Toone George Image 1 Watford 1921

Description

Nottingham born wing half George Toone started his football career with junior club Northvale in 1909 playing for Sneinton Institute in 1910 and Sherwood Rangers in 1911. He joined Second Division hometown club Notts County in 1913 making his Football League debut and solo Magpies appearance at Clapton Orient that October, before joining non league Mansfield Mechanics in 1914.

After the First World War he joined Southern League Watford in July 1919, playing five seasons for The Hornets and making 190 appearances for them, of which all but 13 were after they entered The Football League in 1920. He played in their inaugural League fixture at Queen’s Park Rangers in August 1920. A prodigious worker who was quick to spot danger, George Toone was a half back whose strengths were defensive ones, as borne out by his goals tally. His consistency and fitness were such that he played in every one of Watford’s first 159 Football League games, being ever present in 1920-21, 1921-22 and 1922-23.

He joined Sheffield Wednesday in August 1924 in exchange for George Prior and £240. He was at Hillsborough with former team mates Billy Chapman and Jimmy Trotter after leaving Vicarage Road. A first‐team run of 21 appearances in Sheffield Wednesday’s 1924-25 Second Division team was followed by three seasons without a Football League appearance, and after being released by Wednesday he played for Ilkeston United in 1925 and later advertised his availability in The Athletic News in August 1928. Scarborough Penguins snapped him up in October 1928.

His father, also George Toone, played for Notts County winning the FA Cup in 1894 and twice kept goal for England in 1892.