Biography
Tall and rapid outside right George “Tolley” Wienand joined the Tigers in October 1938 for a substantial fee – more substantial than the £100 plus and boat ticket from South Africa to England that Huddersfield Town paid for Wienand 15 months earlier. He went straight into the City first team but missed four games in December 1938 with a chill. He returned the week before Christmas and scored his first Tigers goal in Christmas Eve 3-0 win over Chester, adding further strikes in February 1939 against Darlington and Hartlepools. However he dropped out of the side in March 1939 as manager Ernest Blackburn restored Cliff Hubbard to the right wing. George left the Tigers at the end of the 1938/39 season.
George Victor “Tolley” Wienand was born in East London on South Africa’s east coast but by his mid-20s he was playing provincial and state representative football in Transvaal, the area to the north of the country around Johannesburg and Pretoria. In July 1937 he was scouted by First Division Huddersfield Town who bought him over to England and within a month of his arrival George was selected at outside right for the Terriers’ first team. His first senior goal came in September 1937 against Bolton Wanderers and he added two further goals against Chelsea in December 1937 and Wolves in February 1938.
Between those two goals Wienand missing two months of football, his return in February 1938 coincided with Huddersfield’s FA Cup run that took them all the way to a Wembley final against Preston North End. Wienand started the semi-final against Sunderland (whose team featured future Tigers Eddie Burbanks and Raich Carter) and created two goals in a 3-1 win, receiving the accolade of being Town’s most impressive performer. Despite this, George was not selected for the Final that Huddersfield lost after extra time – his absence caused anger amongst Huddersfield fans. The exclusion also upset Wienand, who briefly contemplating a return to his home country before spending the summer bowling medium-fast for Slaithwaite Cricket Club in the Huddersfield League – he was an accomplished all-round cricketer who occasionally played provincial first class cricket for Border and Transvaal in South Africa, as well as a rugby fly-half.
Tolley started four games for the Terriers at the beginning of the 1938/39 season, taking his tally to three goals in 32 starts/ But by October 1939 he was seeking a new challenge and signed for Hull City.
Wienand returned to South Africa in May 1939 and within a few weeks he was part of a welcoming party receiving the FA Touring XI to his home country. He stayed in South Africa for the rest of his life and eventually returned to his home city of East London where he died in December 1993.
Details
Nationality: South Africa
Date/Place of Birth: 27 April 1910, East London (South Africa)
Hull City First Game: 22 October 1938, Hartlepools United A (Division Three North), 28 years, 178 days old
Hull City Final Game: 15 April 1939, Southport A (Division Three North), 28 years, 353 days old
Clubs
Huddersfield Town (1937-1938), Hull City (1938-1939)
Hull City Record
Career: 15 apps, 3 goals
George Wienand| Season | LGE App | LGE Gls | FAC App | FAC Gls | FLC App | FLC Gls | EUR App | EUR Gls | OTH App | OTH Gls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1938/39 | 15 | 3 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |