George Paterson (footballer, born 1904)

George Birrell Gibb Paterson (29 June 1904 – 1949) was a Scottish footballer who played in the Football League for Stoke.[1]

George Paterson
Personal information
Full name George Birrell Gibb Paterson[1]
Date of birth 29 June 1904[1]
Place of birth Auchterderran, Scotland[1]
Date of death 1949 (aged 44–45)
Place of death Lochgelly, Scotland
Position(s) Centre forward
Youth career
Kelty Rangers
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1922–1923 Lochgelly United 9 (0)
1923–1924 Kelty Rangers
1924–1925 Lochgelly United 24 (22)
1925–1926 Stoke City 7 (4)
1926 Lochgelly United
1926–1929 East Fife 56 (20)
1928–1929 Rhyl Athletic
1929–1934 Dunfermline Athletic 158 (71)
1934–1935 Leith Athletic 7 (1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Career

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Born in Fife, Paterson played for local side Lochgelly United, then spent a year with junior club Kelty Rangers before returning to Lochgelly United,[1] where he was a prolific goalscorer in his second spell (albeit in the third tier of the Scottish Football League),[2] prompting English club Stoke City to sign him in 1925.[1] He made an impressive start, scoring a hat-trick on his debut in a 4–0 win against Middlesbrough.[1] After playing seven matches scoring four goals during the 1925–26 season,[3] Paterson become seriously homesick and returned to Lochgelly, who had by then dropped out of the SFL into the Scottish Alliance.

He later went on to play for East Fife (featuring on the losing side in the 1927 Scottish Cup Final), spent a season with Rhyl Athletic, then had a productive five seasons at Dunfermline Athletic which culminated in a promotion as runners-up in 1933–34 Scottish Division Two. Rather than going up to the top level for what would have been the first time in his career, he signed for Leith Athletic, but was released after six months.[2]

Career statistics

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Club Season League FA Cup Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Stoke City[1] 1925–26 Second Division 7 4 0 0 7 4
Career Total 7 4 0 0 7 4

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Matthews, Tony (1994). The Encyclopaedia of Stoke City. Lion Press. ISBN 0-9524151-0-0.
  2. ^ a b John Litster (October 2012). "A Record of pre-war Scottish League Players". Scottish Football Historian magazine. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  3. ^ Joyce, Michael: "The Football League player records 1888 to 1939" ISBN 1899468676