George Putman

DOB: 23rd December 1950

Position: Midfielder

Season of first appearance: 1978/79

Season of last appearance: 1978/79

Full Appearances: 31

Substitute: 1

Goals: 10

Also played for:

Poole Town, Weymouth, Tonbridge, Hastings United, Lymington Town.

Player Profile:

5' 10" tall attacking player born in London known for his aerial ability and work rate.

George started his career with Poole where he spent the 1971/72 and 1972/73 campaigns and then joined Weymouth for the 1973/74 season.

He scored the only goal of the game on his debut for Weymouth, a 1-0 home win over Barnet on 11.8.73, and scored five goals in total during 1973/74.

He had a trial with Crystal Palace during that time but moved to Tonbridge before the end of the campaign.

He stayed with the Angels for a couple of seasons and then joined Hastings for the 1976/77 campaign. George was part of their side that won promotion to the Southern League Premier Division.

In the summer of 1978, he signed for Margate and George made his first appearance in a 2-0 win over Dartford in a Southern League Cup tie at Hartsdown Park on 21.8.78 that became void after the tie was ordered to be replayed. That meant that he made his official debut wearing the number seven shirt in a 2-1 win at Dorchester in the Southern League on 9.9.78. George went on to make 33 appearances (one as a substitute) during the 1978/79 season, playing up front and in midfield. He scored ten goals to finish the campaign as Margate's joint top scorer along with Ricky Fusco. On 2.12.78, George scored a hat-trick in a 4-1 win over Dartford at Hartsdown and his best goal was an effort from the edge of the penalty area in a 5-2 win over Ashford on 13.11.78. However, he left the club at the end of the season after his contract was cancelled by mutual consent.

In a programme article during the 1978/79 campaign, he'd revealed that he enjoyed painting and that his favourite player was Rodney Marsh. George had also said that he felt that television was "not worth watching".

He later played for Lymington and also had a spell as the club's manager.

In the late 1980s, George coached in the USA and returned to the UK early in 1990, becoming Bashley's coach.

In 2006, he was living in Leicester and making a living as an artist. He'd studied at Bournemouth College of Art as a youngster and had lived in Spain for a period.

George died on 23.3.09 aged only 58 after a battle with cancer.