Hudson: George (Garth)

WW2 Guest: 1945-1946 (Leeds United War-time Guest Player Details)

Right Back

Born: Havant, Hampshire: 26-10-1923

Debut: v Stoke City (a): 13-09-1945

6’3” 15st 0lb (1958)

After starting his football career with his local club, Havant Rovers, Hudson signed for his local First Division team, Portsmouth, in late 1944 as a Centre Forward. He played five times for Pompey in War-time games, twice in 1944-45 and three in 1945-46 but never found the net. In the last season of War-time Football he guested for Leeds United as a Right Back and made seven appearances in the 1945-46 Football League Northern Section. He made his debut on 13th September 1945 in a 1-2 defeat at Stoke City, but then took part in the sixth game of the season that saw United gain their first points in a surprise 2-0 win over Everton at Goodison Park. He then played in their next two fixtures which resulted in a 2-3 loss to Everton at Elland Road followed by a 2-1 win over Bolton Wanderers at the same venue. He then returned south to play two games for Portsmouth before, two weeks later, he was in the team that went down 2-8 to Preston North End at Deepdale, then he missed one game before playing his final two games in consecutive games in a 3-2 win over Burnley at Turf Moor and a 3-3 draw with Manchester United at Elland Road. He returned to Fratton Park after the war but only played one game, at Centre Forward, in the 1947-48 season in the 1-1 home draw with Blackburn Rovers on 25th October 1947, before moving to Third Division South Swindon Town in September 1948 where he played the rest of his career at Centre Half. He made his Third Division South debut on 9th October 1948 in a 1-1 draw with Bristol Rovers at home. He remained with the Robins for twelve seasons and was ever-present in five of them. He played his final game in the Third Division on 21st November 1959 at Colchester United in a 0-0 draw. By the time he was forced to quit the game through injury early in May 1960, Hudson had accumulated four hundred and one League appearances and in those games had scored eleven goals, six of them from the penalty spot. He also played in twenty-six F.A. Cup games.