Chapman George Image 1 Glasgow Rangers 1910

Description

Broxburn, Lothian born centre half and centre forward George Chapman began his football career with Edinburgh Myrtle, from where he joined Heart of Midlothian in 1905, making his Scottish League debut at Greenock Morton in December 1905, playing left half alongside the legendary Charlie Thomson. However his opportunities were very limited at Tynecastle and after just 5 appearances for The Jambos he left for Raith Rovers in the 1907 close season, where his form attracted the attention of First Division Blackburn Rovers, who signed him in the summer of 1908. He made his Football League debut against Bristol City that September and missed only two matches in his debut season, playing centre half as Rovers finished fourth in the League Championship, and they improved in 1909-10, finishing third, with Chapman again a regular in their line up.

However after 7 goals in 73 appearances for Rovers he returned to Scotland to join Glasgow Rangers in the summer of 1910, where he scored 4 goals in 34 appearances, winning the Scottish League Championship with Rangers in 1910-11, but he had played just twice in the new season when he returned to Blackburn Rovers in October 1911, first playing at centre forward towards the end of the following month. Chapman scored 15 goals that season including 6 in their FA Cup run that ended in a semi final replay defeat to West Bromwich Albion at Bramall Lane, as Rovers won the League Championship for the first time in the club’s history. He then scored a hat-trick in a 6-0 win over Middlesbrough in September 1913 as Blackburn won their second League Championship that season, although he lost his place at centre forward with the signing of the prolific Danny Shea and played 19 matches during the campaign at right back, right half and centre half in addition to scoring 9 goals at centre forward.

Chapman made just 4 more sporadic appearances in 1914-15 before the onset of the First World War forced the suspension of peacetime football after 42 goals for Rovers in 152 appearances across his two spells, and during the 1915-16 season Chapman appeared as a guest player in three wartime matches for Burnley, in which he scored three goals. When competitive football recommenced, Chapman signed with Lancashire Combination side Accrington Stanley in 1919, his final club before his eventual retirement.