George Travers

Infobox Football biography
playername = George Travers


fullname = James Edward Travers
height = height|ft=5|in=8
dateofbirth = birth date|1888|11|4|df=y
cityofbirth = Birmingham
countryofbirth = England
dateofdeath = death date and age|1946|8|31|1888|11|4|df=y
cityofdeath = Smethwick
countryofdeath = England
position = Forward
youthyears = 1904–1905
1905–1906
youthclubs = Bilston United
Rowley United
years = 1906–1907
1907–1908
1908–1909
1909–1910
1910–1911
1911–1914
1914–1919
1919–1920
1920
1920–1921
1921
1921–1922
1922–1929
1929–1931
clubs = Wolverhampton Wanderers
Birmingham
Aston Villa
Queens Park Rangers
Leicester Fosse
Barnsley
Manchester United
Swindon Town
Millwall
Norwich City
Gillingham
Nuneaton Town
Cradley St Luke's
Bilston United
caps(goals) = 00 0(0)
02 0(0)
04 0(4)
12 0(5)
84 (23)
21 0(4)
34 (12)
02 0(0)
29 (14)
10 0(1)

James Edward Travers (4 November 1888 – 31 August 1946), known as George Travers, was an English professional footballer who played as an inside forward or centre forward. He made 164 appearances in the Football League, representing a number of clubs prior to and just after the First World War.cite book |author=Joyce, Michael |title=Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939 |publisher=SoccerData (Tony Brown) |location=Nottingham |year=2004 |pages=p. 262 |isbn=978-1-899468-67-6]

Playing career

Travers was born in Newtown, Birmingham, and attended Birchfield Road School in nearby Aston. He began his football career with local teams Bilston United and Rowley United before joining Wolverhampton Wanderers in 1906. He made no league appearances for the club before moving on to Birmingham, where he spent eighteen months and played only twice for the first team. Transferred to Aston Villa in a part-exchange deal involving Jack Wilcox, he marked his debut in December 1908 with a hat-trick, but played only three more league games, leaving for Queens Park Rangers, then a Southern League club, at the end of the 1908–09 season. A year in London preceded six months with Leicester Fosse before a more long-lasting move, to Barnsley of the Second Division, in January 1911.cite book |author=Matthews, Tony |title=Birmingham City: A Complete Record |year=1995 |publisher=Breedon Books |location=Derby |pages=p. 130 |isbn=978-1-85983-010-9]

Travers played in the 1912 FA Cup Final, in which Barnsley beat West Bromwich Albion 1–0 in extra time in the replay, after the first game had ended goalless.Cite web |url=http://www.fa-cupfinals.co.uk/1912.html |title=F A Cup Final 1912 | accessdate=2008-02-26 | work=fa-cupfinals.co.uk] The "Manchester Guardian"'s report of the replay praised his shots at goal.Cite news |title=Barnsley's Victory |work=Manchester Guardian |pages=4 |date=25 April 1912]

After three years at Barnsley he joined Manchester United, for whom he played 21 games, scoring 4 goals. [cite web |url=http://www.mufcinfo.com/manupag/a-z_player_archive/a-z_player_archive_pages/travers_james.html |title=James Travers |work=mufcinfo.com |publisher=Mark Graham |accessdate=2008-09-19] After the war he joined Swindon Town, playing 34 games in their last season in the Southern League and scoring 14 goals, which made him the club's second-highest scorer for the season. [cite web |url=http://www.swindon-town-fc.co.uk/Person.asp?PersonID=TRAVERSG |title=George Travers |work=Swindon-Town-FC.co.uk |accessdate=2008-09-19] Returning to the Football League, he spent a few months with Millwall of the newly-formed Third Division and the remainder of the 1920–21 season with rivals Norwich City. He finished his league career in the 1921–22 season at Gillingham, then returned to non-League football with Nuneaton Town and Cradley St Luke's, finally calling time on his career with his first club, Bilston United, in May 1931 at the age of 42.

Travers died in Smethwick, Staffordshire, in 1946 at the age of 57.

Honours

with Barnsley
*FA Cup Winners: 1912

References

Persondata
NAME = Travers, George
ALTERNATIVE NAMES = Travers, James Edward
SHORT DESCRIPTION = Professional footballer
DATE OF BIRTH = 4 November 1888
PLACE OF BIRTH = Newtown, Birmingham, England
DATE OF DEATH = 31 August 1946
PLACE OF DEATH = Smethwick, Staffordshire