George Gibson (footballer, born 1914)
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | George E. Gibson | ||
| Date of birth | 29 August 1914 | ||
| Place of birth | Stoke, England | ||
| Date of death | 30 December 1990 | ||
| Playing position | Inside left | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Kidderminster Harriers | |||
| Frickley Colliery | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1931-1932 | Frickley Colliery | ||
| 1932-1934 | Sunderland | 2 | (1) |
| 1934-1935 | Leicester City | 2 | (0) |
| 1935-1936 | US Valenciennes Anzin | ||
| 1935-1936 | Lisburn Distillery | ||
| 1936–1937 | Shelbourne | ||
| 1936-1937 | RC Roubaix | ||
| 1937-1938 | Workington | ||
| 1938-1939 | Bradford City | 3 | (0) |
|
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. | |||
George E. Gibson (born 29 August 1914) was an English professional footballer who played as an inside left. Gibson was an early pioneer of British overseas footballers, playing in the French Ligue 1 in the inter-war years. Gibson eventually went on to play football in four countries, including his native England. Whilst Gibson played professionally in England and France and played in the Football League and Ligue 1 he was never capped internationally.
Early career
Born in Stoke, Gibson began his career as a youth player with Kidderminster Harriers before being released and joining Frickley Colliery who gave him the opportunity to play regularly in the Midland League. In 1932 he signed professionally for Sunderland where he made two top flight (equivalent to the Premier League today) appearances [1] before moving to Leicester City, where he played in the Football League.[2]
Foreign career
In 1935 Gibson became one of the early English professional footballers to play abroad when he signed for US Valenciennes Anzin, who had just been promoted to the top division in French football. After a year in France Gibson moved on to clubs in Northern Ireland and Ireland before returning to France to join RC Rubaix, who had just secured top flight football.[3]
Return to England
Towards the end of his career Gibson joined Workington, where he also represented the cricket club as a fast bowler and batsman and briefly returned to the Football League with Bradford City where he made 3 league appearances.[4]
Top flight football
Gibson has the distinction of playing in the top division of professional football in four countries, including England, France, Ireland and Northern Ireland. This is a remarkable feat for a British footballer in the 1930s.
Sources
- Frost, Terry (1988). Bradford City A Complete Record 1903-1988. Breedon Books Sport. ISBN 0-907969-38-0.