George Beare
Encyclopedia
George Beare was an English professional footballer who played for Blackpool
and Everton
in the early years of the twentieth century.
, and played for his local team before being spotted by Southern League
club Southampton
in 1906. He spent most of his time at the Saints playing in the reserves, and was described as "a quick touch-line dribbler". He made his Southern League debut in the final game of the 1906–07 season, replacing George Harris
in a 2–1 victory over Bristol Rovers
. For the following season, Southampton signed Welsh
international John Lewis
and Beare spent another season in the reserves before moving to Blackpool
in 1908.
He spent two full seasons at Blackpool, who were then in the Second Division
, before moving on to First Division
Everton
in autumn 1910.
He made his debut for Everton replacing England
international Bert Freeman
in a 3–1 defeat at Bradford City
on 12 November 1910. Despite joining Everton part way through the season, his eight goals (from 26 appearances) made him the club's joint-top-scorer in the league (with Bill Lacey and Alex Young) for the 1910–11 season
, as Everton finished fourth in the table.
The following season, 1911–12
, he was part of the Everton team that reached the runners-up position in the table, finishing three points behind champions Blackburn Rovers
, despite a team total of only 46 goals (three from Beare), the fifth-worst total in the league. In 1912–13
, it soon became clear that Everton were struggling to build on the runners up position from he previous season, and they finished eleventh in the league. The lack of goals remained a problem, and despite Tommy Browell
and Frank Bradshaw
both getting double figures, the team as whole could only manage 48 in total, with Beare contributing seven.
Whilst the 1912–13 season had been disappointing, 1913–14
was even worse for both Everton and Beare, as the club finished fifteenth in the table, winning only twelve games and avoiding relegation by just five points, with Beare failing to score. At the end of the season, Beare returned to the Southern League
to join Cardiff City
.
Cardiff ended the 1914–15 season third in the Southern League table, before league football was suspended during the First World War. On the cessation of hostilities, Cardiff spent one final season in the Southern League, finishing fourth, before being invited to join the Football League Second Division
as the strongest team in Wales, with the remaining Southern League clubs forming the new Football League Third Division
. In their inaugural season in the Football League, Cardiff finished runners-up in the Second Division table equal on points with champions Birmingham but with a far inferior goal average, but this was sufficient to gain promotion to the top flight. They also had a great run in the FA Cup
reaching the semi-final
stage, where they went out to Wolverhampton Wanderers
after a replay. Beare played in all seven FA Cup matches, and scored the solitary goal in the first round victory over Sunderland
.
Beare returned to Second Division football with Bristol City
in November 1921, but after Bristol City were relegated at the end of the 1921–22 season
, he returned to Cardiff City in September 1922. He made no further appearances for Cardiff before playing out his career with Oswestry Town
in the Shropshire League.
Late in his career it was written about him: "If he did not enjoy playing football, he would probably have been one of our leading music hall comedians as he is an expert card manipulator, a trick cyclist of no little repute and an excellent billiards player."
Cardiff City
Blackpool F.C.
Blackpool Football Club are an English football club founded in 1887 from the Lancashire seaside town of Blackpool. They are competing in the 2011–12 season of the The Championship, the second tier of professional football in England, having been relegated from the Premier League at the end of the...
and Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
in the early years of the twentieth century.
Football career
Beare was born in Shirley Warren, SouthamptonSouthampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
, and played for his local team before being spotted by Southern League
Southern Football League
The Southern League is an English football competition featuring semi-professional and amateur clubs from the South West, South Central and Midlands of England and South Wales...
club Southampton
Southampton F.C.
Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club...
in 1906. He spent most of his time at the Saints playing in the reserves, and was described as "a quick touch-line dribbler". He made his Southern League debut in the final game of the 1906–07 season, replacing George Harris
George Harris (footballer born 1877)
George Harris was an English professional footballer who played at inside-left for various clubs in the 1900s.-Football career:Harris was born in Rocester, Staffordshire and started his football career at nearby Uttoxeter, from where he joined the local Football League First Division side, Stoke...
in a 2–1 victory over Bristol Rovers
Bristol Rovers F.C.
Bristol Rovers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Bristol, that competes in Football League Two. The team plays its home matches at the Memorial Stadium, in the Horfield area of the city....
. For the following season, Southampton signed Welsh
Wales national football team
The Wales national football team represents Wales in international football. It is controlled by the Football Association of Wales , the governing body for football in Wales, and the third oldest national football association in the world. The team have only qualified for a major international...
international John Lewis
John Lewis (footballer born 1881)
John Richard Lewis was a Welsh international footballer, who played his club football as a forward for various clubs in the south of England.-Playing career:...
and Beare spent another season in the reserves before moving to Blackpool
Blackpool F.C.
Blackpool Football Club are an English football club founded in 1887 from the Lancashire seaside town of Blackpool. They are competing in the 2011–12 season of the The Championship, the second tier of professional football in England, having been relegated from the Premier League at the end of the...
in 1908.
He spent two full seasons at Blackpool, who were then in the Second Division
Football League Second Division
From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
, before moving on to First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
in autumn 1910.
He made his debut for Everton replacing England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
international Bert Freeman
Bert Freeman
Bertram Clewley Freeman was an English footballer who was one of the most prolific goal-scorers of his time, playing at centre forward for Woolwich Arsenal, Everton, Burnley and Wigan Borough...
in a 3–1 defeat at Bradford City
Bradford City A.F.C.
Bradford City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Bradford, West Yorkshire, playing in League Two....
on 12 November 1910. Despite joining Everton part way through the season, his eight goals (from 26 appearances) made him the club's joint-top-scorer in the league (with Bill Lacey and Alex Young) for the 1910–11 season
1910-11 in English football
The 1910–11 season was the 40th season of competitive football in England.-Events:Huddersfield Town entered the Football League for the first time. Grimsby Town were the team who made way for them...
, as Everton finished fourth in the table.
The following season, 1911–12
1911-12 in English football
The 1911–12 season was the 41st season of competitive football in England.-Overview:Blackburn Rovers won the First Division title for the first time....
, he was part of the Everton team that reached the runners-up position in the table, finishing three points behind champions Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn Rovers F.C.
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. The team currently competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football....
, despite a team total of only 46 goals (three from Beare), the fifth-worst total in the league. In 1912–13
1912-13 in English football
The 1912–13 season was the 42nd season of competitive football in England.-Overview:Sunderland won the First Division for the fifth time, with a record of 25–4–9; Aston Villa, finishing second, had fewer defeats, but a lot more draws: 19–12–7....
, it soon became clear that Everton were struggling to build on the runners up position from he previous season, and they finished eleventh in the league. The lack of goals remained a problem, and despite Tommy Browell
Tommy Browell
Thomas "Tommy" Browell was an English footballer who played as a forward for Hull City, Everton, Manchester City and Blackpool. He is the seventh-highest Manchester City goalscorer of all time with 139 goals for the club.Browell was born in Walbottle, Northumberland, in 1892...
and Frank Bradshaw
Frank Bradshaw
Francis Bradshaw was an English professional footballer and football club manager. He played once for the England national side and also represented the Southern League and the Football League, the latter on four occasions.-Career:...
both getting double figures, the team as whole could only manage 48 in total, with Beare contributing seven.
Whilst the 1912–13 season had been disappointing, 1913–14
1913-14 in English football
The 1913–14 season was the 43rd season of competitive football in England.-Honours:Notes = Number in parentheses is the times that club has won that honour. * indicates new record for competition-First Division:-Second Division:...
was even worse for both Everton and Beare, as the club finished fifteenth in the table, winning only twelve games and avoiding relegation by just five points, with Beare failing to score. At the end of the season, Beare returned to the Southern League
Southern Football League
The Southern League is an English football competition featuring semi-professional and amateur clubs from the South West, South Central and Midlands of England and South Wales...
to join Cardiff City
Cardiff City F.C.
Cardiff City Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Cardiff, Wales. The club competes in the English football pyramid and is currently playing in the Football League Championship. Cardiff City is the best supported football club in Wales, averaging approximately 22,500 for...
.
Cardiff ended the 1914–15 season third in the Southern League table, before league football was suspended during the First World War. On the cessation of hostilities, Cardiff spent one final season in the Southern League, finishing fourth, before being invited to join the Football League Second Division
Football League Second Division
From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
as the strongest team in Wales, with the remaining Southern League clubs forming the new Football League Third Division
Football League Third Division
The Football League Third Division was the 3 tier of English Football from 1920 until 1992 when after the formation of the Football Association Premier League saw the league renamed The Football League Division Two...
. In their inaugural season in the Football League, Cardiff finished runners-up in the Second Division table equal on points with champions Birmingham but with a far inferior goal average, but this was sufficient to gain promotion to the top flight. They also had a great run in the FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
reaching the semi-final
FA Cup Semi-finals
The FA Cup Semi-finals are played to determine which teams will contest the FA Cup Final. They are the penultimate phase of the FA Cup, the oldest football tournament in the world.- Location :...
stage, where they went out to Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club that represents the city of Wolverhampton in the West Midlands region. They are members of the Premier League, the highest level of English football. The club was founded in 1877 and since 1889 has played at...
after a replay. Beare played in all seven FA Cup matches, and scored the solitary goal in the first round victory over Sunderland
Sunderland A.F.C.
Sunderland Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear who currently play in the Premier League...
.
Beare returned to Second Division football with Bristol City
Bristol City F.C.
Bristol City Football Club is one of two football league clubs in Bristol, England . They play at Ashton Gate, located in the south-west of the City...
in November 1921, but after Bristol City were relegated at the end of the 1921–22 season
1921-22 in English football
The 1921–22 season was the 47th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:The league underwent a major expansion for the second consecutive season, adding 20 teams from the Midlands and Northern England. They were placed in the new Third Division North, and the existing southern-based...
, he returned to Cardiff City in September 1922. He made no further appearances for Cardiff before playing out his career with Oswestry Town
Oswestry Town F.C.
Oswestry Town F.C. was a football club, formerly playing in the League of Wales.The club was founded as Oswestry United in 1860, which meant they were one of the world's oldest football clubs. Matches were latterly played at Park Hall stadium, Oswestry, after a spell at Victoria Road...
in the Shropshire League.
Late in his career it was written about him: "If he did not enjoy playing football, he would probably have been one of our leading music hall comedians as he is an expert card manipulator, a trick cyclist of no little repute and an excellent billiards player."
Honours
EvertonEverton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
- Football League runners-up: 1911–121911-12 in English footballThe 1911–12 season was the 41st season of competitive football in England.-Overview:Blackburn Rovers won the First Division title for the first time....
Cardiff City
Cardiff City F.C.
Cardiff City Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Cardiff, Wales. The club competes in the English football pyramid and is currently playing in the Football League Championship. Cardiff City is the best supported football club in Wales, averaging approximately 22,500 for...
- Football League Second DivisionFootball League Second DivisionFrom 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
runners-up: 1920–211920-21 in English footballThe 1920–21 season was the 46th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:The Football League Third Division is introduced, expanding the League's operational radius south of Birmingham...