George Camsell
 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | George Henry Camsell | ||
| Date of birth | 27 November 1902 | ||
| Place of birth | Framwellgate Moor, England | ||
| Date of death | 7 March 1966 (aged 63) | ||
| Place of death | England | ||
| Playing position | Striker | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| Esh Winning | ? | (?) | |
| Tow Law Town | ? | (?) | |
| 1924–1925 | Durham City | 21 | (20) |
| 1925–1939 | Middlesbrough | 418 | (325) |
| National team | |||
| 1929–1936 | England | 9 | (18) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. | |||
George Henry Camsell (27 November 1902 – 7 March 1966) was an English footballerwho scored 325 goals in 419 games for Middlesbrough, and 18 goals in 9 appearances for England. His 59 goals in one season (1926–27) for Middlesbrough was a Football League record at the time, and has only ever be bettered within the English game by Dixie Dean of Everton in 1927-28.[1] He also holds the highest goals-to-games ratio for England of anyone who has played more than a single international.
Career
Club career
Born in Framwellgate Moor, Durham City in 1902, Camsell worked as a miner and played for Durham City.[2] He caught the attention of Middlesbrough after scoring 21 goals in 20 games in a season and signed for Middlesbrough on 6 October 1925 for the sum of £500.[2] His début was against Nottingham Forest on 31 October 1925.[2] Between 1925 and 1939, Camsell scored 345 goals in 453 games for Middlesbrough, including 325 league goals, (the fifth-highest English total of all-time).[2]
The Middlesbrough club record of 59 league goals in 37 games and 63 goals in all competitions in one season is held by him.[2] He accomplished this feat in the 1926–27 season.[2] This remains the second-highest number of league goals scored and the equal highest number in all competitions in one English league season, behind Dixie Dean's 60 league and 100 total a year later.[2] His goals included 24 hat-tricks for the club.[2]
He played his last League game for Middlesbrough against Leicester City at Ayresome Park on 10 April 1939, in a 3–2 victory. Camsell scored the opening goal.[2]
International career
Camsell also won nine caps for England, scoring 18 goals. This is the highest goals-to-games ratio of anyone who has played more than a single international.[2] His goals included a hat-trick in a 6–0 win against Wales on 20 November 1929 in the 1930 British Home Championship and four goals in a match against Belgium on 11 May 1929. He scored in every match he played for England; his nine consecutive scoring appearances are second only to Steve Bloomer.[2]
Coaching career
During the Second World War, Camsell worked in local factories.[2] After the War, he worked for Middlesbrough's backroom staff, firstly as a scout, where he discovered a young Brian Clough.[2] He then became a coach and eventually the club's assistant secretary.[2]
Death and legacy
Camsell retired in 1963 and died in 1966, aged 63, shortly before that year's World Cup.[2] A suite at Middlesbrough's Riverside Stadium is named after him and in 2015, calls began for a statue of Camsell to be placed outside the stadium, joining those of George Hardwick and Wilf Mannion.[2] A club spokesman said that such an honour could not be ruled out, adding: "As a club we honour and respect our former heroes and George Camsell is certainly one of those."[2]
References
- Joyce, Michael (2004). Football League Players' Records 1888–1939. Nottingham: Soccerdata. p. 47. ISBN 1-899468-67-6.
- Profile on www.englandfc.com
- Profile on www.englandstats.com