George Pilkington
Encyclopedia
George Edward Pilkington (born 7 November 1981) is an English
footballer who captains Conference National
club Luton Town
, playing as a defender
.
He started his career at Everton
1998, staying at the club for five years without ever making a first team appearance. In 2002 he enjoyed a short loan spell at Exeter City
. In 2003 he signed with Port Vale
, a club where he spent another five years; this time as a key member of the first team, he was made Player of the Year
in 2005–06
. After making around 250 appearances for the club, he moved on to Luton Town
. After a faulty start due to injuries he managed to become the rock in the Luton defence. He has been awarded the Player of the Season award at both Port Vale and Luton Town.
, Staffordshire
, Pilkington started his career as a trainee at Everton
's Finch Farm
, but did not make a first-team appearance for the club. He was sent on loan to Exeter City
in November 2002 and played in twelve games, including in the FA Cup
against Premier League side Charlton Athletic
, which Exeter lost 3–1. He was released by Everton at the end of the 2002–03 season.
Pilkington signed for Brian Horton
's Port Vale
in June 2003. He became one of the first names on the first eleven during his first season, making 49 appearances in the 2003–04 campaign. At the end of the season, he and fellow rising star Billy Paynter
signed long-term contracts at Vale Park
.
On 17 September 2004 he saw his first red card at Brentford
, during a 2–0 defeat. However he was generally productive again in 2004–05, as new manager Martin Foyle
selected Pilkington for 48 appearances over all competitions.
The 2005–06 saw Pilkington make 53 appearances, as he became an ever-presence in the league. On 29 April 2006 he scored twice in ten minutes to end his thirty month goal drought in a 3–1 victory over Chesterfield
. He signed a new two-year contract the following month, after which he was named club captain, following the departure of Tony Dinning
. Vale fans voted him Port Vale F.C. Player of the Year
.
The 2006–07 season was a 'topsy-turvy' campaign, as Pilkington captained his side to a mid-table finish, with a decent League Cup run to boast about – besting Championship
sides Preston North End
, Queens Park Rangers
and Norwich City
– before taking Premier League Tottenham Hotspur
to extra time. Once again he was an ever-present player, with 53 appearances to his name.
The 2007–08 was a disaster for the club and the player, as new manager Lee Sinnott
stripped Pilkington of the captain's armband, and led the club to relegation into League Two
. Despite this, Pilkington said he was keen to stay at the club, though it was soon decided that he would leave the club in the summer. He had made over 250 appearances for the club.
Pilkington joined Luton Town
on a free transfer in August 2008. A series of recurring injuries picked up throughout the season
limited Pilkington's playing chances, though he returned for the final run-in of games on 17 March 2009. Pilkington played in the Luton side that beat Scunthorpe United
3–2 in the Football League Trophy
final at Wembley Stadium
. However he suffered relegation for his second successive season, as Luton lost their Football League
status.
The next season
, in which Luton contested their football in the Conference National
, saw Pilkington play in every league game. He also scored his first goals for the club, accumulating six in total, and won four end-of-season awards, including Player of the Year and Players' Player of the Year. At the end of the season, Pilkington signed a two-year extension to his contract, keeping him at Luton until 2012, and was named as club captain for the 2010–11
season.
|2002–03||Exeter City
||Third Division
||7||0||4||0||0||0||12||0
|-
|2003–04
||Port Vale
||Second Division
||44||1||3||0||1||0||49||1
|-
|2004–05
||Port Vale
||League One
||43||0||2||0||1||0||48||0
|-
|2005–06
||Port Vale
||League One
||46||2||5||0||1||0||53||2
|-
|2006–07
||Port Vale
||League One
||46||6||1||0||4||0||53||6
|-
|2007–08
||Port Vale
||League One
||45||2||3||1||1||0||50||3
|-
|2008–09||Luton Town
||League Two
||18||0||1||0||2||0||22||0
|-
|2009–10||Luton Town
||Conference National
||46||6||6||0||0||0||53||6
|-
|2010–11
||Luton Town
||Conference National
||45||4||5||0||0||0||56||4
|-
|2011–12
||Luton Town
||Conference National
||9||0||1||0||0||0||10||0
|-
349||21||30||1||10||0||406||22
Notes:
Luton Town
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
footballer who captains Conference National
Conference National
Conference National is the top division of the Football Conference in England. It is the highest level of the National League System and fifth highest of the overall English football league system...
club Luton Town
Luton Town F.C.
Luton Town Football Club is an English professional football club based since 1905 at Kenilworth Road, Luton, Bedfordshire. The club currently competes in the fifth tier of English football, the Conference National, for the third consecutive season during the 2011–12 season.Formed in 1885, it was...
, playing as a defender
Defender (association football)
Within the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposition from attacking....
.
He started his career at Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
1998, staying at the club for five years without ever making a first team appearance. In 2002 he enjoyed a short loan spell at Exeter City
Exeter City F.C.
Exeter City Football Club is an English football club, based in Exeter, which is owned by its fans through the Exeter City Supporters Trust.The club was a member of the Football League from 1920 to 2003...
. In 2003 he signed with Port Vale
Port Vale F.C.
Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as...
, a club where he spent another five years; this time as a key member of the first team, he was made Player of the Year
Port Vale F.C. Player of the Year
The Port Vale Player of the Year award is voted for annually by Port Vale's supporters in recognition of the best overall performance by an individual player throughout the football season. Towards the end of each season, fans are invited to cast their votes for this award.The inaugural award was...
in 2005–06
2005–06 Port Vale F.C. season
The 2005–06 season was Port Vale's ninety-fourth season of football in the Football League, and second successive season in League One. They finished in mid-table, and exited the League Cup at the First Round and the League Trophy at the Second Round. In the FA Cup, Vale made it to the Fourth...
. After making around 250 appearances for the club, he moved on to Luton Town
Luton Town F.C.
Luton Town Football Club is an English professional football club based since 1905 at Kenilworth Road, Luton, Bedfordshire. The club currently competes in the fifth tier of English football, the Conference National, for the third consecutive season during the 2011–12 season.Formed in 1885, it was...
. After a faulty start due to injuries he managed to become the rock in the Luton defence. He has been awarded the Player of the Season award at both Port Vale and Luton Town.
Career
Born in RugeleyRugeley
Rugeley is a historic market town in the county of Staffordshire, England. It lies on the northern edge of Cannock Chase, and is situated roughly midway between the towns of Stafford, Cannock, Lichfield and Uttoxeter...
, Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
, Pilkington started his career as a trainee at Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
's Finch Farm
Finch Farm
Finch Farm is the training ground for Everton F.C., in the Liverpool suburb of Halewood.The School of Science is the nickname given to the complex by some supporters, referring to a long-standing nickname for the club. The training ground houses both the Everton first team and the youth academy...
, but did not make a first-team appearance for the club. He was sent on loan to Exeter City
Exeter City F.C.
Exeter City Football Club is an English football club, based in Exeter, which is owned by its fans through the Exeter City Supporters Trust.The club was a member of the Football League from 1920 to 2003...
in November 2002 and played in twelve games, including in the FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
against Premier League side Charlton Athletic
Charlton Athletic F.C.
Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, in the London Borough of Greenwich. They compete in Football League One, the third tier of English football. The club was founded on 9 June 1905, when a number of youth clubs in the southeast London area,...
, which Exeter lost 3–1. He was released by Everton at the end of the 2002–03 season.
Pilkington signed for Brian Horton
Brian Horton
Brian Horton is an English former footballer and manager, who is working as Phil Brown's assistant at Preston North End.Horton played for Hednesford Town, Port Vale, Brighton & Hove Albion, Luton Town and Hull City as a midfielder...
's Port Vale
Port Vale F.C.
Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as...
in June 2003. He became one of the first names on the first eleven during his first season, making 49 appearances in the 2003–04 campaign. At the end of the season, he and fellow rising star Billy Paynter
Billy Paynter
William Paul "Billy" Paynter is a professional footballer who plays for Brighton & Hove Albion on loan from Leeds United in the Football League Championship as a striker....
signed long-term contracts at Vale Park
Vale Park
Vale Park is a football stadium in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, England. It is the home ground of Port Vale F.C., who have played at the ground since 1950....
.
On 17 September 2004 he saw his first red card at Brentford
Brentford F.C.
Brentford Football Club are a professional English football club based in Brentford in the London Borough of Hounslow. They are currently playing in Football League One....
, during a 2–0 defeat. However he was generally productive again in 2004–05, as new manager Martin Foyle
Martin Foyle
Martin John Foyle is an English former footballer, turned football manager. In his 20 year playing career he played 533 League games, scoring 155 goals...
selected Pilkington for 48 appearances over all competitions.
The 2005–06 saw Pilkington make 53 appearances, as he became an ever-presence in the league. On 29 April 2006 he scored twice in ten minutes to end his thirty month goal drought in a 3–1 victory over Chesterfield
Chesterfield F.C.
Chesterfield Football Club is an English football club based in Chesterfield, Derbyshire. The club currently plays in Football League One, the third tier of English football. Despite being the fourth oldest Football League club in England, they have spent most of their existence in the lower...
. He signed a new two-year contract the following month, after which he was named club captain, following the departure of Tony Dinning
Tony Dinning
Anthony "Tony" Dinning is an English former football midfielder. He spent sixteen years of an eighteen year career in the Football League, making 515 appearances in league and cup....
. Vale fans voted him Port Vale F.C. Player of the Year
Port Vale F.C. Player of the Year
The Port Vale Player of the Year award is voted for annually by Port Vale's supporters in recognition of the best overall performance by an individual player throughout the football season. Towards the end of each season, fans are invited to cast their votes for this award.The inaugural award was...
.
The 2006–07 season was a 'topsy-turvy' campaign, as Pilkington captained his side to a mid-table finish, with a decent League Cup run to boast about – besting Championship
Football League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
sides Preston North End
Preston North End F.C.
Preston North End Football Club is an English professional football club located in the Deepdale area of the city of Preston, Lancashire, currently playing in the third tier of English league football, League One...
, Queens Park Rangers
Queens Park Rangers F.C.
Queens Park Rangers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in White City, Hammersmith and Fulham, west London. As the 2010-11 Football League Championship champions, they now play in the top tier of English football the Premier League, for the first time in 15 years...
and Norwich City
Norwich City F.C.
Norwich City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. As of the 2011–12 season, Norwich City are again playing in the Premier League after a six-year absence, having finished as runner up in the Championship in 2010–11 and winning automatic promotion.The...
– before taking Premier League Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
to extra time. Once again he was an ever-present player, with 53 appearances to his name.
The 2007–08 was a disaster for the club and the player, as new manager Lee Sinnott
Lee Sinnott
Lee Sinnott is an English former professional footballer turned football manager, who is in charge at Conference North side Altrincham....
stripped Pilkington of the captain's armband, and led the club to relegation into League Two
Football League Two
Football League Two is the third-highest division of The Football League and fourth-highest division overall in the English football league system....
. Despite this, Pilkington said he was keen to stay at the club, though it was soon decided that he would leave the club in the summer. He had made over 250 appearances for the club.
Pilkington joined Luton Town
Luton Town F.C.
Luton Town Football Club is an English professional football club based since 1905 at Kenilworth Road, Luton, Bedfordshire. The club currently competes in the fifth tier of English football, the Conference National, for the third consecutive season during the 2011–12 season.Formed in 1885, it was...
on a free transfer in August 2008. A series of recurring injuries picked up throughout the season
2008–09 in English football
The 2008–09 season was the 129th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:* West Bromwich Albion, Stoke City and Hull City were all playing in the Premier League after winning promotion from the Championship last season. Stoke returned to the top flight after a 23-year absence, while...
limited Pilkington's playing chances, though he returned for the final run-in of games on 17 March 2009. Pilkington played in the Luton side that beat Scunthorpe United
Scunthorpe United F.C.
Scunthorpe United Football Club is an English association football team based in the town of Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire, who play in the Football League One....
3–2 in the Football League Trophy
Football League Trophy
The Football League Trophy, currently known as the Johnstone's Paint Trophy for sponsorship reasons, is an annual English association football knock-out competition open to the 48 clubs in Football League One and Football League Two, the bottom two divisions in the four fully professional top...
final at Wembley Stadium
Wembley Stadium
The original Wembley Stadium, officially known as the Empire Stadium, was a football stadium in Wembley, a suburb of north-west London, standing on the site now occupied by the new Wembley Stadium that opened in 2007...
. However he suffered relegation for his second successive season, as Luton lost their Football League
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
status.
The next season
2009–10 in English football
The 2009–10 season was the 130th season of competitive football in England.The season began on 8 August 2009 for the Championship, League One and League Two and 15 August 2009 for the Premier League...
, in which Luton contested their football in the Conference National
Conference National
Conference National is the top division of the Football Conference in England. It is the highest level of the National League System and fifth highest of the overall English football league system...
, saw Pilkington play in every league game. He also scored his first goals for the club, accumulating six in total, and won four end-of-season awards, including Player of the Year and Players' Player of the Year. At the end of the season, Pilkington signed a two-year extension to his contract, keeping him at Luton until 2012, and was named as club captain for the 2010–11
2010–11 in English football
The 2010–11 season was the 131st season of competitive football in England.The season began on 6 August 2010 for the Football Leagues, with the Premier League and Football Conference both starting eight days later on 14 August 2010. The Championship, League One, and League Two ended on 7 May...
season.
Statistics
|-|2002–03||Exeter City
Exeter City F.C.
Exeter City Football Club is an English football club, based in Exeter, which is owned by its fans through the Exeter City Supporters Trust.The club was a member of the Football League from 1920 to 2003...
||Third Division
Football League Third Division
The Football League Third Division was the 3 tier of English Football from 1920 until 1992 when after the formation of the Football Association Premier League saw the league renamed The Football League Division Two...
||7||0||4||0||0||0||12||0
|-
|2003–04
2003–04 Port Vale F.C. season
The 2003–04 season was Port Vale's ninety-second season of football in the Football League, and fourth successive season in the Second Division. Brian Horton resigned in February, and was replaced by Martin Foyle. Vale fought for promotion, but finished outside the play-off zone on goal difference...
||Port Vale
Port Vale F.C.
Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as...
||Second Division
Football League Second Division
From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
||44||1||3||0||1||0||49||1
|-
|2004–05
2004–05 Port Vale F.C. season
The 2004–05 season was Port Vale's ninety-third season of football in the Football League, and first in the newly created League One. Martin Foyle's first full season in charge, Vale survived a relegation dogfight to finish in eighteenth place...
||Port Vale
Port Vale F.C.
Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as...
||League One
Football League One
Football League One is the second-highest division of The Football League and third-highest division overall in the English football league system....
||43||0||2||0||1||0||48||0
|-
|2005–06
2005–06 Port Vale F.C. season
The 2005–06 season was Port Vale's ninety-fourth season of football in the Football League, and second successive season in League One. They finished in mid-table, and exited the League Cup at the First Round and the League Trophy at the Second Round. In the FA Cup, Vale made it to the Fourth...
||Port Vale
Port Vale F.C.
Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as...
||League One
Football League One
Football League One is the second-highest division of The Football League and third-highest division overall in the English football league system....
||46||2||5||0||1||0||53||2
|-
|2006–07
2006–07 Port Vale F.C. season
The 2006–07 season was Port Vale's ninety-fifth season of football in the Football League, and third successive season in League One. Martin Foyle's side again finished in mid-table, whilst exiting the FA Cup and the League Trophy at the Second Round...
||Port Vale
Port Vale F.C.
Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as...
||League One
Football League One
Football League One is the second-highest division of The Football League and third-highest division overall in the English football league system....
||46||6||1||0||4||0||53||6
|-
|2007–08
2007–08 Port Vale F.C. season
The 2007–08 season was Port Vale's ninety-sixth season of football in the Football League, and fourth successive season in League One. Vale finished second-from-bottom, and were relegated, some twelve points from safety. Manager Martin Foyle left the club in September, and Lee Sinnott failed to...
||Port Vale
Port Vale F.C.
Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as...
||League One
Football League One
Football League One is the second-highest division of The Football League and third-highest division overall in the English football league system....
||45||2||3||1||1||0||50||3
|-
|2008–09||Luton Town
Luton Town F.C.
Luton Town Football Club is an English professional football club based since 1905 at Kenilworth Road, Luton, Bedfordshire. The club currently competes in the fifth tier of English football, the Conference National, for the third consecutive season during the 2011–12 season.Formed in 1885, it was...
||League Two
Football League Two
Football League Two is the third-highest division of The Football League and fourth-highest division overall in the English football league system....
||18||0||1||0||2||0||22||0
|-
|2009–10||Luton Town
Luton Town F.C.
Luton Town Football Club is an English professional football club based since 1905 at Kenilworth Road, Luton, Bedfordshire. The club currently competes in the fifth tier of English football, the Conference National, for the third consecutive season during the 2011–12 season.Formed in 1885, it was...
||Conference National
Conference National
Conference National is the top division of the Football Conference in England. It is the highest level of the National League System and fifth highest of the overall English football league system...
||46||6||6||0||0||0||53||6
|-
|2010–11
2010–11 Luton Town F.C. season
The 2010–11 season was the 125th season in the history of Luton Town Football Club.The club finished the season in 3rd place, 21 points behind runaway league winners Crawley Town and 6 points behind second placed AFC Wimbledon. This meant Luton would contest promotion to The Football League...
||Luton Town
Luton Town F.C.
Luton Town Football Club is an English professional football club based since 1905 at Kenilworth Road, Luton, Bedfordshire. The club currently competes in the fifth tier of English football, the Conference National, for the third consecutive season during the 2011–12 season.Formed in 1885, it was...
||Conference National
Conference National
Conference National is the top division of the Football Conference in England. It is the highest level of the National League System and fifth highest of the overall English football league system...
||45||4||5||0||0||0||56||4
|-
|2011–12
2011–12 Luton Town F.C. season
The 2011–12 season is the 126th season in the history of Luton Town Football Club. Their third-place finish and subsequent penalty shoot-out loss to AFC Wimbledon in the Conference National play-off final in 2010–11 means they will be competing in non-league football for the third consecutive...
||Luton Town
Luton Town F.C.
Luton Town Football Club is an English professional football club based since 1905 at Kenilworth Road, Luton, Bedfordshire. The club currently competes in the fifth tier of English football, the Conference National, for the third consecutive season during the 2011–12 season.Formed in 1885, it was...
||Conference National
Conference National
Conference National is the top division of the Football Conference in England. It is the highest level of the National League System and fifth highest of the overall English football league system...
||9||0||1||0||0||0||10||0
|-
349||21||30||1||10||0||406||22
Notes:
- Football League TrophyFootball League TrophyThe Football League Trophy, currently known as the Johnstone's Paint Trophy for sponsorship reasons, is an annual English association football knock-out competition open to the 48 clubs in Football League One and Football League Two, the bottom two divisions in the four fully professional top...
and FA TrophyFA TrophyThe Football Association Challenge Trophy, commonly known as the FA Trophy, is a knockout cup competition in English football, run by and named after The Football Association and competed for primarily by semi-professional teams...
results included in totals. - Play-off results included in totals.
Honours
Individual- Port Vale F.C. Player of the YearPort Vale F.C. Player of the YearThe Port Vale Player of the Year award is voted for annually by Port Vale's supporters in recognition of the best overall performance by an individual player throughout the football season. Towards the end of each season, fans are invited to cast their votes for this award.The inaugural award was...
: 2005–062005–06 Port Vale F.C. seasonThe 2005–06 season was Port Vale's ninety-fourth season of football in the Football League, and second successive season in League One. They finished in mid-table, and exited the League Cup at the First Round and the League Trophy at the Second Round. In the FA Cup, Vale made it to the Fourth... - Conference NationalConference NationalConference National is the top division of the Football Conference in England. It is the highest level of the National League System and fifth highest of the overall English football league system...
player of the month: August 2009 - Luton TownLuton Town F.C.Luton Town Football Club is an English professional football club based since 1905 at Kenilworth Road, Luton, Bedfordshire. The club currently competes in the fifth tier of English football, the Conference National, for the third consecutive season during the 2011–12 season.Formed in 1885, it was...
Player of the Year: 2009–102009–10 in English footballThe 2009–10 season was the 130th season of competitive football in England.The season began on 8 August 2009 for the Championship, League One and League Two and 15 August 2009 for the Premier League...
Luton Town
Luton Town F.C.
Luton Town Football Club is an English professional football club based since 1905 at Kenilworth Road, Luton, Bedfordshire. The club currently competes in the fifth tier of English football, the Conference National, for the third consecutive season during the 2011–12 season.Formed in 1885, it was...
- Football League TrophyFootball League TrophyThe Football League Trophy, currently known as the Johnstone's Paint Trophy for sponsorship reasons, is an annual English association football knock-out competition open to the 48 clubs in Football League One and Football League Two, the bottom two divisions in the four fully professional top...
winner: 20092009 Football League Trophy FinalThe 2009 Football League Trophy Final was the 26th final of the domestic football cup competition for teams from Football Leagues One and Two, the Football League Trophy. The final was played at Wembley Stadium in London on 5 April 2009, the second time that the final had been staged at the stadium...
External links
- Profile at Luton Town's official site