George Yardley (footballer)
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | George MacArthur Yardley | ||
| Date of birth | 8 October 1941 | ||
| Place of birth | Kirkcaldy, Scotland | ||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)[1] | ||
| Playing position | Goalkeeper, Centre forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Abbotshall Boy's Brigade | |||
| Novar Star Youth | |||
| Frances Colliery Juniors | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1959–1964 | East Fife | 62 | (17) |
| 1964 | Forfar Athletic | 4 | (0) |
| 1965 | St. George-Budapest | ||
| 1966 | Luton Town | 1 | (0) |
| 1966–1969 | Tranmere Rovers | 76 | (49) |
| 1969 | St. George-Budapest | ||
| 1969–1970 | Tranmere Rovers | 46 | (19) |
| St. George-Budapest | |||
| 1973–1974 | Altrincham | ||
|
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. | |||
George MacArthur Yardley (born in Kirkcaldy on 8 October 1941) is a Scottish former footballer. Yardley began his career as a goalkeeper before becoming a centre forward.
Playing career
Yardley played his first football as a goalkeeper as an eight-year-old playing for Dunnikier Primary School. However on moving to Temple Hall Secondary School he was forced to play as a forward because another goalkeeper was already playing.[2] At Frances Colliery Juniors he played mostly as a forward, occasionally playing in goal.[2]
In 1959 he signed an amateur contract with East Fife as a goalkeeper. After sustaining a hand injury in 1960 Yardley switched to primarily playing as a forward though he did play a number of matches in goal.[2][3] In 1964 Yardley trialled with Forfar Athletic, playing four matches. He then played out the second half of the 1963/1964 season with Montrose.[2]
Yardley played for Australian club St. George-Budapest in three separate stints. He played one season at St. George during the 1965 Australian season after emigrating to Australia in August 1964.[4][5][5]
On returning from Australia in October 1966, Yardley trialled for a month with English Fourth Division team Luton Town, playing one match.[2][6] In November 1966 he moved to Tranmere Rovers. In four seasons between 1966 and 1970 he played 123 matches, scoring 68 goals.[7] He was leading goal scorer for Rovers on four separate occasions.[2][4][5][8]
His second stint in Australia was in 1969 before returning to Tranmere Rovers.[4] At the completion of his career at Tranmere he moved again to Australia.[5] Yardley had a short stint with Altrincham in the 1973/1974 season.[3]
International career
Yardley played one match in 1959 for Scotland Amateurs against Wales.[2][9]
Personal life
After his football career, Yardley became a design draughtsman on the Wirral.[10]
References
- ↑ "Yardley Memories". Rovers Rearguard. Retrieved 27 August 2012.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Voices from the past – George Yardley". merseyworld.com. Retrieved 1 September 2009.
- 1 2 Rowley, Terry. "A to Z of Altrincham Football Club". Altrincham F.C. Retrieved 2 September 2009.
- 1 2 3 "Australian Player Database – Y". ozfootball.net. Retrieved 1 September 2009.
- 1 2 3 4 www.since1888.co.uk Retrieved 1 September 2009
- ↑ "LUTON TOWN : 1946/47 – 2007/08". neilbrown.newcastlefans.com. Retrieved 2 September 2009.
- ↑ Hilton, Nick (21 August 2003). "On scent of Yardley run". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 2 September 2009.
- ↑ "Some of Tranmere Rovers Top Scorers". www.tranmere-rovers.co.uk. Retrieved 2 September 2009.
- ↑ "Luton Links". Altrincham F.C. Retrieved 2 September 2009.
- ↑ Edwards, Leigh (26 August 2012), "Back to the Future – Tranmere Rovers FC", Official Shrewsbury Town Matchday Programme: 32–33