- George Spruce
Football player infobox
playername = George Spruce
fullname = David George Spruce
height = height|ft=5|11
nickname =
dateofbirth =3 April 1923
cityofbirth =Chester
countryofbirth =England
dateofdeath = death date and age|1998|10|14|1923|4|3
cityofdeath =Chester
countryofdeath =England
currentclub =
clubnumber =
position = Defender
youthyears =
youthclubs =
years = 1948–1952
1952–1958
1958–1961
1961–?
?–?
clubs = Wrexham
Barnsley
Chester
Runcorn
Prestatyn Town
caps(goals) = 135 0 0(3)
149 0 0(0)
63 000(0)
nationalyears =
nationalteam =
nationalcaps(goals) =
managerclubs =
manageryears =
pcupdate =
ntupdate =George Spruce (
3 April 1923 – October 1998) was a professional footballer who played as a defender inThe Football League for three different clubs.Playing career
Spruce was born in
Chester and was invited for trials with Bolton Wanderers in August 1939 while playing local football in Chester, but the outbreak of war ended his hopes of joining the club [cite book | author=Chas Sumner | title=Chester City Official Review of the Season: 1998/99| year=1999| pages= p.91|id=ISBN 0-9537255-0-2] . He finally got his chance in professional football in October 1948 when he joined Wrexham from Chester based side Heath Rangers and played regularly before moving toSecond Division side Barnsley in May 1952. His spell at Wrexham overlapped with his younger brother Phil’s time at the club, for whom he played from 1950 to 1956.Although Barnsley were relegated in George’s first season at the club, he was a regular part of the side when they topped
Division Three North in 1954–55. He remained atOakwell for two years before joining hometown club Chester in July 1958. At 35 he was one of Chester’s oldest debutants when he played for the club for the first time against York City three months later [cite book | author=Chas Sumner | title=Chester City Official Review of the Season: 1998/99| year=1999| pages= p.91|id=ISBN 0-9537255-0-2] . Spruce scored an own goal in the final minute in a 2–2 draw but went on to make 63 appearances for the club over the next three years [cite book | author=Chas Sumner | title=Chester City Official Review of the Season: 1998/99| year=1999| pages= p.91|id=ISBN 0-9537255-0-2] .Chester was to be Spruce’s last league club and he played for Runcorn and Prestatyn before hanging up his boots [cite book | author=Chas Sumner | title=Chester City Official Review of the Season: 1998/99| year=1999| pages= p.91|id=ISBN 0-9537255-0-2] . He was employed by the gas board and then worked as a
taxi driver .Honours
Wrexham
*
Welsh Cup runners-up: 1949–50.Barnsley
*
Football League Division Three North champions: 1954–55 (44 apps, 0 goals).External links
* [http://www.chester-city.co.uk/history_latest.asp ‘What Happened To…’ feature on Spruce and some of his Chester team-mates]
References
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
