George Catleugh
Encyclopedia
George Charles Catleugh (11 June 1932 – 5 April 1996) was an English footballer who played at right half.
Born in Horden
, County Durham
, Catleugh started his career as an amateur, playing for King's Lynn
, Nuneaton Borough and Bury
. He was Nuneaton's only amateur player when they defeated Watford
in the FA Cup
in 1953; the match finished 3–0 to Nuneaton. At the end of the 1953–54 season, Watford manager Len Goulden
signed Catleugh as a professional footballer. He played around half of Watford's games in the first two seasons; 20 in 1954–55 and 24 in 1955–56, and started to play more frequently under new manager Neil McBain
, missing only one league match in the following three campaigns.
The 1959–60 season marked Watford's first promotion since joining the Football League in 1920, taking them from the Fourth Division
to the Third Division
. Although Watford's success was largely attributed to the partnership of Cliff Holton
and Dennis Uphill
, who between them scored 72 league goals, Catleugh was later to remark upon the strong team spirit that season, stating that he felt like part of "one, big, happy family".
As a result of the promotion, Catleugh spent the remainder of his Watford career as a Third Division player. However, he broke his leg in 1962, and made only four appearances in the entire 1962–63 season. He recovered to make a further 35 appearances in his final two seasons at Watford. He joined Folkestone
in 1965, but sustained a second broken leg, which forced him to retire from football in 1968.
Catleigh died on 5 April 1996 in Watford
, Hertfordshire
, aged 63. Among those present at his funeral were former team-mates Holton, Uphill and Ken Nicholas, and Graham Taylor, who at the time was Watford's general manager.
Born in Horden
Horden
Horden is a village in County Durham, England. It is situated on the North Sea coast, to the east of Peterlee, approximately 12 miles south of Sunderland. Horden was a mining village until the closure of the Horden Colliery in 1987. Main features include the Welfare and Memorial Parks and St...
, County Durham
County Durham
County Durham is a ceremonial county and unitary district in north east England. The county town is Durham. The largest settlement in the ceremonial county is the town of Darlington...
, Catleugh started his career as an amateur, playing for King's Lynn
King's Lynn F.C.
King's Lynn F.C. was an English football club based in King's Lynn, Norfolk. Established in 1879, they were wound up at the High Court on 25 November 2009 with debts of £77,000 and went out of business in December after a failed appeal...
, Nuneaton Borough and Bury
Bury F.C.
Bury Football Club is an association football team based in Bury, Greater Manchester. The team currently play in League One. The club's nickname is The Shakers which was bestowed upon them by club chairman JT Ingham, an industrialist and ironmonger of the late 1890s.-Formation of the club and the...
. He was Nuneaton's only amateur player when they defeated Watford
Watford F.C.
Watford Football Club is an English professional football club based in Watford, Hertfordshire. It is often referred to as Watford F.C., Watford, or by the team's nickname The Hornets . Watford Rovers, Founded in 1881, entered the FA Cup for the first time in 1886, and the Southern League a decade...
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...
in 1953; the match finished 3–0 to Nuneaton. At the end of the 1953–54 season, Watford manager Len Goulden
Len Goulden
Leonard Arthur Goulden was an English footballer. His son Roy was also a footballer.-Playing career:Born in Hackney, London, Goulden began his career with Chelmsford City, before moving to Leyton and then West Ham United in 1933...
signed Catleugh as a professional footballer. He played around half of Watford's games in the first two seasons; 20 in 1954–55 and 24 in 1955–56, and started to play more frequently under new manager Neil McBain
Neil McBain
Neil McBain was a Scottish professional footballer and football manager. He remains the oldest player to appear in an English Football League match.-Playing career:...
, missing only one league match in the following three campaigns.
The 1959–60 season marked Watford's first promotion since joining the Football League in 1920, taking them from the Fourth Division
Football League Fourth Division
The Fourth Division of The Football League was the fourth-highest division in the English football league system from the 1958–59 season until the creation of the Premier League prior to the 1992–93 season...
to the 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...
. Although Watford's success was largely attributed to the partnership of Cliff Holton
Cliff Holton
Clifford Charles "Cliff" Holton was an English footballer.Born in Oxford, Holton played as a full back for non-league Oxford City as a youth, before joining Arsenal in October 1947 at the age of 18. He spent three seasons in the Gunners' reserve team, eventually converting to a centre forward...
and Dennis Uphill
Dennis Uphill
Dennis Uphill was an English professional footballer who played for Tottenham Hotspur, Reading, Coventry City, Mansfield Town, Watford and Crystal Palace.- Football career :...
, who between them scored 72 league goals, Catleugh was later to remark upon the strong team spirit that season, stating that he felt like part of "one, big, happy family".
As a result of the promotion, Catleugh spent the remainder of his Watford career as a Third Division player. However, he broke his leg in 1962, and made only four appearances in the entire 1962–63 season. He recovered to make a further 35 appearances in his final two seasons at Watford. He joined Folkestone
Folkestone F.C.
Folkestone Football Club was the name of two English football clubs based in the town of Folkestone, Kent. It is unclear if the two clubs were in fact connected, but neither has any formal connection to Folkestone Invicta, who took over the Cheriton Road stadium after the demise of Folkestone F.C....
in 1965, but sustained a second broken leg, which forced him to retire from football in 1968.
Catleigh died on 5 April 1996 in Watford
Watford
Watford is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, situated northwest of central London and within the bounds of the M25 motorway. The borough is separated from Greater London to the south by the urbanised parish of Watford Rural in the Three Rivers District.Watford was created as an urban...
, Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
, aged 63. Among those present at his funeral were former team-mates Holton, Uphill and Ken Nicholas, and Graham Taylor, who at the time was Watford's general manager.