George Irwin (football manager)

George Irwin (born 7 January 1891) was manager of the English football clubs Crystal Palace (1939–47) and Darlington (1950–52). He also made appearances in the Football League for Crystal Palace and Reading.[1]

George Irwin
Personal information
Date of birth 7 January 1891[1]
Place of birth Smethwick, England
Position(s) Goalkeeper
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
?–1921 West Bromwich Albion 0 (0)
1921–1923 Crystal Palace 16 (0)
1923–1926 Reading ? (?)
Managerial career
1939–1947 Crystal Palace
1950–1952 Darlington
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Playing career

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Irwin began his career at West Bromwich Albion, but did not make a first team appearance for the club.[2] He signed for Crystal Palace in 1921, as understudy to Jack Alderson.[2] After two seasons he moved on to Reading where he spent a further three seasons before retiring as a player.[2]

Coaching career

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Irwin then moved into coaching, initially with Southend United, before moving to Sheffield Wednesday where he also served as assistant manager, and was on the staff when Wednesday won the 1935 FA Cup Final.[2] Irwin returned to Crystal Palace, as coach, in 1937 before being appointed manager in 1939.[2] He remained with Palace during the years of wartime football winning regional league titles in 1940, 1941 and 1946.[3] However the first post-war season (1946–7) resulted in a disappointing eighteenth place[4] in the Third Division South and Irwin resigned thereafter.[5] He remained at Crystal Palace as a scout before being appointed manager of Darlington in 1950, where he remained for two seasons.[2]

Managerial statistics

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Team From To Record
G W L D Win %
Crystal Palace July 1939 May 1947 42 13 17 12 31.0
Darlington April 1950 March 1952 87 22 44 21 25.3

References

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  1. ^ a b King, Ian (2011). Crystal Palace: The Complete Record 1905–2011. The Derby Books Publishing Company. pp. 542–543. ISBN 9781780910468.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Purkiss, Mike; Sands, Nigel (1990). Crystal Palace: A Complete Record 1905–1989. The Breedon Books Publishing Company. p. 49. ISBN 0907969542.
  3. ^ Purkiss, Mike; Sands, Nigel (1990). Crystal Palace: A Complete Record 1905–1989. The Breedon Books Publishing Company. pp. 172–84. ISBN 0907969542.
  4. ^ Purkiss, Mike; Sands, Nigel (1990). Crystal Palace: A Complete Record 1905–1989. The Breedon Books Publishing Company. p. 186. ISBN 0907969542.
  5. ^ King, Ian (2011). Crystal Palace: The Complete Record 1905–2011. The Derby Books Publishing Company. p. 203. ISBN 9781780910468.
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