Laking: George Edward (George)

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

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Born: Harthill, Yorkshire: 17-03-1913

Debut: v Stoke City (h): 2-12-1945

Height & Weight: Unknown

Laking spent his early days with Kiveton Park and then Dinnington before moving on to First Division Wolverhampton Wanderers in May 1934. He made his debut for Wolves in a 1-2 defeat in the First Division by Grimsby Town on 9th November 1935 and played two seasons there, making twenty-seven appearances in the League and two in the F.A. Cup, before signing for First Division Middlesbrough in October 1936. He made his debut for them in the First Division 5-5 home draw on 17th October 1936 with Sunderland and went on to score one goal in ninety-three League appearances before the outbreak of World War Two, excluding the three games in the 1939-40 season which were erased from the Football League records. He made one appearance for Leeds as a guest when he played at Left Back in the 1945-46 Football League Northern Section game at Elland Road in a 0-0 draw with Stoke City. He also played for Middlesbrough during the War he scored one goal in three games in 1941-42, two goals in three games in 1942-43, but added no more goals in three games in 1943-44, one in 1944-45 and sixteen in 1945-46, scoring a total of three goals in twenty-six League games. He also guested for Sheffield United, where he played one game in 1941-42, Sheffield Wednesday, where he played twenty-four times in 1941-42, and once in each of 1942-43 and 1943-44. He also made nineteen appearances for Doncaster Rovers in 1942-43 and thirty appearances in 1943-44. After the War he only added one more appearance to his League tally for Middlesbrough, against Sheffield United at Bramall Lane in a 1-2 defeat on 28th Septemb 1946 in the First Division. He then retired from League football and joined Non-League Shrewsbury Town in 1947, where he worked at the Sentinel factory and also played an active part in the Town's Cricket Club. He was another player whose best days were taken by the Second World War. He died in 1997.