Scottish Junior Cup winner George recalls life with IBM
LARGS LEGEND STILL PLAYING AND WINNING GAMES AT 65
SCOTTISH Junior Cup winning legend George Wall is still starring on the international football field at the age of 65.
The former Largs Thistle stalwart had a glorious career with a clutch of clubs and he now flies the flag for the seniors with Northern Ireland’s over-60s side.
As well as collecting big wins on the field George spent 40 years globetrotting with IBM as a senior executive.
He now champions local charities as well as taking on a role as a director of Morton Club Together, which owns the Cappielow club.
Growing up in the Bow Road high rise flats George’s life was all about football.
He said: “I hated school, I just wasn’t interested. I left as soon as I could with three or four O Grades. All I wanted to do was play football.”
On leaving, George served his time as a mechanical engineer with John Hastie in Kilblain Street, then at the age of 20 he started with IBM.
As a talented young footballer he caught the attention of local youth football scout Reggie Scorer and ended up playing with Port Glasgow Rangers. He signed for a spell at Morton and went to Birmingham for trials with
Aston Villa.
George would later catch the attention of the former Morton and Rangers goalie Erik Sorensen to take him to Dalry, and his life in junior football began.
George said: “There was Erik turning up in the Bow Road in his pink Jaguar to get me and come play at Dalry!
“Before that I’d signed for Morton for two years, but I was kept out the side by that man Andy Ritchie!”
George also had a spell with Irvine Meadow before moving to Largs Thistle, where he stayed for ten years.
Off the field he had a two year spell in the USA with his IBM job.
It was during the twilight of his football career, aged 36, that he would get his greatest moment.
He said: “I had broken my leg badly with Largs and thought it was all over,
‘I hated school, I just wasn’t interested. All I wanted to do was play football’
but then they asked me back.”
In 1994 George starred in the famous cup final when Thistle stunned junior giants Glenafton 1-0 at Ibrox.
The game was quite an affair, with four players sent off.
George also won the prestigious West Scotland Cup as well as other trophies, and he played for Greenock Juniors, winning their player of the year award, and Port Glasgow as well.
His football success coincided with his rise at IBM, ending up as service operation manager for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, based in Amsterdam.
George said: “Most of us started on the manufacturing side making computers and we branched into just about everything.
“With IBM I travelled the world, from Japan to the USA, Russia and Africa. It was a great community, there was so much going on.
“The vice president of IBM at the time, Charlie Morrison, told me that he had three lists of people, an executive list, a list of talented people and another list with the names of the people who could actually get a job done. I was on that list!
“The beauty of IBM was you could work your way up. It wasn’t just a 9 to 5 job, you could get an education and a university degree course on site. You could be anything you wanted to be in there.”
George called time on his IBM career six years ago and was sad to see the company’s footprint in Inverclyde disappear.
He said: “I think it is sad the council and the government let all those 6,500 jobs go, just walk out of here without a fight. We could and should have done more. I actually compromised myself when I was still a manager and there were payoffs. The guys were not being treated fairly. I took them down to Ronnie Cowan the MP’s office and asked him to help. “
As well as playing football George has been an ambassador off the park, organising charity matches and helping the clubs he played for. Now he has a new lease of life playing for Northern Ireland veterans, winning two World Nation Cups. He said: “My gran was from County
Bangor and I love playing with Northern Ireland. It is great to be still running around the football pitch and training. I wish Scotland would get involved and get a team.”
George was born in 1958, living first in Kilmacolm Road and then Regent Street before moving to the new high rise flats in Bow Farm.
He grew up with his dad Jim, who is now 89, his mum Jenny who sadly died from cancer aged 43, and his younger brother Jim, now 60.
He went to Mearns Street school, Highlanders’ Academy, then Greenock High at Dunlop Street.
George met his wife Lynn at IBM and they have been married for nearly 40 years. The couple have sons Gary,
36, a chartered accountant who lives in London, and Jamie, 30, a software engineer who lives in the USA.
The former IBM executive, who lives in Gourock, is not slowing down in retirement, sitting on the MCT board and also serving as a trustee with Children in Poverty Inverclyde, a charity close to his heart.