George Smith (footballer, born 1921)

George Smith
Personal information
Full name George Beacher Smith
Date of birth (1921-02-07)7 February 1921
Place of birth Fleetwood, England
Date of death 14 July 2013(2013-07-14) (aged 92)
Position(s) Inside-forward
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1946–1951 Manchester City 166 (75)
1951–1958 Chesterfield 250 (98)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

George Beacher Smith[1] (7 February 1921 – 14 July 2013) was an English footballer who played in the inside forward position. He played for Manchester City and Chesterfield between 1946 and 1958.[2]

Smith was born in Fleetwood, Lancashire. He signed for Manchester City in May 1938, but had to wait until 1946 before making his debut in an official first-team match because of World War II. His debut came after he had proven his fitness following a war-time injury when serving as a sergeant with King's African Rifles.[3] He went on to play 166 league games for City, and scored 75 goals. In October 1951, he moved to Chesterfield, where he spent the rest of his professional career. He played 250 league games and scored 98 league goals for the Spireites. After leaving Chesterfield in 1958, he joined non-league Mossley.[2]

References

  1. ^ Hugman, Barry (2005). The PFA Premier & Football League Players' Records 1946–2005. Queen Anne Press. p. 571. ISBN 1-85291-665-6.
  2. ^ a b George Smith, Post War English & Scottish Football League A-Z Player's Database (Neil Brown). Retrieved on 14 February 2010.
  3. ^ https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/george-smith-prolific-goalscorer-for-manchester-city-8747277.html

Further reading

  • Rippon, A (2005) Gas Masks for Goal Posts: Football in Britain During the Second World War ISBN 0-7509-4030-1