George Samuel Eccles (1874 – 18 December 1945) was an English footballer who played at right-back in the Football League and Southern League for Burslem Port Vale, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Everton, Preston North End, West Ham United and Bolton Wanderers. He helped Bolton Wanderers to win promotion out of the Second Division in 1904–05.
Career Eccles played for Middleport before joining Burslem Port Vale in June 1893. He played six Second Division games in the 1893–94 season. He featured once in the FA Cup and made 27 league appearances in the 1894–95 season, claiming one goal in a 4–4 draw with Newcastle United at the Athletic Ground on 6 October. On 26 February, when heading for a match against Notts County at Trent Bridge, he misread the train timetables. He selected a non-existent train that only ran on market days, thereby missing the game. He played 17 league and two FA Cup games in the 1895–96 season, and broke his collarbone in February 1896. He was sold to Wolverhampton Wanderers for a 'considerable' fee in May 1896. "Wolves" finished tenth and third in the First Division in 1896–97 and 1897–98. Eccles scored one goal in 36 league games during his two years at Molineux and then moved on to league rivals Everton. The "Toffees" finished fourth, eleventh, and seventh in 1898–99, 1899–1900, and 1900–01. He played 56 league games during his three seasons at Goodison Park before switching to Preston North End. He did not feature in the Second Division for the "Lambs" in 1901–02, and instead transferred to West Ham United. The "Hammers" finished tenth and twelfth in the Southern League in 1902–03 and 1903–04, with Eccles playing 59 league games at the Memorial Grounds. He then made a brief return to the Football League, playing six league games to help Bolton Wanderers win promotion out of the Second Division in 1904–05.
Career statistics
+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueFA CupTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsBurslem Port Vale1893–94Second Division6000601894–95Second Division271102811895–96Second Division17020190Total50130531Wolverhampton Wanderers1896–97First Division181001811897–98First Division18010190Total36110371Everton1898–99First Division100001001899–1900First Division200102101900–01First Division120201401901–02First Division14010150Total56040600Preston North End1901–02Second Division000000West Ham United1902–03Southern League First Division250102601903–04Southern League First Division34040380Total59050640Bolton Wanderers1904–05Second Division600060Career total20721302202
Honours Bolton Wanderers Football League Second Division second-place promotion: 1904–05
References