His only goal for Blackpool that campaign was the winner in a single-goal victory over

Birmingham City Birmingham City Football Club is a professional football club based in Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943. Since 2011, the first te ...

at Bloomfield Road on 20 April 1912. He was Blackpool's top scorer in his second season at the club, with ten goals in 24 League appearances. Despite his efforts, Blackpool finished at the foot of the

Second Division In sport, the Second Division, also called Division 2 or Division II is usually the second highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Following the rise of Premier League style compet ...

table, but were re-elected for the following season, of which he missed all but one game due to injury. On his return to the team during 1914–15, he established himself at

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 ...

, and managed to get two goals to his name – the first in a 5–1 rout of

Clapton 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 profess ...

on 6 February 1915, and the second in a 2–1 defeat at

Nottingham Forest Nottingham Forest Football Club is an association football club based in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England. Nottingham Forest was founded in 1865 and have been playing their home games at the City Ground, on the banks of the River Tren ...

seven days later. By the time that League football resumed after 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 ...

, he was "reckoned to be one of the best centre-halves in the game". In his final season at Blackpool, 1919–20, he made 22 League appearances and scored one goal – in the opening game of the season, a 4–2 victory over

Leeds City Leeds City Football Club was the leading professional club in Leeds, England, before the First World War. It was dissolved in 1919 due to financial irregularities, after which Leeds United was established as a replacement. History The club was ...

at Bloomfield Road. His form attracted him to clubs in the First Division and in March 1920 he crossed the

Pennines The Pennines (), also known as the Pennine Chain or Pennine Hills, are a range of uplands running between three regions of Northern England: North West England on the west, North East England and Yorkshire and the Humber on the east. Commo ...

to join

The Wednesday Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1867 as an offshoot of ...

for a fee of £3,000. Unfortunately, his arrival came too late to prevent Wednesday being relegated to the Second Division at the end of the 1919–20 season. Once again, he soon became the first-choice centre-half and, despite playing outside the top division, he was selected for the

British Home Championship The British Home Championship * sco, Hame Internaitional Kemp * gd, Farpais lìg eadar-nàiseanta * cy, Pencampwriaeth y Pedair Gwlad, name=lang (historically known as the British International Championship or simply the International Champio ...

match against

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

on 14 March 1921. His

debut ended in a goalless draw. He retained his place for the next three matches, and was appointed

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

for the match against

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

on 22 October 1921, which ended in a 1–1 draw. He was unavailable for the next England match, and his place in the side, and his role as captain, was taken by

Max Woosnam Max or MAX may refer to: Animals * Max (dog) (1983–2013), at one time purported to be the world's oldest living dog * Max (English Springer Spaniel), the first pet dog to win the PDSA Order of Merit (animal equivalent of OBE) * Max (gorilla) ...

who thus gained his solitary England

cap A cap is a flat headgear, usually with a visor. Caps have crowns that fit very close to the head. They made their first appearance as early as 3200 BC. Caps typically have a visor, or no brim at all. They are popular in casual and informal se ...

. Over the next few matches, Wilson shared the captaincy with

Arthur Grimsdell Arthur Grimsdell (23 March 1894 – 12 March 1963) was an English professional footballer. He was born in Watford, Hertfordshire and played at centre-half and later wing-half for Tottenham Hotspur. and England. He captained both teams during ...

and

Charlie Buchan Charles Murray Buchan (22 September 1891 – 25 June 1960) was an English footballer, sporting journalist and commentator. Buchan started his career in 1909 with Woolwich Arsenal (later renamed Arsenal F.C.). He is known for his career with Su ...

. He was appointed captain for a friendly match against

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

played at The Arsenal Stadium on 19 March 1923 which ended in a 6–1 victory, with Kenneth Hegan scoring England's first two goals on his debut. He continued to captain England until his final match against

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

on 17 May 1924. The match ended in a 3–1 victory, with England's goals coming from

Vivian Gibbins William Vivian Talbot Gibbins (10 August 1901 – 21 November 1979) was an English amateur footballer who played as a striker. West Ham and Clapton Born in Forest Gate, Gibbins joined West Ham United in 1923 and made his debut as an amat ...

(two) and Harry Storer. France's consolation goal was scored by

Jules Dewaquez Jules Aimé Devaquez (9 March 1899 – 12 June 1971), known as Jules Dewaquez, was a French amateur footballer, who played for both club and country on the right wing. He was of shorter stature (1.69m) and renowned for his small moustache. By pr ...

. In his England career, Wilson played twelve matches, seven as captain, with a record of four victories, four draws and four defeats. He continued to play for Wednesday until July 1925, playing a total of 197 games in all competitions for the club,George Wilson profile at the Sheffield Wednesday Archive
/ref> he then returned to

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...

joining

Nelson Nelson may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Nelson'' (1918 film), a historical film directed by Maurice Elvey * ''Nelson'' (1926 film), a historical film directed by Walter Summers * ''Nelson'' (opera), an opera by Lennox Berkeley to a lib ...

for a fee of £2,000. He gave good service to the

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 ...

club over five years, before retiring from playing in the summer of 1930. After retirement, he returned to Blackpool, where he became a

licensee A licensee can mean the holder of a license or, in U.S. tort law, a licensee is a person who is on the property of another, despite the fact that the property is not open to the general public, because the owner of the property has allowed the li ...

for thirty years until he retired in May 1961. He died six months later on 25 November 1961, aged 69.

References

External links

England profile at www.englandstats.comEngland profile at www.englandfc.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, George 1892 births 1961 deaths People from Kirkham, Lancashire English footballers England international footballers Fleetwood Town F.C. players Morecambe F.C. players Blackpool F.C. players Sheffield Wednesday F.C. players Nelson F.C. players English Football League players English Football League representative players Association football defenders