Poyser George Image 2 Mansfield Town 1930

Description

Stanton Hill, Nottinghamshire, born left back George Poyser started his career locally with Teversal Colliery in 1925 before a brief trial with Mansfield Town and then a spell with Stanton Hill Victoria in 1927. He was on the books of Wolverhampton Wanderers from May 1928, but he failed to make the first team at Molineux. After a spell with Stourbridge in 1929 he joined Mansfield Town in 1930, from where he signed for Second Division Port Vale in May 1931, making his Football League debut against Plymouth Argyle in January 1932 and playing 73 times for them over two years.

His next move was the most productive of his career; he moved to London to join Brentford in June 1934 for £1,550, and they were promoted to the First Division in his first season winning the Second Division Championship. He remained at Griffin Park until the outbreak of the Second World War, and returned for 3 FA Cup ties immediately after the War in 1946, making 157 appearances for The Bees.

Poyser played regularly for Brentford in the regional leagues during the War, and then moved to Plymouth Argyle in Aoril 1946 season, part of a double transfer with Bob Thomas, who joined his brother Dave at Home Park. At the age of 36, Poyser’s time in Plymouth was always likely to be limited; he made just three appearances in the remaining Football League (South) campaign and another three when the traditional peacetime Football League resumed the following season.

On leaving Home Park, Poyser moved to play non-league football with Dover Athletic as a player-manager. He then returned to his old clubs in a coaching capacity, first becoming the assistant trainer at Brentford and then a coach at Wolves. However, it was after his appointment as manager of Notts County that he started to establish his reputation. In charge from October 1953 to January 1957, he took the Meadow Lane club to the quarter finals of the FA Cup in 1955.

In 1957 he joined Manchester City as assistant manager and with a burgeoning reputation as a talented scout. When City were relegated to the Second Division in 1963, manager Les McDowall left the club and on 12 July 1963, Poyser was appointed as his replacement. In his first season, City reached the League Cup semi finals, but fell short of promotion. Unable to build on a promising start, his second season proved a disappointment and in January 1965 the club reached a low point with their smallest ever League attendance of 8,015 against Swindon Town, and in April Poyser was sacked, with the club finishing the season in their second lowest-ever position at that time; 11th in the Second Division.