George Utley (16 May 1887 – 8 January 1966) was an English footballer who played for

Barnsley Barnsley () is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. As the main settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley and the fourth largest settlement in South Yorkshire. In Barnsley, the population was 96,888 while the wider Borough has ...

, Sheffield United and England. He was strong and powerful half back who could shoot at goal when required. Utley was born in Reform Row, Elsecar, which lies south of

. He was the 11th and final child of James and Mary Utley. His father was an engine tender at a colliery and his brothers worked in the local coal mines and foundries.

Club career

Barnsley

On leaving school he became a joiner, but by 1907 he had signed with Barnsley. During his time with Barnsley the club made it to two FA Cup Finals. The first was in

1910 Events January * January 13 – The first public radio broadcast takes place; live performances of the operas '' Cavalleria rusticana'' and ''Pagliacci'' are sent out over the airwaves, from the Metropolitan Opera House in New York C ...

, when they were beaten by

Newcastle United Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, that plays in the Premier League – the top flight of English football. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End ...

2–0 in a reply after a one all draw, and the second was in

1912 Events January * January 1 – The Republic of China (1912–49), Republic of China is established. * January 5 – The Prague Conference (6th All-Russian Conference of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party) opens. * January 6 ...

, when Barnsley managed to defeat West Bromwich Albion by one goal in the replay after the first game ended in a goalless draw. He made a total of 170 league appearances, with 8 goals for Barnsley. In season 1913–14, Sheffield United were looking for a replacement for Ernest Needham who had been a leader in the midfield of the team. The Football Committee who ran Sheffield United at the time were looking for a player with outstanding football ability, and someone to captain the team. Following a letter of recommendation from United player Billy Gillespie the man they targeted was George Utley.

Sheffield United

The committee were not unanimous about signing the highly rated Utley, who they feared would fetch a large fee.

Bolton Wanderers Bolton Wanderers Football Club () is a professional football club based in Horwich, Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in . The club played at Burnden Park for 102 years from 1895 after moving from their original home at Pike's ...

had offered £1,500 and it had been rejected by Barnsley.

The Blades A blade is a sharp cutting part, for instance of a weapon or tool. Blade or Blades may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Fictional characters * Blade (character), a Marvel Comics character ** Blade (New Line franchise character) ** B ...

offered more and were also turned down. United increased their offer to £2,000 and this was accepted, making him the most expensive player in Britain at the time. Utley signed a long contract with United, and became the captain and the leader of the team through the ensuing years. He made his debut for Sheffield United against

Manchester United Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...

Bramall Lane Bramall Lane is a association football, football stadium in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, which is the home of Sheffield United F.C., Sheffield United. The stadium was originally a cricket ground, built on a road named after the Bramal ...

on 22 November 1913; in a match the Blades won 2–0. In the 1914–15 season, Sheffield United progressed through the rounds of the FA Cup, this improvement in United's Cup performance when compared to the previous seasons was credited to Utley. In the Semi-Final they beat Bolton Wanderers 2–1 on 27 March 1915. It included a goal by Utley, which was described as 'the best of his career' as he dribbled the ball from the half-way line to score for United in front of 22,500 fans. Utley made it to a third FA Cup Final in

1915 Events Below, the events of World War I have the "WWI" prefix. January * January – British physicist Sir Joseph Larmor publishes his observations on "The Influence of Local Atmospheric Cooling on Astronomical Refraction". *January 1 ...

, when Sheffield United defeated Chelsea 3–0 on 24 April 1915. Utley, as captain, worked hard and decisively throughout the game, breaking up many Chelsea attacks and provided many passes to the Sheffield forwards. He left Bramall Lane in 1922, transferring to

Manchester City Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The tw ...

but retired within twelve months of the move.The Official Encyclopedia of Sheffield United by Tony Matthews, Dennis Clareborough and Andrew Kirkham, , Page 253

Coaching

After leaving Manchester City, Utley went on to hold the position of trainer at Bristol City before moving to Sheffield Wednesday in May 1924 to the position of coach. He then moved on to become a trainer at

Fulham Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea. The area faces Wandsworth ...

in July 1925, a position he remained in until 1927.

International career

In February 1913, while still with Barnsley, Utley was selected to play for England against Ireland. England were defeated 2–1, Ireland's first victory over England; He was not selected to play for England again. This remains the only full international appearance by a Barnsley player.

Football Legacy

It could be argued that Utley's greatest impact on the game of football in England was that regarding the award of testimonial and benefit games. Usually players were awarded a benefit game for long service and allowed to choose a match, excluding derby games and large visiting clubs, from which to receive the gate receipts as recognition of their services.Sheffield United FC: The Biography by Gary Armstrong and John Garrett, , Page 121 Utley challenged this in 1920 and was granted a benefit match against the then mighty

Sunderland Sunderland () is a port city in Tyne and Wear, England. It is the City of Sunderland's administrative centre and in the Historic counties of England, historic county of County of Durham, Durham. The city is from Newcastle-upon-Tyne and is on t ...

after only being at the club for four years, eventually receiving around £1,000. The board had been willing to make an exception for Utley, citing his importance to the team and wishing to ensure he stayed with the club. This extraordinary move by the club caused unrest in the dressing room and nine of the first team signed a letter to the United directors, written by Billy Gillespie, complaining that this preferential treatment was unfair. The game went ahead a few days later without Utley although ironically Billy Gillespie scored twice in a 3–1 win in front of over 36,000 spectators.A Complete Record of Sheffield United Football club 1889–1999 by Dennis Clareborough and Andrew Kirkham, , Page 130 Utley stayed at Bramall Lane for another two years. The

Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...

discovered the unrest this benefit had caused at the club and changed the rules governing such matches. They stipulated that testimonials could only be played after an agreed period of time stated within a players contract when agreed or upon their career being unexpectedly cut short. This ruling remains to this day.Sheffield United FC: The Biography by Gary Armstrong and John Garrett, , Page 122

Life outside football

Utley worked as an assistant

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...

coach at Rossall School from 1911 until 1931 and from 1929 until 1931 he also worked as assistant groundsman. Regarded as astute in financial matters, Utley married into a wealthy family following the death of his first wife. Having no children from either marriage he returned his second wife's money to her family upon her death claiming he had enough to keep him. Living in a large house he kept two housekeepers to whom he bequeathed a home on the estate for peppercorn rent upon his death. During the later part of his football career he authored articles for boys magazines including: *Football by Prominent Players: "Captaining the Cup-Winners", The Boys' Friend Feb, 14 1920 *"The Complete Half-Back", The Boys' Realm, 20 Mar 1920 Utley died in January 1966.

Career statistics

Club

Honours

Barnsley * FA Cup: 1911–12; runner-up: 1909–10 Sheffield United *FA Cup: 1914–15

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Utley, George 1887 births 1966 deaths English footballers England international footballers Barnsley F.C. players Sheffield United F.C. players Manchester City F.C. players People from Elsecar English Football League players English Football League representative players Footballers from Yorkshire Sheffield Wednesday F.C. players Association football wing halves English carpenters FA Cup Final players