George Cotton

OVERALL STATISTICS

BIRTHAGESIGNED ONFROM
20-06-1902
N/A
24-10-1923
Rolled Plate Works Team, Pilkington League
DEBUTLAST MATCHLEFT
08-12-1923 v Widnes
Wigan
1927- when he Retired
CAREERAPPEARANCES (SUBS)
1923-1926
83 (0)
TRIESGOALSDGOALSPTS
40
1
0
122

Biography of George Cotton



HERITAGE NO : 321
George Cotton by Alex Service

George Cotton was the archetypal club winger with a fair turn of speed, sidestep and finishing ability. It was a great pity that a shoulder injury necessitated his early retirement from the game, because he had shown what he was capable of in a Saints jersey. In the 1924-25 season, his second in the First Team, he notched 25 tries in 39 appearances and forged a fine partnership with another local lad, Alf Frodsham, as his centre. Unfortunately George's injury problems coincided with the arrival of the great Alf Ellaby, who fairly set the try-scoring charts on fire in his early days at Knowsley Road. He remained a staunch supporter of the club, however and became a valued member of the Supporters Club Committee (Secretary) for many years.

His wife was the legendary Minnie Cotton (daughter of Saints Committeeman Tom Topping), who terrorised Dewsbury front-rower Trevor Walker with an umbrella in the 1966 Challenge Cup semi-final at Station Road, Swinton. In 1939 George was living in St Luke's Road, St Helens and working as a Foreman Glass Baker. George passed away on 2nd July 1963 aged 61. His wife, Minnie, was an ardent Saints supporter and provided lodgings for John Warlow in the 1960s after George had passed away. Her encroachments onto the Swinton pitch, wielding an umbrella, brought her national media coverage during the Championship Final against Halifax in 1966.

George Cotton

Extract from the St Helens v Oldham Programme 17 January 1925

Age 22 Height 5ft 10ins Weight 12st 2lbs

George Cotton commenced playing football with Arthur Street schoolboys. He was then played as a second row forward. He was later found playing soccer for a couple of years in the Intermediate League for two years with Bethel Mission team. He did his duty as right wing. He commenced playing rugger again in the Pilkington Junior League and for two or three seasons played as a right wing threequarter [Graham’s brother often operating as right centre] in the Rolled Plate Works team. This team won the Medal Competition season 1921-22 also winning the League Cup and medals 1922-23 season.

He played in several trial games between the Recs Intermediate League and the Warrington Junior Leagues. Mr W Kennerley was directly responsible for his signature on the Saints’ register in October 1923 several clubs being just too late. He has scored many fine tries since that date, the most efficient being the one against Oldham in the cup tie when cleverly intercepting with a speedy bust and much wit he beat the Oldham backs in his race to the scoring line.



SEASON STATISTICS

Season (Official Matches)TriesGoalsDGoalsMatches
1923~247 1 0 18
1924~2525 0 0 39
1925~26 3 0 0 15
1926~275 0 0 11
TOTALS:40 1 0 83
Season (Other Matches)TriesGoalsDGoalsMatches
1923~241001
TOTALS:1001

ALL MATCHES

DateMatchPosOpponentsCompVenueFTFTOTGDG
8th Dec 1923 1
L
 5 Widnes L A 0 18 VIEW
15th Dec 1923 2
W
 2 Hull L H 5 3 VIEW
29th Dec 1923 3
L
 5 Barrow L A 5 41 VIEW
5th Jan 1924 4
L
 2 Rochdale Hornets L A 5 23 VIEW
12th Jan 1924 5
L
 2 Leigh L H 5 12 VIEW
19th Jan 1924 6
L
 2 Leigh L A 0 25 VIEW
26th Jan 1924 7
L
 2 Hull L A 6 11 1 VIEW
31st Jan 1924 8
W
 2 Barrow L H 12 11 1 VIEW
2nd Feb 1924 9
L
 2 Bramley L A 7 18 VIEW
16th Feb 1924 10
W
 2 Wardley CC1 A 73 0 3 VIEW
23rd Feb 1924 11
L
 2 Warrington L A 11 39 VIEW
1st Mar 1924 12
L
 5 Huddersfield CC2 A 13 24 1 VIEW
8th Mar 1924 13
W
 5 Wigan Highfield L H 10 9 VIEW
15th Mar 1924 14
W
 5 Keighley L H 34 6 VIEW
22nd Mar 1924 15
L
 5 Oldham L A 10 48 VIEW
29th Mar 1924 16
W
 5 Bramley L H 13 8 VIEW
5th Apr 1924 17
W
 5 Rochdale Hornets L H 15 13 2 VIEW
12th Apr 1924 --
L
 5 St. Helens Recs* Fr H 8 10 1 VIEW
18th Apr 1924 18
L
 5 Wigan L H 3 14 VIEW
30th Aug 1924 19
W
 5 Widnes L A 10 9 1 VIEW
6th Sep 1924 20
L
 5 Widnes L H 7 8 1 VIEW
13th Sep 1924 21
L
 5 Barrow L A 8 19 1 VIEW
20th Sep 1924 22
W
 5 Keighley L H 16 9 VIEW
27th Sep 1924 23
W
 5 Hull L A 9 0 VIEW
4th Oct 1924 24
W
 5 Wigan Highfield L H 15 5 3 VIEW
11th Oct 1924 25
D
 5 Widnes LC1 A 7 7 VIEW
15th Oct 1924 26
W
 5 Widnes LC1(rep) H 19 5 1 VIEW
18th Oct 1924 27
L
 5 Wakefield Trinity L A 2 3 VIEW
25th Oct 1924 28
W
 5 Warrington LC2 H 15 5 1 VIEW
8th Nov 1924 29
L
 5 Oldham LCSF H 9 16 1 VIEW
13th Nov 1924 30
L
 5 Swinton L H 6 20 VIEW
15th Nov 1924 31
L
 5 Salford L A 3 13 VIEW
22nd Nov 1924 32
W
 5 Broughton Rangers L H 12 2 1 VIEW
29th Nov 1924 33
W
 5 Keighley L A 5 4 1 VIEW
6th Dec 1924 34
W
 5 Dewsbury L H 21 2 1 VIEW
13th Dec 1924 35
W
 5 Leigh L H 21 3 VIEW
20th Dec 1924 36
L
 5 Rochdale Hornets L A 0 11 VIEW
25th Dec 1924 37
W
 5 St. Helens Recs L H 7 5 VIEW
26th Dec 1924 38
L
 5 Wigan L H 7 13 VIEW
27th Dec 1924 39
L
 5 Dewsbury L A 0 8 VIEW
1st Jan 1925 40
D
 5 St. Helens Recs L A 5 5 1 VIEW
3rd Jan 1925 41
W
 5 Wakefield Trinity L H 15 2 1 VIEW
10th Jan 1925 42
L
 5 Wigan Highfield L A 8 12 1 VIEW
17th Jan 1925 43
L
 5 Oldham L H 5 24 VIEW
24th Jan 1925 44
L
 5 Swinton L A 3 49 VIEW
31st Jan 1925 45
W
 5 Salford L OBJ H 14 0 1 VIEW
2nd Feb 1925 46
W
 5 Barrow L H 12 8 2 VIEW
14th Feb 1925 47
L
 5 Widnes CC1 A 8 10 1 VIEW
21st Feb 1925 48
W
 5 Warrington L H 9 5 2 VIEW
28th Feb 1925 49
W
 5 Salford L H 17 0 VIEW
7th Mar 1925 50
D
 5 Halifax L A 11 11 VIEW
14th Mar 1925 51
W
 5 Halifax L H 10 2 VIEW
21st Mar 1925 52
D
 5 Broughton Rangers L A 10 10 1 VIEW
28th Mar 1925 53
W
 5 Rochdale Hornets L H 34 3 2 VIEW
10th Apr 1925 54
L
 5 Wigan L A 4 51 VIEW
11th Apr 1925 55
L
 5 Leigh L A 10 17 1 VIEW
13th Apr 1925 56
W
 5 Hull L H 10 8 VIEW
18th Apr 1925 57
W
 5 Warrington L A 15 8 VIEW
28th Aug 1925 58
L
 5 Widnes L H 6 23 VIEW
12th Sep 1925 59
W
 5 Barrow L H 22 3 VIEW
19th Sep 1925 60
L
 5 Broughton Rangers L A 3 7 VIEW
26th Sep 1925 61
W
 5 Batley L H 15 3 1 VIEW
3rd Oct 1925 62
L
 5 Swinton L A 5 12 VIEW
10th Oct 1925 63
L
 5 Leigh LC1 A 7 10 VIEW
17th Oct 1925 64
L
 5 Oldham L H 3 16 VIEW
14th Nov 1925 65
L
 5 Dewsbury L A 0 10 VIEW
21st Nov 1925 66
W
 5 Warrington L H 12 9 VIEW
16th Dec 1925 67
W
 5 Dewsbury L H 7 0 VIEW
19th Dec 1925 68
L
 5 Swinton L H 9 10 VIEW
25th Dec 1925 69
D
 5 St. Helens Recs L A 3 3 VIEW
26th Dec 1925 70
L
 5 Wigan L H 5 10 1 VIEW
1st Jan 1926 71
W
 5 St. Helens Recs L H 4 2 VIEW
9th Jan 1926 72
W
 5 Wigan Highfield L H 16 6 1 VIEW
30th Oct 1926 73
W
 5 Barrow L A 11 10 2 VIEW
4th Nov 1926 74
D
 2 Widnes LCSF A 3 3 1 VIEW
6th Nov 1926 75
W
 2 Wigan Highfield L H 13 7 VIEW
8th Nov 1926 76
W
 2 Widnes LCSF(rep) H 17 0 1 VIEW
13th Nov 1926 77
L
 2 Salford L A 5 8 VIEW
20th Nov 1926 78
W
 2 St. Helens Recs LCF N 10 2 VIEW
27th Nov 1926 79
W
 2 York L H 54 3 VIEW
27th Dec 1926 80
L
 2 Wigan L H 13 14 1 VIEW
19th Feb 1927 81
W
 2 Batley L H 13 8 VIEW
5th Mar 1927 82
L
 3 Swinton L A 3 24 VIEW
15th Apr 1927 83
W
 2 Wigan L A 10 8 VIEW
*Unofficial Match. **Non Playing Sub.
WINS : 40 | LOSSES : 38 | DRAWS : 6

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