Waddell George Image 1 Preston North End 1921

Description

Lesmahagow, Lanarkshire born right half George Waddell began his football career in junior football playing for Dalziel Rovers in 1905, Burnbank Athletic in 1906 and Larkhall United in 1907 before joining Glasgow Rangers in 1908. He made his Scottish League debut in a 3-2 defeat to Queen’s Park on 26th April 1909. Over the next four seasons he played 21 League games for Rangers, and spent time on loan at Kilmarnock in 1913.

In June 1914, First Division club Bradford City paid £1,000 for Waddell’s services and he made his Football League debut for The Bantams at Manchester City that September, but he only played 6 matches before the onset of the First World War forced the suspension of peacetime football in May 1915. During the War he played as a guest for both Royal Albert and Stevenston United in 1915, he played for Ayr United in 1916-17 and also played for Abercorn in 1917. He returned to Valley Parade in 1919 and played a total of 27 games either side of the War for The Bantams before joining Preston North End for a fee of £1,750 in September 1920.

After two seasons and 57 games, having scored both his 2 goals of his English career in April 1921 in matches against West Brom and Arsenal, in a spell when he also played in their 2-1 1921 FA Cup semi final defeat to eventual winners Tottenham Hotspur at Hillsborough. He followed his time at Deepdale with brief spells with a succession of clubs. He joined Oldham Athletic, who paid £250 for his services in July 1922 where he played only once before joining Birmingham for £325 in October 1922 where he featured only twice.

After moving back to Scotland with Hamilton Academical in 1923, he returned to Football League action with New Brighton in November 1923 where he played three times, and then joined Wolverhampton Wanderers at the end of November 1923, without appearing for their first eleven. Waddell then had various player-coach roles, with Aberaman Athletic in 1924, Chorley in 1925 and Fraserburgh in 1926, before a spell coaching in Germany in 1927 and had spells as reserve team coach and assistant trainer with former club Preston North End, and trainer with Dick Kerr’s XI in 1930, before finishing his football career with Ribble Motors in 1931.