Preston North End - George Lyall - Nottingham Forest Webjam

George Lyall had initially began his career as a junior with Kingskettle Amateurs before joining Raith Rovers. He made an immediate impact by scoring 32 goals in his first season in Raith’s team. This team alerted other clubs to his ability and in March 1966 he headed south of the border to join Preston North End.

He would not make the same impact in England as he struggled to gain a regular starting place. He would have to wait until November 1970 to gain a regular starting place by which time Preston were playing Third Division football for the first time in their history. He would remain a regular in the side the following season after Preston gained an immediate return to Division Two.

At the end of the 1971/72 he left Preston for Nottingham Forest where he would be a key member of the Forest squad for the first half of the decade either in a central or wide midfield role. It was not a memorable period for the club as the decline that saw them relegated to Division Two after the 1971/72 continued as they struggled in the bottom half of their new surrounding instead of the hoped for early return.

This lack of form saw a revolving door of managers as the unpopular Matt Gillies soon departed to be replaced by Dave Mackay who then replaced Brian Clough at Derby to be replaced by another unpopular appointment Allan Brown. These changes did little to improve the clubs fortunes and many players from this era have been erased from people’s memory meaning better players such as Lyall have been forgotten.

One of the few highlights for the club during this period was the F.A.Cup run during the 1973/74 season which Lyall played an important role including a penalty in the memorable 4-1 victory over Manchester City and also another successful spot kick in the first Newcastle game in the Quarter Finals before it was abandoned due to crowd trouble by the Geordie fans.

Forest had another change of manager in January 1975 when Brian Clough arrived at the club. Lyall remained a regular in the side for the remainder of the 1975/76 season. But the following season as Clough began his revolution at the club Lyall was no longer a regular in the team as Terry Curran had arrived from Doncaster and John Robertson was converted to a winger and Lyall moved to Hull City in December 1975.

After a couple of seasons at Hull City he would finish his career playing non-league football for Scarborough, Goole Town, Grantham, Bridlington Town and North Ferriby United.

He now lives in Derbyshire with most of his time spent on the local Golf course at Horsley Lodge where his son Graham is a club professional.

George Lyall was unfortunate to play in an era that preceded one of unprecedented success so his ability has been largely forgotten and perhaps he never fulfilled the potential that his early days at Raith had suggested. But during a recent visit to Preston’s National Football Museum Raith Rovers most famous fan, Prime Minister Gordon Brown recalled the moment Lyall left Raith all those years ago back in March 1966.

CAREER STATS

LEAGUE CAREER

Raith Rovers 1964/65 to 1965/66 27 (21)

Preston North End 1965/66 to 1971/72 105 (16)

NOTTINGHAM FOREST 1972/73 to 1975/76 116 (24)

Hull City 1975/76 to 1976/77 42 (5)

TOTAL 290 (66)

NFFC SEASON BY SEASON

1972/73 League 26+5 (4)

F.A.Cup 0+2 (0)

League Cup 1 (0)

County Cup 2 (0)

TOTAL 29+7 (4)

1973/74 League 41 (11)

F.A.Cup 4 (2)

League Cup 2 (0)

County Cup 1 (2)

TOTAL 48 (15)

1974/75 League 36+1 (7)

F.A.Cup 6 (0)

League Cup 2 (0)

County Cup 1 (0)

TOTAL 44+1 (7)

1975/76 League 5+2 (2)

League Cup 2 (2)

TOTAL 7+2 (4)

TOTAL League 108+8 (24)

F.A.Cup 10+2 (2)

League Cup 7 (2)

County Cup 4 (2)

TOTAL 128+10 (30)

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