George Hamilton (footballer)

Hamilton was the first former Queen of the South player to travel to the World Cup Finals. Sam Malcolmson to Spain in 1982 and Bernie Slaven at Italia 90 are the others to have done so.

Age eventually caught up with Hamilton and he was transferred to Hamilton Academical in 1955, having largely watched from the sidelines as a young Dons side won the 1954–55 League title with the long serving Halliday still at the helm.

This latter return coincided with the 1954 FIFA World Cup and Hamilton was selected in the 22-man squad for Switzerland. Scotland decided to take only 13 players to the finals with Hamilton one of the players to stay at home on reserve with the likes of Bobby Combe and Jimmy Binning. However Hibs' Bobby Johnstone withdrew through injury with Hamilton called in to replace him in the 13 to travel. However Hamilton did not play in either of Scotland's two games.

Despite Aberdeen's erratic league results, Hamilton helped the side to two further (losing) Scottish Cup Final appearances, in 1953 and 1954.

Hamilton twice earned an international recall, initially in 1951, when he scored a hat-trick against Belgium, then remarkably in 1954 when aged 36. He played 2 games against Norway scoring the only goal of the game played in Scotland.

In March 1950 Hamilton played in a titanic Scottish Cup quarter final tussle against former club Queen of the South, eventually losing 4–3 after being three goals up.

Hamilton returned to Aberdeen at the end of global hostilities and enjoyed his most successful period, lifting the transitional 1945–46 League Cup then scoring the winner in the 1947 Scottish Cup Final against Hibernian. Despite this, when Heart of Midlothian offered £8000 plus the younger Archie Kelly for his services in December 1947, the Reds considered it good value for a 30-year-old, and accepted.

Hamilton's consistent good form in 1945–46 earned him a Scotland national team debut against Northern Ireland.

Like many of his contemporaries, Hamilton's career was significantly disrupted by the Second World War and, when League football in Scotland went into abeyance in 1939, he returned to his native Ayrshire. Eventually, temporary Regional Leagues were established, and, due to war-time travel restrictions, players would guest for local sides. This resulted in Hamilton turning out for first Ayr United, then Rangers between 1940 and 1945.

Hamilton retired a matter of months after joining Academicals, not long after his 38th birthday. In his eleven league appearances for the club he scored two goals.

George Hamilton (7 December 1917 – May 2001) was a Scottish international footballer, who spent most of his 21-year career with Aberdeen. He also played for Queen of the South, Heart of Midlothian and Hamilton Academical.