George Arthur Wynn (14 October 1886 – 28 October 1966) was a Welsh 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 ...

who played as a forward or as a half back for Oswestry United,

Wrexham Wrexham ( ; cy, Wrecsam; ) is a city and the administrative centre of Wrexham County Borough in Wales. It is located between the Welsh mountains and the lower Dee Valley, near the border with Cheshire in England. Historically in the count ...

, Manchester City,

Coventry City Coventry City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Coventry, West Midlands, England. The team currently compete in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. The club is nicknamed t ...

and

Halifax Town FC Halifax Town is a professional association football club based in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England. They currently compete in and play at the Shay. They replaced Halifax Town A.F.C., which went into administration in the 2007–08 season. ...

. He also won 12 caps for

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

. He had a record of being an accomplished finisher in and around the box, his seasons' tallies laying claim to that.

Career

Wynn made his footballing debut for Oswestry United in 1906 and scored in the final as the club lifted the Welsh Cup in 1906.Oswestry Utd 2–0 Witchurch
at ''Welsh Football Data Archive'' Within weeks of the Welsh Cup final, Wynn had been snapped up by Wrexham, who were playing in the

Football Combination The Football Combination was a football competition for the reserve teams of English Football League clubs from Southern England, the Midlands and Wales; other clubs from the Midlands and those from the North playing in the Central League (it is n ...

at the time. Whilst at Wrexham, Wynn made his international debut on 1 March 1909 in a Home Championship match against Scotland at The Racecourse, Wrexham, which Wales won 3–2. He scored his only international goal in a 3–2 victory over Ireland, also at The Racecourse. Several league clubs were believed to be interested in signing Wynn, and in May 1909, he moved to Manchester City for £250. Wynn made his Manchester City debut on

Christmas Day Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year, ...

1909 in a 2–0 defeat to Bradford Park Avenue. He scored his first goal for the club two days later against

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 t ...

. In the 1909–10 season he scored 12 goals in 24 appearances as Manchester City won 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 ...

championship. In each of the next three seasons he was the club's leading goalscorer with 9, 18 and 16 goals respectively. The onset of

World War I 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 ...

shortened Wynn's playing career. His final game for Manchester City came shortly after the resumption of competitive football, in a match against

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 ...

on 8 September 1919. In total he made 127 appearances for the club, scoring 60 goals. Having appeared for Wales in both

Victory international The term Victory International or Victory Internationals refers to two series of international football matches played by the national football teams of England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales at the end of both the First and Second World Wars. The ...

s – unofficial international matches between Wales and England to mark the end of World War I – Wynn was sold to

for £300. At Coventry he made a total of 27 appearances in two seasons. He made a solitary appearance for

before bringing his career to an end with Cheshire League side

Mossley Mossley (/ˈmɒzli/) is a town and civil parish in Tameside, Greater Manchester, England, in the upper Tame Valley and the foothills of the Pennines, southeast of Oldham and east of Manchester. The historic counties of Lancashire, Cheshir ...

. Internationally he was capped a total of 12 times by Wales and was a prominent figure for the national team during the pre-Great War period. He was one of the key members of the XI alongside former Manchester City team-mate and legend

Billy Meredith William Henry Meredith (30 July 1874 – 19 April 1958) was a Welsh professional footballer. He was considered one of the early superstars of football due to his performances, notably for Manchester City and Manchester United. He won each ...

Personal life

Wynn served as a private in the

Lancashire Fusiliers The Lancashire Fusiliers was a line infantry regiment of the British Army that saw distinguished service through many years and wars, including the Second Boer War, the First and Second World Wars, and had many different titles throughout its 28 ...

and the

Lincolnshire Regiment The Royal Lincolnshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army raised on 20 June 1685 as the Earl of Bath's Regiment for its first Colonel, John Granville, 1st Earl of Bath. In 1751, it was numbered like most other Army regiments ...

during 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 ...

. In 1918, he was shot in the left leg and received wounds from a shell burst.

Career statistics

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Wynn, George Welsh footballers Wales men's international footballers Coventry City F.C. players Halifax Town A.F.C. players Manchester City F.C. players Wrexham A.F.C. players 1886 births 1966 deaths English Football League players Men's association football inside forwards Chirk AAA F.C. players Oswestry United F.C. players Llandudno F.C. players Mansfield Town F.C. players Mossley A.F.C. players Military personnel from Shropshire British Army personnel of World War I Royal Lincolnshire Regiment soldiers Lancashire Fusiliers soldiers Sportspeople from Shropshire British shooting survivors Footballers from Shropshire