Full name George Shutt Role Footballer Name George Shutt | Playing position Date of birth c. 1861 Position Midfielder | |
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Place of birth Stoke-upon-Trent, England Date of death 6 August 1936 (aged 74–75) Place of death Hanley, Staffordshire, England Died August 6, 1936, Hanley, Staffordshire, United Kingdom | ||
George Shutt (1861 – 6 August 1936) was an English international footballer who played at half-back. He won a cap for England in 1886, and played for Stoke in the 1880s. He also represented Hanley Town and Burslem Port Vale, and became a qualified referee in 1891.
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Club career
Shutt was born in Stoke-upon-Trent and played for Stoke Priory before becoming one of the first professional players signed by Stoke following their adoption of professionalism in August 1885, being paid half a crown (12½p) per week. Following a threat of strike action amongst the players when the club wished to introduce different pay levels, he was given an increase to five shillings (25p).
Shutt remained with Stoke until 1889 and was a member of the Stoke side that were founder members of the Football League in 1888, finishing at the bottom of the table in the inaugural season. He played in 21 league matches for Stoke and scored once in a 1–1 draw with Aston Villa at the Victoria Ground in November 1888; Shutt's goal earned Stoke their first League draw.
Following a period with Hanley Town, Shutt joined Burslem Port Vale, most likely in the summer of 1891. His first recorded game for the club was on 21 September 1891, in a 4–3 friendly win over Sheffield Wednesday at the Athletic Ground. Five days later he played in the Midland League 4–0 home defeat of Doncaster Rovers and on 3 October he played in an FA Cup first round qualifier, which Vale lost 4–2 at home to Bolton Wanderers. These were to be his only (recorded) games for the Vale and he was released at the end of the 1892–93 season. He then returned to Hanley Town.
In 1891, Shutt qualified as a referee, becoming one of the youngest referees on the Football League list. He later became the proprietor of the Borough Exchange Hotel in Stoke.
International career
Shutt earned a cap with England in 1886. The match was a Home Championship game against Ireland on 13 March. England "totally dominated the Irish" to record a 6–1 victory, with Benjamin Spilsbury scoring four goals.