George King (footballer, born 1923)

George King (5 January 1923 – 2009) was an English footballer. A forward, he scored 59 goals in 164 league games in a seven-year career in the Football League. He was the brother of goalkeepers Frank and Ray King.

George King

Personal information
Full name	George King[1]
Date of birth	(1923-01-05)5 January 1923[1]
Place of birth	Warkworth, Northumberland, England[1]
Date of death	2009 (age 86)
Playing position(s)	Forward
Youth career
	Royal Air Force
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1946–1947	Newcastle United	2	(0)
1947–1949	Hull City	3	(0)
1949–1950	Port Vale	10	(5)
1950–1952	Barrow	86	(37)
1952	Bradford City	23	(9)
1952–1953	Gillingham	21	(5)
	King's Lynn	19	(5)
	Ely City
Total		164+	(61+)
Teams managed
1955–19??	Ely City
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

He began his career with Newcastle United following the conclusions of World War II, and had a brief spell with Hull City, before joining Port Vale in April 1949. He impressed for the "Valiants", and was sold on to Barrow for a four-figure fee in February 1950. He scored more than half of his career goals for the "Bluebirds", before he enjoyed brief stays with Bradford City and Gillingham. He later played for non-league clubs King's Lynn and Ely City.

Playing career

King played for the Royal Air Force during World War II. During the war he narrowly escaped death when he was aboard a ship that was sunk by a U-boat.[2] He signed with Newcastle United in 1945, despite interest from Burnley.[3] He played two Second Division games in 1946–47, before injury restricted his progress.[4] He swapped St James' Park for Boothferry Park when he transferred to Hull City. He spent 1947–48 and 1948–49 with Hull City, featuring in three Third Division North games for Raich Carter's "Tigers".

He joined Port Vale for a four-figure fee in April 1949.[1] He scored twice on his debut, a 3–1 win over Torquay United at The Old Recreation Ground on 23 April.[1] He scored three goals in eight Third Division South games in 1949–50, but lost his place in October 1949.[1] He was sold on to Barrow for a four-figure fee in February 1950 by manager Gordon Hodgson.[1] He scored 35 goals in 86 Third Division North games for Jack Hacking's "Bluebirds", before leaving Holker Street for Bradford City on a £4,500 transfer.[4] He scored nine times in 23 games for Ivor Powell's "Bantams" in 1952–53 in a brief stay at Valley Parade. He later scored five goals in 21 Third Division South games for Archie Clark's Gillingham. He left Priestfield and the Football League, and played for United Counties League side King's Lynn, before he was appointed player-coach at Cambridgeshire League side Ely City, becoming the club's first manager in June 1955.[5] He led the club to the First Round of the FA Cup in 1956–57, at which point they lost out to Torquay United.[6] After retiring, he became a chiropodist.[6] He died in 2009, having suffered with alzheimer's disease.[7]

Statistics

Source:[8]

Club	Season	Division	League		FA Cup		Total
			Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Newcastle United	1946–47	Second Division	2	0	0	0	2	0
Hull City	1947–48	Third Division North	2	0	0	0	2	0
	1948–49	Third Division North	1	0	0	0	1	0
	Total		3	0	0	0	3	0
Port Vale	1948–49	Third Division South	2	2	0	0	2	2
	1949–50	Third Division South	8	3	0	0	8	3
	Total		10	5	0	0	10	5
Barrow	1949–50	Third Division North	17	12	0	0	17	12
	1950–51	Third Division North	45	19	1	1	46	20
	1951–52	Third Division North	24	6	0	0	24	6
	Total		86	37	1	1	87	38
Bradford City	1951–52	Third Division North	19	8	0	0	19	8
	1952–53	Third Division North	4	1	0	0	4	1
	Total		23	9	0	0	23	9
Gillingham	1952–53	Third Division South	19	5	2	0	21	5
Career Total			143	56	3	1	143	57

References

Specific

1. Kent, Jeff (1996). Port Vale Personalities. Witan Books. p. 163. ISBN 0-9529152-0-0.
2. King 1998, p. 254
3. King 1998, p. 255
4. King 1998, p. 256
5. Scott, Kenneth H. "Player Details | George King | toon1892". toon1892.com. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
6. King 1998, p. 257
7. King, Ray (2011), To the End of the Road, pp. 21–23, ISBN 9781844269501
8. George King at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)

General

• King, Ray (1998), Hands, Feet & Balls, ISBN 0953446700