George Thorne (footballer)

George Louis Elliot Thorne (born 4 January 1993)[3] is an English footballer and was part of England's Under 17 European Championship winning side in 2010. He currently plays for Southern League Central Premier club Bedford Town, having previously played at England Youth and Premiership level. He operates as a midfielder.

George Thorne
Personal information
Full name George Louis Elliot Thorne[1]
Date of birth (1993-01-04) 4 January 1993 (age 31)
Place of birth Chatham, England
Height 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)[2]
Position(s) Midfielder
Team information
Current team
Bedford Town
Youth career
2004–2009 West Bromwich Albion
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2009–2014 West Bromwich Albion 10 (0)
2011Portsmouth (loan) 4 (0)
2012Portsmouth (loan) 10 (0)
2012Peterborough United (loan) 7 (1)
2013–2014Watford (loan) 8 (0)
2014Derby County (loan) 9 (1)
2014–2020 Derby County 57 (2)
2019Luton Town (loan) 3 (0)
2019–2020Oxford United (loan) 1 (0)
2020 Oxford United 3 (0)
2022– Bedford Town 3 (0)
International career
2009 England U16 2 (0)
2009–2010 England U17 13 (0)
2011 England U18 1 (0)
2010–2012 England U19 20 (1)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  England
UEFA European Under-17 Championship
Winner 2010 Liechtenstein
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 16:53, 12 August 2020 (UTC)

Club career

edit

West Bromwich Albion

edit

Born in Chatham, Thorne joined West Bromwich Albion's Academy in 2005, having been one of the many talented youngsters who were left without a club when Cambridge United's youth scheme closed. He made his debut in a 4–0 win over Sheffield Wednesday in 2009–10, coming off the bench for Simon Cox.[4] At 16 years, 328 days, this made him the youngest player to represent Albion in a senior competitive match since Bobby Hope in April 1960.[5] In January 2010, Thorne signed his first professional contract with Albion, doing so prior to the club's home game with Nottingham Forest.[6]

Portsmouth (loan)

edit

On 24 November 2011, Thorne joined Championship team Portsmouth on loan until 2 January 2012, alongside Joe Mattock.[7] He made his début two days later, starting in a 1–1 draw against Leicester City at Fratton Park.[8] On 20 December 2011, he was recalled along with two other players also on loan at other clubs due to an injury crisis.[9] On 18 February 2012, he rejoined Portsmouth on loan.[10] He made his second debut in a 2–0 defeat against Barnsley the same day.[11] On 30 March, he suffered an ankle injury in the game against Burnley, being ruled out for the rest of the season, and returning to West Brom.[12]

Peterborough United (loan)

edit

On 21 November 2012, he joined Peterborough United on loan until January.[13] He made his debut three days later, helping Peterborough secure a 1–1 draw away to Ipswich Town.[14] He scored his first goal on 22 December in a 5–4 win against Bolton Wanderers.[15]

Return to West Brom

edit

On 28 December 2012, West Brom manager Steve Clarke recalled Thorne from Peterborough.[16] Two days later, Thorne started in central midfield in a Premier League clash with Manchester United.[17]

Watford (loan)

edit

On 6 November 2013, Thorne went out on loan to Watford until 2 January 2014.[18]

Derby County (loan)

edit

On 30 January 2014, Thorne went out on loan to Derby County for the remainder of the 2013–14 season.[19] Thorne's first appearance for Derby County came in their 5–0 win against rivals Nottingham Forest in March 2014.[20] He scored his first goal for Derby against Doncaster on 18 April 2014.[21] He played his final game of the loan spell for the Rams in the Championship Play-off Final at Wembley, where his side lost 1–0 to QPR.[22]

Derby County

edit

On 18 July 2014, Derby County agreed a fee with West Bromwich Albion for Thorne.[23] The following day, after agreeing personal terms and passing a medical, Thorne joined Derby on a four-year contract. It is predicted the fee was between £2.6 million and £3.2 million.

On 22 July 2014, Thorne suffered a cruciate knee ligament injury during a friendly match against Zenit Saint Petersburg and was ruled out of football for up to nine months.[24]

Having fought hard to get back to fitness and into the first team again, on 7 May 2016, Thorne suffered a broken leg during the final league game of the season against Ipswich Town and was ruled out of football for over a year.[25] This was due to a number of complications during operations and his recovery, and despite having the ability and football brain, he was physically not the same player after this injury.

Thorne joined League One club Luton Town on 7 January 2019 on loan until the end of 2018–19.[26]

Oxford United

edit

He joined another League One club, Oxford United, on 19 August 2019 on loan until January 2020.[27] The loan was made permanent on 22 January 2020, with Thorne signing a contract until the end of the 2019–20 season.[28] In August 2020, Oxford announced that Thorne has been released by mutual consent.[29]

Bedford Town

edit

On 12 September 2022, Thorne signed for Southern League Premier Division Central club Bedford Town.[30]

International career

edit

Thorne was called up to England Under-16 on 23 October 2008 for the Victory Shield, in which England had to face Wales U16.[31] He made his England U16 debut, coming on in the 58th minute and making an assist for England.[32] In May 2010, Thorne helped the under-17 team win their first ever European Championship, coming off the bench in the final as England triumphed 2–1 over Spain.[33]

Personal life

edit

Thorne announced his retirement from full time professional football during a BBC Radio Derby commentary on 23 August 2022, he cited his multiple injuries, mental health and family as the main factors of his decision.[34][35]

Career statistics

edit
As of match played 25 February 2020
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League FA Cup League Cup Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
West Bromwich Albion 2009–10[36] Championship 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
2010–11[37] Premier League 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
2011–12[38] Premier League 3 0 1 0 2 0 6 0
2012–13[39] Premier League 5 0 2 0 2 0 9 0
2013–14[40] Premier League 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 10 0 3 0 4 0 17 0
Portsmouth (loan) 2011–12[38] Championship 14 0 14 0
Peterborough United (loan) 2012–13[39] Championship 7 1 7 1
Watford (loan) 2013–14[40] Championship 8 0 8 0
Derby County (loan) 2013–14[40] Championship 9 1 3[a] 1 12 2
Derby County 2014–15[41] Championship 3 0 0 0 0 0 3 0
2015–16[42] Championship 34 2 1 1 1 0 0 0 36 3
2016–17[43] Championship 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2017–18[44] Championship 20 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 22 0
2018–19[45] Championship 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2019–20[46] Championship 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 66 3 2 1 2 0 3 1 73 5
Luton Town (loan) 2018–19[45] League One 3 0 3 0
Oxford United 2019–20[46] League One 4 0 1 0 2 0 0 0 7 0
Career total 112 4 6 1 8 0 3 1 129 6
  1. ^ Appearances in Championship play-offs

Honours

edit
England U17

References

edit
  1. ^ "EFL: Retained list: 2015/16" (PDF). English Football League. p. 21. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 December 2016. Retrieved 29 June 2016.
  2. ^ "BBC Sport, Football, Squad Profiles, George Thorne". BBC. Retrieved 26 April 2011.
  3. ^ "Academy Player Profiles 2009/10". West Bromwich Albion F.C. 23 November 2009. Archived from the original on 11 April 2010. Retrieved 28 November 2009.
  4. ^ "Sheff Wed 0–4 West Brom". BBC Sport. 28 November 2009. Retrieved 28 November 2009.
  5. ^ "Boss gives Thorne early Christmas gift – update". West Bromwich Albion F.C. 30 November 2009. Archived from the original on 2 December 2009. Retrieved 17 December 2009.
  6. ^ "Thorne set to go pro". West Bromwich Albion F.C. 8 January 2010. Archived from the original on 11 January 2010. Retrieved 10 February 2010.
  7. ^ Appleton makes his mark on Blues Archived 30 January 2012 at the Wayback Machine; Portsmouth.co.uk, 25 November 2011
  8. ^ "Portsmouth 1–1 Leicester" BBC Sport. 26 November 2011. Retrieved 31 March 2012.
  9. ^ "Depleted West Bromwich Albion recall three". BBC Sport. 20 December 2011. Retrieved 20 December 2011.
  10. ^ "Thorne rejoins Pompey on loan" Sky Sports. 18 February 2012. Retrieved 31 March 2012.
  11. ^ "Barnsley 2–0 Portsmouth" BBC Sport. 18 February 2012. Retrieved 31 March 2012.
  12. ^ Thorne Returns To West Brom Archived 8 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine; Portsmouth F.C., 5 April 2012
  13. ^ "George Thorne joins Peterborough on loan from West Brom until January" Sky Sports. 21 November 2012. Retrieved 21 November 2012.
  14. ^ "Ipswich 1–1 Peterborough" BBC Sport. 24 November 2012. Retrieved 25 November 2012.
  15. ^ "Peterborough 5–4 Bolton" BBC Sport. 22 December 2012. Retrieved 22 December 2012.
  16. ^ "Baggies bring back George Thorne". Birmingham Mail. Trinity Mirror Midlands. 28 December 2012. Archived from the original on 18 July 2014. Retrieved 18 July 2014.
  17. ^ "George Thorne wants to keep West Brom place". Express & Star. Archived from the original on 2 January 2013. Retrieved 18 July 2014.
  18. ^ "Hornets Sign Thorne". Watford F.C. 6 November 2013. Archived from the original on 6 November 2014.
  19. ^ "Derby Land Midfielder Thorne". Derby County FC. 30 January 2014.
  20. ^ "George Thorne's Derby County debut is worth the wait". Derby County FC. 18 July 2014. Archived from the original on 25 July 2014. Retrieved 18 July 2014.
  21. ^ "Half-time: George Thorne gives Derby County 1–0 lead at Doncaster Rovers". Archived from the original on 25 July 2014. Retrieved 18 July 2014.
  22. ^ "Queens Park Rangers 1 Derby County 0, Championship play-off final: match report". Retrieved 18 July 2014.
  23. ^ "Derby County Agree A Fee With West Bromwich Albion For George Thorne". Derby County Official Website. Retrieved 18 July 2014.
  24. ^ "George Thorne: Derby midfielder out for up to nine months". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 24 July 2014. Retrieved 24 July 2014.
  25. ^ "Derby's Thorne suffers double leg break". BBC Sport.
  26. ^ Simmonds, Mike (7 January 2019). "Luton sign Rams midfielder Thorne on loan". Luton Today. Retrieved 7 January 2019.
  27. ^ "Oxford United: Bristol City's Matty Taylor and Derby's George Thorne join on loan". BBC Sport. 19 August 2019. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
  28. ^ "George Thorne: Oxford sign Derby midfielder on permanent deal until end of the season". BBC Sport. 22 January 2020. Retrieved 22 January 2020.
  29. ^ "Thorne Bids Farewell". Oxford United F.C. 12 August 2020. Retrieved 21 September 2022.
  30. ^ "Eagles Welcome Thorne Signing". Bedford Town F.C. 12 September 2022. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
  31. ^ "Thorne earns England call-up". West Bromwich Albion F.C. 23 October 2008. Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 23 October 2008.
  32. ^ "Thorne's England debut delight". West Bromwich Albion F.C. 1 November 2008. Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 1 November 2008.
  33. ^ "Baggies duo are Euro champs" Archived 2 June 2010 at the Wayback Machine, West Bromwich Albion F.C., 1 June 2010. Retrieved 13 June 2010.
  34. ^ "Radio Derby - Listen Live - BBC Sounds". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 23 August 2022.
  35. ^ Curtis, Leigh (24 August 2022). "George Thorne reveals Derby County talks over potential coaching role". Derby Telegraph. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
  36. ^ "Games played by George Thorne in 2009/2010". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 7 January 2019.
  37. ^ "Games played by George Thorne in 2010/2011". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 7 January 2019.
  38. ^ a b "Games played by George Thorne in 2011/2012". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 7 January 2019.
  39. ^ a b "Games played by George Thorne in 2012/2013". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 7 January 2019.
  40. ^ a b c "Games played by George Thorne in 2013/2014". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 7 January 2019.
  41. ^ "Games played by George Thorne in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 7 January 2019.
  42. ^ "Games played by George Thorne in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 7 January 2019.
  43. ^ "Games played by George Thorne in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 7 January 2019.
  44. ^ "Games played by George Thorne in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 7 January 2019.
  45. ^ a b "Games played by George Thorne in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 6 May 2019.
  46. ^ a b "Games played by George Thorne in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 25 February 2020.
edit