*Indicates unconfirmed information. Figures in brackets after English team names indicate all appearances made and goals scored in competitive matches for Football League clubs from 1888 onwards. For Scottish League clubs the figures show details of all competitive appearances and goals scored from 1946/47 onwards.
George Purcell
Appearances: 5+3 Goals: 3
Date / Year of birth: 2nd April 1988
Position: Striker
Season of first appearance: 2012/13
Season of last appearance: 2012/13
Also played for: Gravesend & Northfleet, Ebbsfleet United, Heybridge Swifts, Ramsgate, Braintree Town, York City, Dartford, Eastbourne Borough, Dover Athletic, Tonbridge Angels and AFC Hornchurch
Lively striker who started his career with Gravesend & Northfleet and progressed through the Fleet's youth ranks. The Conference club changed its name to Ebbsfleet United ahead of the 2007/08 campaign and George started to feature regularly in the first team squad as the season progressed.
In September 2007 he joined Isthmian League Premier Division club Heybridge on a month's loan at the same time as future Margate player Liam Coleman and George got six goals from only four outings for the Swifts. His tally included a hat-trick in a 4-0 home win over Harrow on 6.10.07.
After returning to Ebbsfleet George scored twice in a 3-1 win over Ramsgate in a Kent Senior Cup tie at Stonebridge Road on 20.11.07 and in May 2008 he was an unused substitute as the Fleet beat Torquay 1-0 at Wembley to win the FA Trophy.
In July 2008 he came on as a sub as Ebbsfleet took on Cray at Bromley in the 2007/08 Kent Senior Cup Final - delayed due to the Fleet's fixture congestion - and George scored the last goal in a 4-0 win.
He stayed with Ebbsfleet for the 2008/09 season and in February 2009 George was loaned to Isthmian League Premier Division club Ramsgate. He scored once from five outings in all competitions for the Rams.
In the summer of 2009 George was sold to Conference South club Braintree for the princely sum of £35,000 and he went on to score 22 goals for the Iron during the 2009/10 campaign. His 18 goals in the Conference South made him the second highest scorer in the league.
George moved on to York in the summer of 2010 but he only made one substitute appearance for them in the Conference - in a 0-0 draw at Grimsby on 17.8.10 - before picking up an injury that ruled him out for a lengthy spell.
At the end of November 2010 George was loaned to Dartford of the Conference South and he scored twice from seven outings for the Darts before briefly returning to York in January 2011.
At the end of January 2011 George was loaned out again and joined Eastbourne Borough. He made his debut for the Conference outfit in a 3-0 home defeat against Gateshead on 1.2.11 and got his first goal in a 4-1 win over visitors Southport on 5.3.11. In all George scored three times in 17 league appearances (seven as sub) before the end of the 2010/11 season.
In July 2011 he joined Conference club Dover from York for an undisclosed fee and George went on to score 12 goals from 38 outings (five as sub) in all competitions during 2011/12. He was released at the start of May 2012 after agreeing to cancel his contract which still had year to run.
A few days after leaving Dover George signed for Tonbridge and their manager Tommy Warrilow said "He is still a young man who has so much ability and someone I rate very highly. He has spoken to other clubs and has had ample opportunity to secure a far better deal elsewhere but felt Tonbridge is the right move for him. When a player of George's calibre comes along, you cannot afford to miss an opportunity to sign him. The main thing for me was his positive attitude throughout our talks and negotiations, and I am thrilled to have him here."
George was a regular in Tonbridge's side at the start of the 2012/13 campaign but didn't score in his first seven appearances for the club before getting two goals in the first six minutes of a 4-2 home win over Boreham Wood in the Conference South on 15.9.12. He struggled to hold down a regular starting place and in February 2013 George's Tonbridge contract was cancelled by mutual consent. Tommy Warrilow told the This Is Kent website "George was a sub and was not happy about it. By his own admission he wasn't having the best of seasons. The one thing with George is even if the goals weren't going in, you cannot fault his work ethic. The problem was, the harder he was trying the less luck he seemed to be having."
Immediately after his departure from Tonbridge George joined Margate on a deal lasting until the end of the 2012/13 campaign after AFC Hornchurch had also made an approach for his services. George told the Tonbridge Courier "It was just about games. I could have stayed in the same league for several other clubs but they have all got 10 or 12 games left and I thought the best option was to come down to Margate and get 18 games, rather than 10. It didn't feel right at Angels and it's all about playing games for me and all I want to do is score as many goals as I possibly can."
George scored on his debut as Margate beat Hampton & Richmond 2-1 at Hartsdown Park in an Isthmian League Premier Division game on 23.2.13 and took his goal well, latching onto a ball over the top before rolling the ball past the visitors keeper. Caretaker assistant manager Simon Osborn told Margate's website "He brings a goal threat and at the moment we're not scoring enough goals. When he went through you actually thought he was going to score." George himself told the site "Margate have still got a lot of games so that's why I wanted to come down here. When I was at Tonbridge I've played every game besides three this season but it just didn't work out for me there." He also spoke about new strike partner Carl Rook and said "Rooky is what he is, he wins every header, flicks on balls and he's good in the air. It's nice to play with someone that you know that when the ball goes on their head it's going to be flicked in."
In his next outing on 26.2.13 George scored both goals as Margate beat visitors Leiston 2-0 but he then went off with a foot injury in the first half of a 0-0 draw with Hendon at Wembley FC on 2.3.13. He missed nine matches before returning as a substitute in a 2-0 defeat at Lewes on 11.4.13 and after making one more sub appearance George started in a 2-1 home defeat against Kingstonian on 16.4.13. He also played from the start in a 2-2 draw at Bury on 20.4.13 but after that George only featured once as a substitute in Margate's next two games when he came on in a 0-0 draw with Harrow at Hartsdown Park on 27.4.13. He finished the season having scored three times in eight appearances (three as sub).
In June 2013 George turned down a new contract at Margate and joined AFC Hornchurch, also of the Isthmian League Premier Division, instead. He linked up with Carl Rook once again there.
|
SEASON (CLUB) |
FULL (MAX) |
SUB |
GLS |
FAC |
FAT |
ILC |
KSC |
| |
|
2012/13 (MFC) |
5 (50) |
3 |
3 |
ISTHMIAN LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION (9TH OF 22) |
3QR |
1QR |
2R |
QF |