| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | George Fredrick Mountford[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 30 March 1921[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Kidderminster, England[1] | ||
| Date of death | 14 June 1973(1973-06-14) (aged 52)[1] | ||
| Place of death | Kidderminster, England[1] | ||
| Position | Winger | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1937–1942 | Kidderminster Harriers | ||
| 1946–1950 | Stoke City | 123 | (25) |
| 1950–1951 | Independiente Santa Fe | 17 | (9) |
| 1951–1953 | Stoke City | 25 | (0) |
| 1953–1954 | Queens Park Rangers | 35 | (2) |
| 1953–1957 | Hereford United | ||
| 1957 | Kidderminster Harriers | ||
| 1958 | Lockheed Leamington | ||
| Total | 200 | (36) | |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
George Fredrick Mountford (30 March 1921 – 14 June 1973) was an Englishfootballer who played inthe Football League forQueens Park Rangers andStoke City.[1][2]
Mountford was born inKidderminster and began his career playing for local sideKidderminster Harriers before joiningStoke City in December 1942 for a fee of £40.[2] During the War League Mountford established himself inBob McGrory's side as a right winger providing crosses forTommy Sale and namesakeFrank Mountford. WithStanley Matthews on wartime duty withBlackpool Mountford took his number 7 shirt and Matthews struggled to win it back. Whilst he was not as talented as Matthews, Mountford made up for it with his hard work and possessed a good turn of speed which often took him into goalscoring opportunities.[2]
Throughout the1946–47 season Matthews and Mountford both vied for the right wing position and when Matthews suffered an injury early in the campaign Mountford took his place. Even when Matthews had recovered McGrory stuck with Mountford as Stoke pushed for the First Division title.[2] The Unhappy Matthews left for Blackpool in May 1947 and Mountford scored a vital goal againstAston Villa to take the title race in to the final day of the season. Stoke needed to beatSheffield United to claim the title but they lost 2–1 and the chance had gone.[2]
The side struggled with injuries in1947–48 and Mountford made 29 appearances scoring five goals. He scored a career best of 11 in1948–49 as Stoke finished in 11th position.[2] In1949–50 he played 32 times scoring six goals as the Potters narrowly avoided relegation. At the end of the 1949–50 season Mountford was convinced to join Colombian sideIndependiente Santa Fe along with Stoke teammateNeil Franklin, the move caused outrage with the FA as Colombia at the time was not a FIFA member.[2] Mountford spent the who season in Colombia where he became a favourite with the Independiente support who dubbed him the "Bald Arrow".[2]
He returned to Stoke in the summer of 1951 and he found himself both suspended by Stoke and the Football League. His suspension was lifted in September 1951 and he resumed playing in the Stoke team.[2] In October 1953 Mountford was sold toQueens Park Rangers in exchange forDes Farrow. In September 1953 Mountford returned to his roots playing forHereford United,Kidderminster Harriers andLockheed Leamington.[2]
Source:[3]
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Stoke City[1] | 1945–46 | War League | – | 6 | 1 | 6 | 1 | |
| 1946–47 | First Division | 23 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 6 | |
| 1947–48 | First Division | 29 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 5 | |
| 1948–49 | First Division | 39 | 8 | 4 | 3 | 43 | 11 | |
| 1949–50 | First Division | 32 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 6 | |
| 1951–52 | First Division | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 0 | |
| 1952–53 | First Division | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |
| Total | 148 | 25 | 10 | 4 | 158 | 29 | ||
| Queens Park Rangers | 1952–53 | Third Division South | 25 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 28 | 2 |
| 1953–54 | Third Division South | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | |
| Total | 35 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 38 | 2 | ||
| Career Total | 183 | 27 | 13 | 4 | 196 | 31 | ||