GEORGE CAMSELL

George Henry Camsell (27th November 1902 – 7th March 1966) was an English footballer who scored a club record 325 league goals in 419 games for Middlesbrough, and 18 goals in nine appearances for England. His 59 goals in one season (1926–27) for Middlesbrough then Champions in the Second Division, was a Football League record at the time, and has only been bettered once within the English game by Dixie Dean of Everton in 1927–28. Middlesbrough totalled 122 league goals that season.

His nine hat-tricks that season, remain a Football League record. He also holds the highest "goals to games" record for England of anyone who has played more than a single international.

Born in Framwellgate Moor (now the location of New College, Durham), near Durham City in 1902, Camsell worked as a miner and played for the local City club. After scoring 21 goals in 20 games in a season he signed for Middlesbrough on 6th October 1925 for the sum of £500. His debut was against Nottingham Forest on 31 October 1925, managing three goals for Middlesbrough in the 1925-6 season.

Camsell holds the Middlesbrough club record of 59 League goals in 37 games and 63 goals in all competitions in one season, accomplished in the 1926-7 season, his first full season with Middlesbrough. 

After he had initially struggled for game time and almost joined Barnsley, he made his first appearance of the season on 18 September 1926. He failed to score on that day but Camsell would only fail to score on two more occasions in the following 25 matches, taking in a run of 12 successive matches in which he scored at least once. 

He scored five on Christmas Day 1926, against Manchester City and two more in the return fixture on 27th  December. In February 1927, Camsell broke the record for league goals in a season by a player, having overtaken Jimmy Cookson's haul of 44 for Chesterfield in 1925–26. 59 remains the second-highest number of League goals scored and the equal highest number in all competitions in one English league season, behind Dixie Dean's 60 league and 100 total a year later. The nine hat-tricks Camsell scored that season remains an English record for most in a League season. 

Camsell was Middlesbrough's top scorer in each of his first ten full seasons, and he bagged at least 30 in each of the first five as well as the tenth. Between 1925 and 1939, Camsell scored 345 goals in 453 games for Middlesbrough, including 325 league goals, (the fifth-highest English total of all-time).  His goals included 24 hat tricks for the club. He played his last League game for Middlesbrough against Leicester City at Ayresome Park on 10 April 1939, in a 3–2 victory. Camsell scored the opening goal. He continued to play for them into 1940 following the cessation of the 1939-40 season season during the War, playing in war time competitions. Camsell only won nine England caps, scoring 18 goals, the highest goals to games ratio of anyone who has played more than a single England international. 

His goals included a hat-trick in a 6–0 win against Wales on 20 November 1929, in the British Home Championship and four goals in a match against Belgium on 11 May 1929. He scored in every match he played for England; his nine consecutive scoring appearances are second only to the great Steve Bloomer. During the Second World War, Camsell worked in local factories.  After the war, he worked for Middlesbrough's backroom staff, firstly as a scout, where he discovered a young Brian Clough He then became a coach and eventually the club's assistant secretary.

Camsell retired in 1963 and died in 1966, aged 63, shortly before that year's World Cup. 

A suite at Middlesbrough's Riverside Stadium is named after him and in 2015 and there is a campaign for a statue out side the stadium. 

George Camsell was born at Framwellgate Moor on 27th November 1902. He played local football for Esh Winning and Tow Law Town before joining Durham City in 1924, a team that played in the Third Division at the time. Camsell, a centre-forward and on,ly 5' 6", scored 20 goals in 21 games during the 1924-25 season. This was impressive form and on 6th October,1925, he was transferred to Second Division Middlesbrough for a sum of £500. In his first full season Camsell scored a record 59 league goals. Middlesbrough won the Second Division Championship and was promoted to the First Division.

Supporters were concerned that Camsell would not be able to produce the same goal-scoring form in the First Division. In the second game of the season, Middlesbrough played Everton and this put him up against the division's best striker, Dixie Dean. Camsell came out on top and scored all four goals in Middlesbrough's 4-2 victory. However, of course, it was Dean who went on that year, to beat Camsell's record by scoring 60 goals that season. Everton won the Championship and Middlesbrough was relegated!!!!!

Camsell was in great form in the 1928-29 season and once again Middlesbrough was Second Division champions. That season Camsell also managed to replace Dixie Dean in the England team. His first cap was against France on 9th May 1929 when Camsell scored two goals. Two days later he scored four against Belgium. Later that year he scored two against Ireland and three against Wales.

Camsell lost his place and did not play for his country again until 1933. He scored two goals in England's 4-1 victory over France. Once again he was dropped but when he returned in 1935 against Germany he scored two of the goals in the 3-0 win. He also scored in all his three international games in 1936. Despite scoring in every game he played for his country, his game against Belgium marked the end of his international career. He had the tremendous record of scoring 18 goals in nine games.

In the 1938-39 season Camsell developed a good partnership with the team's young inside-right, Wilf Mannion. That season Middlesbrough scored 93 goals and finished in 4th place in the First Division.

The outbreak of the World War 2 brought an end to Camsell's football career. He had scored 325 goals in 419 games for his club. After the war Camsell worked as Middlesbrough's coach, chief scout and assistant secretary before retiring in December 1963. George Camsell died in 1966.

By number of seasons as top scorer in top flight.

Rank	Player	Nationality	Titles	Club(s)	Years
1	Jimmy Greaves		6	Chelsea 1959, 1961, Tottenham Hotspur 1963, 1964, 1965, 1969	1958–59, 1960–61, 1962–63, 1963–64, 1964–65, 1968–69
2	Steve Bloomer		5	Derby County	1895–96, 1896–97, 1898–99, 1900–01, 1903–04
3	Thierry Henry		4	Arsenal	2001–02, 2003–04, 2004–05, 2005–06
4	John Campbell		3	Sunderland	1891–92, 1892–93, 1894–95
4	Gary Lineker		3	Leicester City 1985, Everton 1986, Tottenham Hotspur 1990	1984–85, 1985–86, 1989–90
4	Alan Shearer		3	Blackburn Rovers 1995, 1996, Newcastle United 1997	1994–95, 1995–96, 1996–97
4	Harry Kane		3	Tottenham Hotspur	2015–16, 2016–17, 2020–21
4	Mohamed Salah		3	Liverpool	2017–18, 2018–19, 2021–22
9	Jack Southworth		2	Blackburn Rovers 1891, Everton 1894	1890–91, 1893–94
9	Albert Shepherd		2	Bolton Wanderers 1906, Newcastle United 1911	1905–06, 1910–11
9	David McLean		2	Sheffield Wednesday	1911–12, 1912–13
9	Dixie Dean		2	Everton	1927–28, 1931–32
9	Jack Bowers		2	Derby County	1932–33, 1933–34
9	Tommy Lawton		2	Everton	1937–38, 1938–39
9	Ron Davies		2	Southampton	1966–67, 1967–68
9	Malcolm Macdonald		2	Newcastle United 1975, Arsenal 1977	1974–75, 1976–77
9	Alan Smith		2	Arsenal	1988–89, 1990–91
9	Michael Owen		2	Liverpool	1997–98, 1998–99
9	Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink		2	Leeds United 1999, Chelsea 2001	1998–99, 2000–01
9	Didier Drogba		2	Chelsea	2006–07, 2009–10
9	Robin van Persie		2	Arsenal 2012, Manchester United 2013	2011–12, 2012–13