It was with great sadness that I learned of the passing of George Glass. George passed away at his Belfast home on 5th December last year, just eight months after his dearly loved wife, Muriel.
I first heard from George shortly after this site launched in 2006, when messages of corrections started to arrive. There followed dozens of emails including player profiles and statistical articles and I soon got to learn a bit more about George. He was widely respected within the statto community, counting among his works contributions to Cris Freddi, Marshall Gillespie, Malcolm Brodie and the IFFHS. He also completed extensive work on Linfield's history with their late chairman, David Crawford.
As a boy, George was taken under the wing of the Northern Ireland squad during a childhood illness. He was invited into the team's dressing room on the afternoon of 4th December 1957 prior to the World Cup Qualifier against Italy, and was there as the team were informed the match had been downgraded to a friendly. The team sent him a signed postcard (below) from Sweden the following summer and he enjoyed many conversations about the trip's behind-the-scenes shenanigans with "Uncle" Gerry Morgan and Derek Dougan.
George's own sporting career took him to hockey, and he played at representative level as a goalkeeper. He served in the RUC before retirement allowed him to spend more time on his football research.
My sincere sympathies to all the Glass family.
Jonny
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Cris Freddi
Marshall Gillespie