Hamilton George Image 3 Heart of Midlothian 1948

Description

Irvine, Ayrshire born inside forward “Gentleman” George Hamilton started out with local junior side Irvine Meadow before moving to join Queen of the South in 1937. Hamilton was comfortable with the ball on either foot and had an obvious love of playing the game. After a single season with Queens where he scored nine goals in 31 League games, Aberdeen, managed by Dave Halliday, another ex-Queen of the South player, purchased him for a club record £3,000 in April 1938. Hamilton would prove as shrewd a signing as Halliday would ever make as he would emerge as an inspirational player of real quality, noted for his superb heading ability.

He made an immediate impact in The Dons’ team, scoring 20 goals in 46 appearances before the Second World War’s outbreak in September 1939 which severely interrupted his career. During the War Hamilton served in the Armed Forces and guested for Ayr United during 1939-40, Glasgow Rangers and Heart of Midlothian in 1940-41, and Halifax Town in 1941-42 and 1943-44 and won wartime caps for Scotland against England, Ireland and Wales.

After the War Hamilton returned to Pittodrie and helped Aberdeen to win The Scottish League Cup in 1946 and The Scottish Cup in 1947, scoring the winner in the Final against Hibernian to secure a 2-1 victory. He made his international debut for Scotland against Ireland at Hampden Park in November 1946, and also first played for The Scottish League in 1947. In December 1947 he was sold to Heart of Midlothian for £6,000 and Archie Kelly in part exchange but the move unsettled him, and Aberdeen then paid £10,000 t0 re-sign Hamilton in June 1948 after 6 goals in 17 appearances for Hearts.

Hamilton was recalled to the Scotland team in May 1951, scoring a hat-trick against Belgium and playing against Austria on Scotland’s summer tour, and he won two further caps against Norway in May 1954, scoring the only goal in a friendly win at Hampden Park, and Hamilton became the first former Queen of the South player to travel to the World Cup Finals when he went with Scotland to the 1954 Finals in Switzerland. Hamilton also scored twice in 3 appearances for The Scottish League between 1947 and 1951.

Despite Aberdeen’s erratic League results, Hamilton helped the side to two further Scottish Cup Final appearances, in 1953 and 1954, when they lost to Rangers in a replay and then Celtic in front of crowds of 130,000 at Hampden Park. Already 37, Hamilton largely watched from the sidelines as a young Dons side won the 1954-55 Scottish League title with the long serving Halliday still at the helm, Hamilton scoring twice in his final 4 appearances for Aberdeen. In September 1955, after 159 goals in 292 appearances, he was sold to Hamilton Academical for £2,000, but his Accies career was cut short and he was forced to retire in December 1955 after 2 goals in 111 appearances. After his retirement he became reserve team coach at Aberdeen in 1957 and stayed until April 1959.