George Thompson (footballer born 1900)
Encyclopedia
George Herbert Thompson (1900 – 6 June 1968) was an English football goalkeeper who played for York City
and Southampton
during the 1920s.
, near Rotherham
, Yorkshire
and trained as a joiner
. After playing for his local village team, he started his professional career with York City
, then playing in the Midland League
.
In August 1927, he moved to the south coast
to join Southampton
of the Football League Second Division
. He made his debut on 10 September, when he replaced he injured Tommy Allen
away to Notts County
. He kept a clean sheet on his debut (0–0) and retained his place in goal for a further seven matches before Allen's return to fitness in November. After that his appearances were only sporadic, providing cover for Allen or his replacement, Willie White
.
In his three years at The Dell, Thompson made only sixteen first-team appearances, including two defeats in the FA Cup
. In the 1929–30 Round 3 match at Bradford City
, Thompson allowed a shot to crawl under his body after an awful defensive mix-up for Bradford's first goal, with Saints going on to lose the match 4–1. Thompson spent most of his "Saints" career in the reserves, where he made 159 appearances.
In the summer of 1930, with Bert Scriven now promoted to second-choice 'keeper behind White, Thompson was placed on the transfer list for a fee of £250. With no offers being received, Thompson was eventually released, and returned to his native Yorkshire to resume his career as a joiner, in the Dinnington
coalmines.
, Preston North End
, Manchester City
and Carlisle United
including playing on the losing side in the 1954 FA Cup Final
, and Des
, who played for York City
, Burnley
and Sheffield United
.
York City F.C.
York City Football Club is an English football club based in York, North Yorkshire. The club participates in the Conference National, the fifth tier of English football. Founded in 1922, they joined the Football League in 1929, and have spent most of their history in the lower divisions...
and 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...
during the 1920s.
Football career
Thompson was born in TreetonTreeton
Treeton is a village and civil parish of the Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham in South Yorkshire, England. It is located about south of the town of Rotherham and east of Sheffield City Centre.-History:...
, near Rotherham
Rotherham
Rotherham is a town in South Yorkshire, England. It lies on the River Don, at its confluence with the River Rother, between Sheffield and Doncaster. Rotherham, at from Sheffield City Centre, is surrounded by several smaller settlements, which together form the wider Metropolitan Borough of...
, Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
and trained as a joiner
Joiner
A joiner differs from a carpenter in that joiners cut and fit joints in wood that do not use nails. Joiners usually work in a workshop since the formation of various joints generally requires non-portable machinery. A carpenter normally works on site...
. After playing for his local village team, he started his professional career with York City
York City F.C.
York City Football Club is an English football club based in York, North Yorkshire. The club participates in the Conference National, the fifth tier of English football. Founded in 1922, they joined the Football League in 1929, and have spent most of their history in the lower divisions...
, then playing in the Midland League
Midland Football League
There have been at least two different football competitions in England which used the name Midland Football League.One existed until 1982 before merging with the Yorkshire League to form the Northern Counties League....
.
In August 1927, he moved to the south coast
Southern England
Southern England, the South and the South of England are imprecise terms used to refer to the southern counties of England bordering the English Midlands. It has a number of different interpretations of its geographic extents. The South is considered by many to be a cultural region with a distinct...
to join 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...
of 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...
. He made his debut on 10 September, when he replaced he injured Tommy Allen
Tommy Allen (footballer)
Thomas "Tommy" Allen was an English professional goalkeeper who played for Southampton in the 1920s and later for Coventry City.-Early career:...
away to Notts County
Notts County F.C.
Notts County Football Club are an English professional football club based in Nottingham. They are the oldest of all the clubs in the world that are now professional, having been formed in 1862. They currently play in League One of The Football League, the third tier of the English football system...
. He kept a clean sheet on his debut (0–0) and retained his place in goal for a further seven matches before Allen's return to fitness in November. After that his appearances were only sporadic, providing cover for Allen or his replacement, Willie White
Willie White (footballer)
William Collins "Willie" White was a Scottish football goalkeeper who played for Heart of Midlothian and Southampton during the 1920s and 1930s.-Scotland:...
.
In his three years at The Dell, Thompson made only sixteen first-team appearances, including two defeats 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 the 1929–30 Round 3 match 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....
, Thompson allowed a shot to crawl under his body after an awful defensive mix-up for Bradford's first goal, with Saints going on to lose the match 4–1. Thompson spent most of his "Saints" career in the reserves, where he made 159 appearances.
In the summer of 1930, with Bert Scriven now promoted to second-choice 'keeper behind White, Thompson was placed on the transfer list for a fee of £250. With no offers being received, Thompson was eventually released, and returned to his native Yorkshire to resume his career as a joiner, in the Dinnington
Dinnington
Dinnington is a town in rural South Yorkshire, England, and part of the Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham. It is roughly equidistant from Sheffield, Rotherham and Worksop, and is located at an elevation of about 100 metres above sea level....
coalmines.
Family
Thompson had two sons, both of whom became professional goalkeepers – George Jnr. who played for Scunthorpe UnitedScunthorpe United F.C.
Scunthorpe United Football Club is an English association football team based in the town of Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire, who play in the Football League One....
, Preston North End
Preston North End F.C.
Preston North End Football Club is an English professional football club located in the Deepdale area of the city of Preston, Lancashire, currently playing in the third tier of English league football, League One...
, Manchester City
Manchester City F.C.
Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...
and Carlisle United
Carlisle United F.C.
Carlisle United F.C. is an English football club based in Carlisle, Cumbria, where they play at Brunton Park. Formed in 1904, the club currently compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system....
including playing on the losing side in the 1954 FA Cup Final
1954 FA Cup Final
The 1954 FA Cup Final was a football match between West Bromwich Albion and Preston North End, played on 1 May 1954 at the original Wembley Stadium in London. It was the final match of the 1953–54 staging of English football's primary cup competition, the Football Association Challenge Cup...
, and Des
Des Thompson
Desmond Thompson is an English former professional association football player who played as a goalkeeper.-References:* at the Post War Players Database...
, who played for York City
York City F.C.
York City Football Club is an English football club based in York, North Yorkshire. The club participates in the Conference National, the fifth tier of English football. Founded in 1922, they joined the Football League in 1929, and have spent most of their history in the lower divisions...
, Burnley
Burnley F.C.
Burnley Football Club are a professional English Football League club based in Burnley, Lancashire. Nicknamed the Clarets, due to the dominant colour of their home shirts, they were founder members of the Football League in 1888...
and Sheffield United
Sheffield United F.C.
Sheffield United Football Club is a professional English football club based in the city of Sheffield, South Yorkshire.They were the first sporting team to use the name 'United' and are nicknamed 'The Blades', thanks to Sheffield's worldwide reputation for steel production...
.