Cooch George Image 2 Northampton Town 1908

Description

Wellingborough, Northamptonshire born goalkeeper George Cooch appears to have started his career at Wellingborough and to then have played for Kettering. He played Southern League football for Northampton Town between 1906 and 1909 and “many times saved Northampton from a severe reverse”, before joining Norwich City for their 1909-10 campaign and subsequently Aberdare Athletic, where he was playing in 1911. Full biography to follow.

Cooch had two footballing brothers: less famously Charles Cooch, an outfield player, who also played for Kettering; more famously Wellingborough, Northamptonshire born goalkeeper Harry Cooch began his football career with hometown club Wellingborough in 1897 before joining Finedon in 1898, Rushden in 1899 and Kettering Town in 1900. He signed for Aston Villa for £100 as understudy to Billy George making his Football League debut at Newcastle United in April 1902, making 25 appearances over a five year period for the Villa first team, and he was a member of Villa reserve teams which won the Birmingham & District League in five successive years 1903, 1904, 1905, 1906 and 1907, where in addition to goalkeeping he also played as a defender with the Reserves.

He returned to Kettering in September 1908 and played in an 8-0 FA Cup defeat by First Division Bury in January 1909, before being signed by Walsall later in 1909 where he played 32 games for their Reserves. He retired after sustaining an injury during training which so seriously dislocated and fractured the index finger of his left hand, that it had to be part amputated. He was later a coach/trainer at Villa Park.