Reader George Image 1 Southampton 1921

Description

Nuneaton, Warwickshire born centre forward George Reader began his football career with St Luke’s College at The University of Exeter and while playing for the College made a solitary Southern League appearance for Southern League club Exeter City against Southampton on 1st January 1920, he hit the crossbar and netted the fourth goal in City’s 4-1 win. After leaving College in 1920 George signed for (by now Third Division South club) Southampton for whom he made his Football League debut at Qyeens Park Rangers that November, then making two more league appearances to Nrw Year’s Day 1921. In the summer of 1921 he joined Harland & Wolff and played for Cowes in 1922, his last known club, until his retirement in 1930.

Reader was better known as a football referee. He took up refereeing in 1930 and progressed through the system with great speed. Within six seasons he was running the line in the Football League before being promoted to referee during the 1939-40 season. With the season soon abandoned due to the outbreak of the Second World War, he.continued to officiate throughout the War years taking charge of wartime cup finals and internationals. Retiring as was normal from the league list at the age of 48, he refereed in other countries until being recalled from retirement to take charge Brentford versus Chelsea in 1948 and the match between Great Britain and the Rest of Europe at Hampden Park. Subsequently in 1950 he was invited to officiate in the World Cup in Brazil, taking charge of several matches, notably the Final between the hosts and Uruguay in front of 200,000 spectators at The Maracanã at the age of fifty-three, as Uruguay came from behind to win the match 2-1.