Hunter George Image 1 Aston Villa 1910

Description

Peshawar, India born (he was born just 10 miles from the Khyber Pass) left half George Hunter began playing football while serving in the British Army. Hunter joined the Royal West Kent Regiment in December 1903, rising through the ranks to lance corporal by February 1906. He served in Malta, but was found guilty of theft and receiving stolen goods by court martial in December 1906 and served 140 days hard labour before being discharged in May 1907.

On his return to England he joined Maidstone United before a move to Southern League Croydon Common, where he scored once in 14 appearances during 1907-08 before being signed by First Division Aston Villa in March 1908, making his Football League debut at Nottingham Forest that September. He broke into the Aston Villa first team on a regular basis from that Christmas, and the following season he played 35 matches during the campaign as Aston Villa won the League Championship in 1910, as well as another 35 games in 1910-11 as they finished runners up in their title defence. He also played in their defeat to Southern League Brighton & Hove Albion in their FA Charity Shield match at Stamford Bridge in September 1910.

While with Aston Villa he twice played for The Football League, making his representative debut against The Southern League in a 2-1 win at Stoke in October 1911 and playing a week later in a 4-0 win over The Irish League at Goodison Park. After a single goal in 98 appearances for Aston Villa he was sold to First Division Oldham Athletic in January 1912, scoring once in 46 appearances for The Latics before being sold to Chelsea just over a year later in March 1913.

He scored twice for Chelsea in 32 appearances before he was sold to Manchester United in March 1914, and he captained the club during the 1914-15 season and stayed at Old Trafford until January 1915, when his contract was cancelled due to a training ground incident after 2 goals in 23 appearances.

Over a year after the outbreak of the First World War, Hunter enlisted in the Royal Sussex Regiment in September 1915 and served in the 10th (Reserve) Battalion until June 1916. He was sent to France to join the 9th (Service) Battalion in August 1916, but bouts of dysentery saw him posted back to Britain as a fitness instructor. He was demobbed after the Armistice in November 1918. He played a considerable amount of football as a guest player for Croydon Common (playing in their last game before their disbandment), Southampton, Brentford and Birmingham during the First World War and finished his career with Portsmouth of the Southern League, making 8 appearances for Pompey in August and September 1919 before retiring from football.