George Collin

George Collin (13 September 1905 – 1 February 1989) was an English footballer who played at left-back.
He played for Arsenal, Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic, Sunderland, Port Vale, and Burton Town, but is most notable for his nine years with Derby County from 1927 to 1936. He helped the "Rams" to finish second in the First Division in 1929–30 and 1935–36.
Career
Collin played for Sunderland based junior club West Stanley, before moving to London in 1924 for a trial with West Ham United. He instead signed a contract with Arsenal, before moving on to Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic. He suffered a badly broken leg at Dean Court, but managed to return to full fitness.
He joined Derby County in November 1927, with manager George Jobey looking to Collin as a successor to Tom Crilly; this was despite Collin having recently broken his leg. After making his debut for the "Rams", the Derby Telegraph described him as "a class full-back... cool and discriminate". He made 28 appearances in 1927–28, as Derby finished fourth in the First Division. He played 42 games in 1928–29, as the club slipped down to sixth place. He made 35 league appearances in 1929–30, as County finished as the Football League's runners-up, ten points behind champions Sheffield Wednesday. He appeared 41 times in 1930–31, as Derby dropped down to sixth place again. He posted 43 appearances in 1931–32, as the club dropped down to 15th. Derby rose to seventh in 1932–33, with Collin playing 48 games, including the defeat to Manchester City in the semi-finals of the FA Cup. He played 38 games in 1933–34, as Derby once again finished in fourth place. They dropped to sixth position in 1934–35, with Collin putting in 39 appearances. He played 15 league games in 1935–36, as Derby again finished as runners-up, this time finishing eight points behind champions Sunderland. He transferred to Sunderland in June 1936, after losing his first team place at Derby to future England international Jack Howe. He made a total of 334 senior appearances in his nine seasons at the Baseball Ground.
He played in the 1936 FA Charity Shield, where Sunderland beat Arsenal at Roker Park. The "Black Cats" followed up on their league success by lifting the FA Cup in 1937, though Collin did not appear in the final. The club finished seventh in the league in 1936–37 and eighth in 1937–38. He signed with Third Division North club Port Vale in June 1938. He made his debut at The Old Recreation Ground on 27 August, in a 3–1 defeat by Aldershot. He was not selected again in the 1938–39 season, and was given a free transfer in April 1939. He later became the player-manager of Midland League outfit Burton Town.
Style of play
Collin was a reliable left-back and a quick tackler.
Personal life
He married Edith Osborne in the early 1930s. His niece, Valerie Allcock, served as Chairman of the Derby County Supporters Club for over 30 years.
Career statistics
Honours
Sunderland
FA Charity Shield: 1936
References
People from Stanley, County Durham
Footballers from County Durham
English men's footballers
Men's association football fullbacks
Arsenal F.C. players
AFC Bournemouth players
Derby County F.C. players
Sunderland A.F.C. players
Port Vale F.C. players
Burton Town F.C. players
English Football League players
Midland Football League players
Men's association football player-managers
English football managers
Burton Town F.C. managers
1905 births
1989 deaths