George Haigh was an English professional footballer, mainly known for his association with Stockport County.
13 Facts About George Haigh
1.
2.
George Haigh's career started at Manchester City in 1931, as a junior.
3.
George Haigh played in the reserves alongside Frank Swift, but when Swift was promoted to the senior side, Haigh stayed where he was.
4.
George Haigh had the misfortune to score an own goal on his debut for County, and made a second league appearance before the outbreak of the Second World War.
5.
George Haigh reached the rank of flight sergeant before being commissioned an acting pilot officer on 20 June 1941, and was regraded as a pilot officer on 20 August.
6.
Rochdale often played Blackpool, and George Haigh was usually tasked to mark Stanley Matthews.
7.
On 20 June 1942, George Haigh was confirmed in the rank of pilot officer, and was promoted to flying officer on 20 August.
8.
George Haigh was promoted to flight lieutenant on 11 September 1944, and was mentioned in despatches in 1945, ending his service with the rank of squadron leader.
9.
In 1945, he was offered the player-manager position at Arbroath, but George Haigh decided to join Lancaster City as they had offered him a trade as a metal spinner, as well as the captaincy of the team.
10.
Coincidentally, the club already had a player who owned an engineering firm, so George Haigh was able to train during the week and play for the club on the weekends.
11.
George Haigh had been vocal about his time at Rossendale, as he was constantly undermined by the board of directors over prospective new players, so he resigned in 1952, effectively ending his career in football.
12.
George Haigh maintained regular contact with the club, appearing as a guest of honour in 2008.
13.
George Haigh continued to watch County home and away up until after his 100th birthday, but made special appearances after that, notably in November 2018 when he unveiled a plaque at Edgley Park commemorating former players who died in World War I Haigh suffered from age-related macular degeneration and, until at least 2015, received support from Blind Veterans UK, the national charity for blind and vision-impaired ex-Service men and women.