| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | George Hedley Swindin[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1914-12-04)4 December 1914[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Campsall,Yorkshire, England | ||
| Date of death | 26 October 2005(2005-10-26) (aged 90)[1] | ||
| Place of death | Kettering,[1]Northamptonshire, England | ||
| Position | Goalkeeper | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Rotherham YMCA | |||
| New Stubbin Colliery | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 193?–1934 | Rotherham United | 0 | (0) |
| 1934–1936 | Bradford City | 26 | (0) |
| 1936–1954 | Arsenal | 297 | (0) |
| 1954–1955 | Peterborough United[2] | 18 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1954–1958 | Peterborough United | ||
| 1958–1962 | Arsenal | ||
| 1962 | Norwich City | ||
| 1962–1964 | Cardiff City | ||
| 1965 | Kettering Town | ||
| 1969–1970 | Corby Town | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
George Hedley Swindin (4 December 1914 – 26 October 2005) was an Englishfootball player and manager.
Playing as agoalkeeper, Swindin made more than 300 appearances in theFootball League withBradford City andArsenal, where his 18-year career was interrupted by the Second World War. As manager, he ledPeterborough United to threeMidland League titles before spending a less successful spell with Arsenal. He also managedNorwich City andCardiff City of the Football League andKettering Town andCorby Town innon-league football.
Swindin was born inCampsall in theWest Riding of Yorkshire,[1] and attendedSouth Grove Central School inRotherham.[3] He played for England against The Rest as a final trial for aschoolboy international against Wales in 1929, but was not selected.[4] He played as an amateur for various local clubs,[5] including forRotherham United's reserve team in theMidland League,[6] before turning professional in 1934 withBradford City. Swindin established himself in the first team towards the end of the 1933–34 season, but a serious knee injury sustained in the last match of that campaign caused ongoing problems that disrupted his second season and eventually required surgery to removecartilage.[7] He played 26Second Division matches for Bradford City, before being signed byArsenal in April 1936 for £4,000.[8]
He made his debut againstBrentford on 3 September 1936, and played 19 games in his first season. His time at Arsenal was at first characterised by nervous and erratic displays, and he shared the goalkeeping spot withAlex Wilson andFrank Boulton.[9] However, he played 17 league matches in1937–38, more than either of his rivals,[10] as Arsenal won theLeague title.[8]
TheSecond World War interrupted his career somewhat, but Swindin continued to play through the war for Arsenal, while serving as aPhysical Training Instructor in theArmy. He made wartime guest appearances for clubs includingLeeds United, while serving as a policeman in the area,[11]Clapton Orient,[12] and in 1945,Southampton.[13]
By the time first-class football had resumed after the war, he became Arsenal's undisputed No. 1, and stayed there for the next few seasons.[9] He had put his erraticness behind him, and he was a commanding keeper who was especially known for his aerial ability and assured handling of crosses, as well as his strong physical resilience.[citation needed] He won his second League title in1947–48. After the arrival ofTed Platt in 1950, Swindin had to share the goalkeeper's spot for1949–50,[9] but played in both the1950 and1952 FA Cup Finals; Arsenal won the former againstLiverpool, but lost toNewcastle United in the latter.[14]
By1952–53, Swindin was beginning to show his age, and another talented keeper, the WelshmanJack Kelsey, had taken his first-team place. Nevertheless, Swindin played 14 matches that season as Arsenal won the title again, giving him his third Championship winner's medal. Despite his excellent form for Arsenal, he was never capped byEngland at senior level, withWalter Winterbottom preferringFrank Swift andBert Williams. In all, he played 297 first-class matches (not including wartime games) for the Gunners.[9]
Swindin moved toMidland League sidePeterborough United asplayer-manager in 1954. He led them to three consecutive Midland League titles, from 1955–56 to 1957–58, and reached the Fourth Round of theFA Cup in 1956–57.[15] Peterborough won the title twice more after Swindin left, enough to win election tothe Football League in 1960.[14][16][17] His contribution was recognised by his induction into the club's Hall of Fame.[18]
In the meantime, Swindin had returned to Arsenal in 1958 as manager, and his side initially started strongly, finishing third in1958–59. However, the team soon flagged and spent the next three seasons in mid-table. Despite signing players such asGeorge Eastham andTommy Docherty, Swindin was unable to bring any silverware to the club, while the club's rivalsTottenham Hotspur wonthe Double in1960–61.[14][19]
In March 1962, Arsenal chairmanDenis Hill-Wood confirmed that Swindin's contract would not be renewed at the end of the season.[20][21] He then became manager ofNorwich City for five months, and thenCardiff City from late 1962 to 1964. At Cardiff, he signedJohn Charles fromRoma, but after a bright start Cardiff soon faded and he resigned after the team were relegated to theSecond Division. After that, he had spells as manager ofKettering Town andCorby Town before leaving the game for good.[19]
After leaving football, Swindin first owned a garage inCorby, before emigrating to Spain,[5] where he lived for several years before returning to his homeland.[8] In the later years of his life he suffered fromAlzheimer's disease.[14] He died atKettering in October 2005 at the age of 90.[14]
Arsenal[8]
Peterborough United[15]
Young Swindin, of Rotherham, who has been selected to keep goal for England against the Rest in the Schoolboys' International Trial Match next month, is another example of football running in the family, and in this case the strain is of particular interest because both the lad's father and his uncle were prominent goalkeepers in Rotherham football years ago.
Halsey, of Wandsworth, was a smart little custodian, but lacked the style of the Rotherham boy, Swindin, in the opposite goal.
After the Trial match at Kettering on Saturday the following team was chosen to represent England against Wales in the Schoolboys' International game at Bournemouth on April 20:— Halsey (Wandsworth)
Mr G. Swindin, who has been manager of Arsenal since 1958, is to leave his post at the end of the season. A statement issued on behalf of the board of directors yesterday said that Swindon's original contract already had been extended for one year and that they had decided not to continue it beyond the end of the current season.
In a frank interview last night, Arsenal chairman Denis Hill-Wood told me: '... We understand each other, and he has agreed to carry on until the end of the season. I gave him the chance to get out at once if he wanted to. But he preferred to stay until we had sorted things out. There are no hard feelings between us.'