Biography
Versatile forward George Thomas Patterson was born in the Castletown district of Sunderland and played football for both his local colliery team and Silksworth Juniors as a teenager, while also excelling at cricket. His slight frame belied his ability to score numerous goals and as local First Division side Sunderland prevaricated Hull City swooped in October 1952 and signed the 18 year old on a professional contract. His opportunities for first team football were hampered by his tender years, his requirement to perform National Service (which George completed in November 1954) and the quality of strikers at City’s disposal.
It wasn’t until the last two games of the 1954/55 season that George got his chance in the first team, starting twice at outside right after having scored an impressive number of goals for the Tigers’ Yorkshire League reserve side. In the early weeks of the 1955/56 season Patterson continued to impress in the Reserves and he was rewarded with five further first team starts – three at centre forward, one of which yielded his only City goal in a September 1955 1-2 defeat against Bristol Rovers, one on the right wing and a fifth at inside left. However a leg infection sustained in early October 1955, coupled with the triple signing in October and November 1955 of forwards Bill Bradbury, Doug Clarke and veteran ex-England striker Stan Mortensen, shut down any further hope of first team action for Patterson and he left the club in the 1956 close season.
Patterson, by now repurposed as a half back, joined Midland League side King’s Lynn in July 1956 but within four months he headed back to the North East to play for North Eastern League side South Shields. In May 1957 George returned to League football with Division Three North side York City, making his Minstermen debut in October 1957 against Chesterfield. He spent three years at Bootham Crescent, scoring four goals in 57 appearances and contributing to the Minstermen’s promotion in the 1958/59 season, the inaugural season of the newly unregionalised Fourth Division. He left York City at the end of the following 1959/60 season, which ended in rapid relegation back to the Fourth Division. In June 1960 George joined Division Four side Hartlepool United, he played 19 times for Pools and scored once against Exeter City before joining Gateshead in January 1962, then ended his career at Goole Town in the 1964/65 season.
While at York, Patterson was identified as a talented cartoonist and regularly had his artwork published in the local newspaper. Patterson lived in York in the later stages of his playing career and even trained with the Minstermen during the week when playing at weekends for Gateshead. After football he remained in York and worked for Yorkshire Electricity Board, then enjoyed a long retirement before dying in York in May 2021.
Details
Nationality: England
Date/Place of Birth: 15 September 1934, Sunderland
Hull City First Game: 25 April 1955, Birmingham City H (Division Two), 20 years, 222 days old
Hull City Final Game: 5 November 1955, Bristol City A (Division Two), 21 years, 51 days old
Clubs
Hylton Colliery (1951-1952), Silksworth Juniors (1952), Hull City (1952-1956), King’s Lynn (1956), South Shields (1956-1957), York City (1957-1960), Hartlepool United (1960-1962), Gateshead (1962-1964), Goole Town (1964-1965)
Hull City Record
Career: 7 apps, 1 goals
George Patterson| Season | LGE App | LGE Gls | FAC App | FAC Gls | FLC App | FLC Gls | EUR App | EUR Gls | OTH App | OTH Gls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1952/53 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1953/54 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1954/55 | 2 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1955/56 | 5 | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |