George Utley
Encyclopedia
George Utley was an English footballer who played for Barnsley
, Sheffield United
and England
. He was strong and powerful half back who could shoot at goal when required.
George Utley was born in Reform Row, Elsecar, which lies south of Barnsley
. He was the 10th and final child of James and Mary Utley. His father was an engine tender at a colliery and his brothers worked in the local coal mines and foundries.
but by 1907 he had signed with Barnsley. During his time with Barnsley the club made it to two FA Cup Final
s. The first was in 1910, when they were beaten by Newcastle United
2-0 in a reply after a one all draw, and the second was in 1912, when Barnsley managed to defeat West Bromwich Albion
by one goal in the replay after the first game ended in a goalless draw.
He made a total of 170 league
appearances, with 8 goals for Barnsley.
In season 1913-14
, Sheffield United were looking for a replacement for Ernest Needham
who had been a leader in the midfield
of the team. The Football Committee who ran Sheffield United at the time were looking for a player with outstanding football ability, and someone to captain the team. Following a letter of recommendation from United player Billy Gillespie
the man they targeted was George Utley.
The committee were not unanimous about signing the highly rated Utley, who they feared would be fetch a large fee. Bolton Wanderers
had offered £1,500 and it had been rejected by Barnsley. The Blades
offered more and were also turned down. United increased their offer to £2,000 and this was accepted, making him the most expensive player in Britain at the time. Utley signed a long contract with United, and became the captain and the leader of the team through the ensuing years.
He made his debut for Sheffield United against Manchester United
at Bramall Lane
on 22 November 1913; in a match the Blades won 2-0.
In the 1914-15 season
, Sheffield United progressed through the rounds of the FA Cup, this improvement in United's Cup performance when compared to the previous seasons was credited to Utley. In the Semi-Final they beat Bolton Wanderers 2-1 on 27 March 1915. It included a goal by Utley, which was described as ‘the best of his career’ as he dribbled the ball from the half-way line to score for United in front of 22,500 fans. Utley made it to a third FA Cup Final in 1915, when Sheffield United defeated Chelsea
3-0 on 24 April 1915. Utley, as captain, worked hard and decisively throughout the game, breaking up many Chelsea attacks and provided many passes to the Sheffield forwards.
He left Bramall Lane in 1922, transferring to Manchester City
but retired within twelve months of the move.
before moving to Sheffield Wednesday
in May 1924 to the position of coach. He then moved on to become a trainer at Fulham
in July 1925, a position he remained in until 1927.
. England were defeated 2-1, Ireland's first victory over England; He was not selected to play for England again. This remains the only full international appearance by a Barnsley player.
Utley challenged this in 1920 and was granted a benefit match against the then mighty Sunderland after only being at the club for four years, eventually receiving around £1,000. The board had been willing to make an exception for Utley, citing his importance to the team and wishing to ensure he stayed with the club.
This extraordinary move by the club caused unrest in the dressing room and nine of the first team signed a letter to the United directors, written by Billy Gillespie
, complaining that this preferential treatment was unfair. The game went ahead a few days later without Utley although ironically Billy Gillespie scored twice in a 3-1 win in front of over 36,000 spectators. Utley stayed at Bramall Lane for another two years.
The Football League discovered the unrest this benefit had caused at the club and changed the rules governing such matches. They stipulated that testimonials could only be played after an agreed period of time stated within a players contract when agreed or upon their career being unexpectedly cut short. This ruling remains to this day.
coach at Rossall School
from 1911 until 1931 and from 1929 until 1931 he also worked as assistant groundsman.
Regarded as astute in financial matters, Utley married into a wealthy family following the death of his first wife. Having no children from either marriage he returned his second wife's money to her family upon her death claiming he had enough to keep him. Living in a large house he kept two housekeepers to whom he bequeathed a home on the estate for peppercorn rent upon his death.
During the later part of his football career he authored articles for boys magazines including:
George Utley died in January 1966.
Barnsley
Barnsley F.C.
Barnsley Football Club are a professional English football club based in the town of Barnsley, South Yorkshire. Nicknamed the Tykes, they were founded in 1887 under the name Barnsley St. Peter's...
, Sheffield United
Sheffield United F.C.
Sheffield United Football Club is a professional English football club based in the city of Sheffield, South Yorkshire.They were the first sporting team to use the name 'United' and are nicknamed 'The Blades', thanks to Sheffield's worldwide reputation for steel production...
and England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
. He was strong and powerful half back who could shoot at goal when required.
George Utley was born in Reform Row, Elsecar, which lies south of Barnsley
Barnsley
Barnsley is a town in South Yorkshire, England. It lies on the River Dearne, north of the city of Sheffield, south of Leeds and west of Doncaster. Barnsley is surrounded by several smaller settlements which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley, of which Barnsley is the largest and...
. He was the 10th and final child of James and Mary Utley. His father was an engine tender at a colliery and his brothers worked in the local coal mines and foundries.
Barnsley
On leaving school he became a joinerJoiner
A joiner differs from a carpenter in that joiners cut and fit joints in wood that do not use nails. Joiners usually work in a workshop since the formation of various joints generally requires non-portable machinery. A carpenter normally works on site...
but by 1907 he had signed with Barnsley. During his time with Barnsley the club made it to two FA Cup Final
FA Cup Final
The FA Cup Final, commonly referred to in England as just the Cup Final, is the last match in the Football Association Challenge Cup. With an official attendance of 89,826 at the 2007 FA Cup Final, it is the fourth best attended domestic club championship event in the world and the second most...
s. The first was in 1910, when they were beaten by Newcastle United
Newcastle United F.C.
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...
2-0 in a reply after a one all draw, and the second was in 1912, when Barnsley managed to defeat West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion F.C.
West Bromwich Albion Football Club, also known as West Brom, The Baggies, The Throstles, Albion or WBA, are an English Premier League association football club based in West Bromwich in the West Midlands...
by one goal in the replay after the first game ended in a goalless draw.
He made a total of 170 league
English football league system
The English football league system, also known as the football pyramid, is a series of interconnected leagues for association football clubs in England, with six teams from Wales also competing...
appearances, with 8 goals for Barnsley.
In season 1913-14
1913-14 in English football
The 1913–14 season was the 43rd season of competitive football in England.-Honours:Notes = Number in parentheses is the times that club has won that honour. * indicates new record for competition-First Division:-Second Division:...
, Sheffield United were looking for a replacement for Ernest Needham
Ernest Needham
Ernest 'Nudger' Needham was an English footballer and cricketer. He played football 14 times for England and captained the side in 1901....
who had been a leader in the midfield
Midfielder
A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...
of the team. The Football Committee who ran Sheffield United at the time were looking for a player with outstanding football ability, and someone to captain the team. Following a letter of recommendation from United player Billy Gillespie
Billy Gillespie
Billy Gillespie was a football player for Sheffield United over a twenty year period from 1913 to 1932, scoring over 137 League and Cup goals in 492 games for the South Yorkshire side....
the man they targeted was George Utley.
Sheffield United
Bolton Wanderers F.C.
Bolton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the area of Horwich in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester. They began their current spell in the Premier League in 2001....
had offered £1,500 and it had been rejected by Barnsley. The Blades
Sheffield United F.C.
Sheffield United Football Club is a professional English football club based in the city of Sheffield, South Yorkshire.They were the first sporting team to use the name 'United' and are nicknamed 'The Blades', thanks to Sheffield's worldwide reputation for steel production...
offered more and were also turned down. United increased their offer to £2,000 and this was accepted, making him the most expensive player in Britain at the time. Utley signed a long contract with United, and became the captain and the leader of the team through the ensuing years.
He made his debut for Sheffield United against Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
at Bramall Lane
Bramall Lane
-Cricket at the Lane:Bramall Lane opened as a cricket ground in 1855, having been leased by Michael Ellison from the Duke of Norfolk at an annual rent of £70. The site was then away from the town's industrial area, and relatively free from smoke. It was built to host the matches of local cricket...
on 22 November 1913; in a match the Blades won 2-0.
In the 1914-15 season
1914-15 in English football
The 1914–15 season was the 44th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:The 1914 Charity Shield was not contested due to suspension of football during World War I-Events:...
, Sheffield United progressed through the rounds of the FA Cup, this improvement in United's Cup performance when compared to the previous seasons was credited to Utley. In the Semi-Final they beat Bolton Wanderers 2-1 on 27 March 1915. It included a goal by Utley, which was described as ‘the best of his career’ as he dribbled the ball from the half-way line to score for United in front of 22,500 fans. Utley made it to a third FA Cup Final in 1915, when Sheffield United defeated Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
3-0 on 24 April 1915. Utley, as captain, worked hard and decisively throughout the game, breaking up many Chelsea attacks and provided many passes to the Sheffield forwards.
He left Bramall Lane in 1922, transferring to Manchester City
Manchester City F.C.
Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...
but retired within twelve months of the move.
Coaching
After leaving Manchester City, Utley went on to hold the position of trainer at Bristol CityBristol City F.C.
Bristol City Football Club is one of two football league clubs in Bristol, England . They play at Ashton Gate, located in the south-west of the City...
before moving to Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday F.C.
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club are a football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, who are currently competing in the Football League One in the 2011-12 season, in England. Sheffield Wednesday are one of the oldest professional clubs in the world and the fourth oldest in the...
in May 1924 to the position of coach. He then moved on to become a trainer at Fulham
Fulham F.C.
Fulham Football Club is a professional English Premier League club based in southwest London Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Founded in 1879, they play in the Premier League, their 11th current season...
in July 1925, a position he remained in until 1927.
International career
In February 1913, while still with Barnsley, Utley was selected to play for England against IrelandIreland national football team (IFA)
The Ireland national football team represented Ireland at association football, it was organised by the Irish FA , and is the fourth oldest international team in the world. It mainly played in the British Home Championship against England, Scotland and Wales...
. England were defeated 2-1, Ireland's first victory over England; He was not selected to play for England again. This remains the only full international appearance by a Barnsley player.
Football Legacy
It could be argued that Utley's greatest impact on the game of football in England was that regarding the award of testimonial and benefit games. Usually players were awarded a benefit game for long service and allowed to choose a match, excluding derby games and large visiting clubs, from which to receive the gate receipts as recognition of their services.Utley challenged this in 1920 and was granted a benefit match against the then mighty Sunderland after only being at the club for four years, eventually receiving around £1,000. The board had been willing to make an exception for Utley, citing his importance to the team and wishing to ensure he stayed with the club.
This extraordinary move by the club caused unrest in the dressing room and nine of the first team signed a letter to the United directors, written by Billy Gillespie
Billy Gillespie
Billy Gillespie was a football player for Sheffield United over a twenty year period from 1913 to 1932, scoring over 137 League and Cup goals in 492 games for the South Yorkshire side....
, complaining that this preferential treatment was unfair. The game went ahead a few days later without Utley although ironically Billy Gillespie scored twice in a 3-1 win in front of over 36,000 spectators. Utley stayed at Bramall Lane for another two years.
The Football League discovered the unrest this benefit had caused at the club and changed the rules governing such matches. They stipulated that testimonials could only be played after an agreed period of time stated within a players contract when agreed or upon their career being unexpectedly cut short. This ruling remains to this day.
Life outside football
George Utley worked as an assistant cricketCricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
coach at Rossall School
Rossall School
Rossall School is a British, co-educational, independent school, between Cleveleys and Fleetwood, Lancashire. Rossall was founded in 1844 by St. Vincent Beechey as a sister school to Marlborough College which had been founded the previous year...
from 1911 until 1931 and from 1929 until 1931 he also worked as assistant groundsman.
Regarded as astute in financial matters, Utley married into a wealthy family following the death of his first wife. Having no children from either marriage he returned his second wife's money to her family upon her death claiming he had enough to keep him. Living in a large house he kept two housekeepers to whom he bequeathed a home on the estate for peppercorn rent upon his death.
During the later part of his football career he authored articles for boys magazines including:
- Football by Prominent Players: "Captaining the Cup-Winners", The Boys’ Friend Feb, 14 1920
- "The Complete Half-Back", The Boys’ Realm, Mar 20 1920
George Utley died in January 1966.
Honours
Sheffield UnitedSheffield United F.C.
Sheffield United Football Club is a professional English football club based in the city of Sheffield, South Yorkshire.They were the first sporting team to use the name 'United' and are nicknamed 'The Blades', thanks to Sheffield's worldwide reputation for steel production...
- FA CupFA CupThe 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...
: Winners 19151915 FA Cup FinalThe 1915 FA Cup Final took place on 24 April 1915 and was contested by Sheffield United and Chelsea. It was the last FA Cup final to be staged before competitive football was abandoned in Britain because of the First World War...
Barnsley
Barnsley F.C.
Barnsley Football Club are a professional English football club based in the town of Barnsley, South Yorkshire. Nicknamed the Tykes, they were founded in 1887 under the name Barnsley St. Peter's...
- FA CupFA CupThe 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...
: Winners 19121912 FA Cup FinalThe 1912 FA Cup Final was the 41st FA Cup final. It was contested by Barnsley and West Bromwich Albion. It took two matches to determine a winner... - FA CupFA CupThe 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...
: Runners Up 19101910 FA Cup FinalThe 1910 FA Cup Final was the 39th FA Cup final. It was contested by Barnsley and Newcastle United. It took two matches to determine a winner. The first took place at Crystal Palace in south London on 23 April 1910 and the second on 28 April at Goodison Park in Liverpool.-Barnsley:Home teams listed...
Barnsley
| Season | Division | League Apps | League Goals | FA Cup Apps | FA Cup Goals | Total Apps | Total Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1908–09 | Division Two | 15 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 1 |
| 1909–10 | Division Two | 35 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 44 | 1 |
| 1910–11 | Division Two | 38 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 40 | 1 |
| 1911–12 | Division Two | 34 | 4 | 12 | 0 | 46 | 4 |
| 1912–13 | Division Two | 36 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 39 | 1 |
| 1913–14 | Division Two | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 1 |
| Total | 170 | 8 | 26 | 1 | 196 | 9 | |
Sheffield United
| Season | Division | League Apps | League Goals | FA Cup Apps | FA Cup Goals | Total Apps | Total Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1913–14 | Division One | 23 | 1 | 7 | 4 | 30 | 5 |
| 1914–15 | Division One | 30 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 37 | 2 |
| 1919–20 | Division One | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 0 |
| 1920–21 | Division One | 23 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 2 |
| 1921–22 | Division One | 15 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 16 | 0 |
| Total | 103 | 4 | 15 | 5 | 118 | 9 | |