George Featherstone (English footballer)

George Featherstone (1885 – after 1914) was an English footballer who played as a forward in the Football League for Sheffield United, in the Southern League for Brighton & Hove Albion, in the Northern League for Darlington and Stockton, and in the North-Eastern League for Hartlepools United. With Stockton he played on the losing side in the 1907 FA Amateur Cup Final.

George Featherstone
Personal information
Full name George Featherstone[1]
Date of birth 1885
Place of birth Middlesbrough, England
Position(s) Forward
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
Darlington St Hilda's
Darlington
190?–1908 Stockton
1908–1909 Sheffield United 29 (11)
1909–1910 Brighton & Hove Albion 21 (8)
1910–1911 Hartlepools United 23 (11)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Life and career

Featherstone was born in Middlesbrough in 1885.[1] He played football for Darlington St Hilda's, where he acquired a reputation as a scorer of spectacular goals, and for Northern League club Darlington.[2][3] By 1905, he was on the books of Stockton. He helped them win the 1906–07 Northern League title as well as reach the 1907 FA Amateur Cup Final,[4] in which they lost 2–1 to Clapton at Stamford Bridge after what was described as "a hard fought and spirited display".[5] Stockton's goal came from the rebound after Featherstone headed against the crossbar.[4]

Featherstone signed for Sheffield United on 25 February 1908; as part of the deal, it was agreed that he could leave on a free transfer at the end of the season if he wished.[6] He made his debut in the following Saturday's First Division fixture, taking the place of Arthur Brown in the forward line, and scored the equaliser in a 2–2 draw at home to Woolwich Arsenal.[7][8] He did not take up his option to leave, and by the end of the 1908–09 season had taken his totals to 11 goals from 29 league matches.[1]

He then joined Brighton & Hove Albion on a free transfer. Despite a season disrupted by injury and a serious illness,[9][10] he was a regular in the team when available, and scored 8 goals from 21 appearances as the team won the 1909–10 Southern League title. He left Albion in May 1910[9] – the club retained his registration each season until the war[11] – to return to the north-east of England, where he spent a season with Hartlepools United of the North-Eastern League.[12]

References
  1. Joyce, Michael (2004). Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939. Nottingham: SoccerData. p. 87. ISBN 978-1-899468-67-6.
  2. "Player search". English National Football Archive. Retrieved 6 November 2018.
  3. "Durham Amateur Cup. Darlington St. Hilda's v. West Auckland". Durham County Advertiser. 13 March 1903. p. 6. Featherstone put in a brilliant run, and eluding all opposition landed the leather in the net quite out of Gate's reach.
    "Darlington St. Hilda's v. Stockton". Sheffield Daily Telegraph. 16 February 1903. pp. 8–9. Crossing over, ten minutes had gone when Featherstone scored a magnificent goal, and for a time Hilda's were all over their opponents
  4. Hunt, Brian (1989). Northern Goalfields. Official Centenary History of the Northern League 1889–1989. Skol Northern League Management Committee. pp. 65, 69–70. ISBN 0-9514597-1-6.
  5. Dale, D.; Livingstone, P. "Giants of the amateur game: Stockton Football Club". Communigate. This is the North East. Archived from the original on 15 May 2011.
  6. "New player for United". Sheffield Daily Telegraph. 27 February 1908. p. 11.
  7. "Sheffield teams for Saturday". Sheffield Daily Telegraph. 27 February 1908. p. 11.
  8. "A hard game in the mud". Sheffield Daily Telegraph. 2 March 1908. p. 3.
  9. Carder, Tim; Harris, Roger (1997). Albion A–Z: A Who's Who of Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. Hove: Goldstone Books. pp. 82–83. ISBN 978-0-9521337-1-1.
  10. "Brighton & Hove Albion v. Leyton". West Sussex County Times. 16 October 1909. p. 11. Unfortunately Featherstone was injured 10 minutes from the finish.
    "Featherstone seriously unwell". West Sussex Gazette. 10 March 1910. p. 3. Featherstone, who shone in the Brighton attack early in the season, is worse, and appendicitis is feared. He will certainly not be fit to take the field again this season.
  11. The Southern Football League Season book 1914–15, cited in "Registered players for Brighton and Hove Albion Football Club, season 1914–15". Play Up Liverpool. Kjell Hanssen. Retrieved 6 November 2018.
  12. "George Featherstone". PoolStats. Retrieved 5 November 2018.
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