Port Vale
Which team did George Poyser play for from 1931 to 1934?
George Poyser George Henry Poyser ( 6 February 1910 – 30 January 1995 ) was an English football player and manager . A defender , he enjoyed a lengthy playing career , the tail end of which was interrupted by World War II . He played for Wolverhampton Wanderers , Stourbridge , Mansfield Town , Port Vale , Brentford , and Plymouth Argyle . He helped Brentford to win the Second Division title in 1934–35 . He became a coach and manager after the war , taking charge of Dover , Notts County and Manchester City . He took County into the quarter-finals of the FA Cup , though he was better equipped as a scout than as a manager . Playing career . Poyser played as a defender , and was a strong left-back . Playing for Teversal Colliery , he had an unsuccessful trial at Mansfield Town , before moving on to Stanton Hill Victoria . He enjoyed spells at Wolverhampton Wanderers and Stourbridge , before signing with Mansfield Town . He was part of the Mansfield team when they were elected to the Football League in 1931 . In May 1931 , he joined Port Vale of the Second Division . His debut came on 2 January 1932 , in a 2–0 win over Plymouth Argyle at The Old Recreation Ground . However , he totalled just six appearances for the Valiants in the 1931–32 campaign . He featured 28 times in the 1932–33 season , before establishing himself in the first team with 39 appearances in the 1933–34 campaign . He made 72 league appearances for Port Vale . In June 1934 he transferred to Brentford for a fee of £1,550 , a club record . In his first season at Brentford , the club won the Second Division championship . The Bees finished fifth in the First Division in 1935–36 , sixth in 1936–37 and 1937–38 , and then 18th in 1938–39 . He remained at Griffin Park for a decade , making 157 appearances , though like many players of his era , the Second World War shortened his career , though he represented Brentford in the non-competitive wartime competitions . The 36-year-old Poyser joined Plymouth Argyle for a £3,500 fee late in the 1945–46 season , making three Football League South appearances and a further three Second Division appearances . He left Home Park at the end of the 1946–47 season . Management career . Poyser first turned to management with Dover . He then returned to his old professional clubs in a coaching capacity , becoming the assistant trainer at Brentford and a coach at Wolverhampton Wanderers . His management career gained more recognition at Notts County , whom he managed between October 1953 and January 1957 , reaching the FA Cup quarter-finals in 1955 . Former Notts County winger Gordon Wills regards Poyser as the best manager he played for . The Magpies struggled in the lower half of the Second Division during his four seasons at Meadow Lane , though they did reach seventh in the 1954–55 season . In January 1957 Poyser joined Manchester City as assistant to Les McDowall , with a reputation for being a talented scout . Manchester City were relegated to the Second Division in 1963 , and McDowall left the club . On 12 July 1963 , Poyser was appointed as his replacement . He made three key signings in Derek Kevan , Jimmy Murray , and Johnny Crossan , whilst promoting home-grown talent in Alan Oakes and Glyn Pardoe – both of whom went on to build long careers at the club . In his first season , the club reached the League Cup semi-finals , but were well short of promotion in the league , finishing sixth . His second season proved disappointing , and in January 1965 the club reached a low point with their lowest ever league attendance of 8,015 against Swindon Town . Poyser himself was not at the stadium , as he had elected to perform a scouting mission instead . At Easter Poyser was sacked , and the club finished the season in their then lowest ever position of 11th in the Second Division . His replacement , Joe Mercer , went on to great success at Maine Road . Honours . - Brentford - Football League Second Division : 1934–35 - London War Cup : 1941–42 Individual - Brentford Hall of Fame