George Stewart

Some players, though giving their best, don’t have what it takes, or get the opportunity to break consistently into the first team. George Stewart was such a player. Although at Dens Park for four seasons, and a stalwart of the reserve team, he only made a few first team appearances.

Stewart, signed for Dundee in 1946 from Buckie Thistle. He had been a prolific goal scorer with the club, scoring seven goals against Keith on one occasion. Both Hearts and Dundee had shown interest in him. Dundee played him as a trialist against Edinburgh City. Listed as “Newman” he scored two goals, and was reported to be “fast, opens up the game well, and is an opportunist.” To gain more experience he found himself loaned to Montrose, for the rest of the season.

The following season saw him return to the reserve team, where he regularly scored goals. George made his debut for the first team on the 13^th March 1947, against Motherwell, replacing Albert Juliussen. He got glowing praise from Motherwell’s internationalist goalkeeper, Paton, who said “he was a bundle of energy, and gave me an anxious afternoon.” it was thought that with some “careful coaching, experience and confidence should get rid of his rough spots.” On the back of his good performance, George retained his place for the next game away to Third Lanark. Unfortunately not scoring on this occasion.

Motherwell proved a memorable team for Stewart. In October of season 1948-49 he received a nasty eye injury playing in the reserves. When Dundee played them at Dens in December, he made his first appearance in two months scoring a hat-trick.

When Dundee went on their Continental tour in the close season of 1949, George was included in the squad. The team left Dundee, bound for London, on May 18^th. They had all been “kitted out” with a blue blazer, with white buttons and club badge monogrammed on its breast pocket, and a pair of dark grey trousers. He proved worthy of inclusion scoring in the match against an Odense Select team.

Whilst scoring plenty of goals in the reserves, he still could not get a run in the first team. His prowess in front of goal could not be disputed, and in December 1949 he was the top goal scorer at Dens, with 18 goals. This made him, at that time in the season, the fourth top scorer in the reserve league.

Tragedy was to befall George when his wife died suddenly after a brief illness in July 1950. The couple had married in March of that year.

The end of his time at Dens Park came in November 1950. Having travelled through to Glasgow for an International match with Mr George Anderson, they were approached by a St Mirren director, who wished to see them after the game. After a short discussion, about a transfer for the player, between the two directors, a deal was agreed. He had one request after the formalities, “may I have a blue jersey as a keepsake?”

George retired in 1961. After leaving St Mirren he went on to play for Worcester City, Accrington Stanley (where he broke the club’s goal scoring record), Coventry City and Carlisle United, before ending his career where it had started at Buckie Thistle. He died in 2011 aged 84.