George Wilson (footballer, born 1859)

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George Wilson
Personal information
Full name George William Wilson
Date of birth (1859-05-19)19 May 1859
Place of birth Swinton, Lancashire, England
Date of death 1924
Position(s) Centre-forward
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
Mexborough
1881–82 The Wednesday
1882–83 Blackburn Olympic
1883–84 Preston North End
1884–91 Mexborough
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

George William Wilson was an association footballer who won the FA Cup with Blackburn Olympic in 1883.

George Wilson, Blackburn Olympic, circa 1883, from the Sheffield Evening Telegraph, 2 February 1907

Early life[edit]

Wilson was born on 5 May 1859 in Swinton into a family with its roots in glass bottle manufacture.[1]

Football career[edit]

Wilson played as centre-forward for Mexborough in the late 1870s; he was famous enough to play for The Zulus touring side,[2] and in 1881 he played briefly for Sheffield Wednesday.[3] He moved to Olympic the following year as one of the two professional "imports", as the Wednesday objected to his taking payment for playing for the Zulus. He was known for long throws and was employed as a clerk in Blackburn in order to justify his amateur status.[4] His debut for the Olympic was at Nottingham Forest in October 1882, the game ending acrimoniously as the Olympians walked off in protest at the referee allowing a goal after an offside Norman charged goalkeeper Thomas Hacking out of the way of a goalbound shot.[5]

Wilson also made his competitive debut in the first round of the Lancashire Senior Cup the same month, in an easy 11–0 win over the obscure Padiham Church club,[6] but, as he had not lived in Blackburn for the required 2 years, the Olympians were disqualified[7] - it was assumed this was a deliberate move so the Olympians could concentrate on bigger competition.[8] Wilson duly scored in every round of Olympic's 1882–83 FA Cup run, other than the final against the Old Etonians; he did put the ball in the goal close to the end of the match, but it was disallowed on the basis that it had already gone out of play,[9] It was his pass to Alf Matthews that led to Matthews scoring the Olympians' equalizer.[10] He also played in the Olympic side which lost the 1883 Lancashire Charity Cup final 6–2 to Blackburn Rovers.[11]

The generally working-class Olympic did not have the wealthy backing that other clubs in the region had, and Preston North End "lured George Wilson from Blackburn Olympic by offering him the tenancy of the Black-a-Moor-Head public house" for the 1883–84 season.[12] His time with North End was not a success due to injury, and he returned to Mexborough in 1884. He won the Sheffield Senior Cup with the club in 1886;[13] one of his final appearances for the club was in goal in the Minor Cup for amateur Sheffield sides.[14]

Post-football career[edit]

Wilson returned to Swinton when his career was over.[15] He married Hannah Hawkins in Swinton on 24 October 1883,[16] and the couple had two sons.[17] Wilson died in 1924, and was buried in Salterhebble in Yorkshire.[18]

References[edit]

  1. ^ 1861 census, Household schedule number 54, Piece 3511, Folio 97, Page 11
  2. ^ "Swinton's football celebrity". Yorkshire Telegraph: 4. 2 February 1907.
  3. ^ Dickinson, Jason (2015). The Origins of Sheffield Wednesday. Amberley. ISBN 978-1445619521.
  4. ^ Curry, Graham (2023). From the Privileged to the Professionals: The Early Years of the FA Cup. UK: Routledge. p. 78-81. ISBN 978-1032258997.
  5. ^ "Blackburn Olympic v Notts Forest". Blackburn Standard: 3. 21 October 1882.
  6. ^ "Lancashire Association Cup". Sporting Life: 4. 24 October 1882.
  7. ^ "Lancashire Association Challenge Cup". Bell's Life: 11. 11 November 1882.
  8. ^ "The association game". Athletic News: 5. 25 October 1882.
  9. ^ "Blackburn Olympic v Old Etonians". Bell's Life: 4. 7 April 1883.
  10. ^ "Blackburn Olympians victorious in the Football Association Challenge Cup competition". Blackburn Times: 7. 7 April 1883.
  11. ^ "East Lancashire Charity Cup (Final Tie)". Blackburn Standard: 3. 19 May 1883.
  12. ^ Russell, David (2007). Football and the English. Leeds: Carnegie. p. 23. ISBN 978-1859360385.
  13. ^ Curry, Graham (2023). Early Football Professionalism in Sheffield. Cambridge Scholars. ISBN 978-1-5275-1277-1.
  14. ^ "Local and general notes". South Yorkshire Times: 5. 24 October 1890.
  15. ^ "Swinton's football celebrity". Yorkshire Telegraph: 4. 2 February 1907.
  16. ^ England select marriages, FHL Film Number 1545737, Reference ID 2:3C7M5CB
  17. ^ 1901 census, Household schedule number 107, Piece 4402, Folio 57, Page 17
  18. ^ Burials in the Parish of Salterhebble. West Yorkshire: Church of England. 10 November 1924. p. 31.
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