GEORGE DEWS

Born: 05 June 1921

Came from: Middlesbrough   Went to: Walsall

First game: 01 November 1947   Last game: 16 April 1955

Appearances: 271 (271/0)   Goals: 81

Born in Ossett, Yorkshire, Dews began his football career with Middlesbrough during the war and was a regular in their 1946-47 side. It was something of a surprise when he joined Argyle in October 1947, when the Pilgrims paid £11,000 in a deal that also saw Bobby Stuart travel southwards. On his debut at Chesterfield, Dews' performance transformed Jimmy Rae's side, who had suffered a disappointing start to the season. The versatile inside-forward, while not possessing great speed, was industrious and committed in all that he did, possessing an engine that inspired those on the terraces and the pitch. As Dews' time at Home Park progressed, he developed into a prolific goalscorer, grabbing 25 goals in Argyle's 1951-52 title-winning season.

Dews' versatility was something that endeared him to the Home Park faithful as during his time with the Pilgrims he filled in at both full back positions and even took over in goal during a 3-2 win against Rotherham in 1953, when Les Major was injured. Despite never scoring an 'official' hat-trick for Argyle, Dews did manage to fire a treble towards the end of his time at Home Park in a 5-3 win against an Army FA XI. In 1949, Dews had a seemingly-legitimate goal ruled out against Leicester City after the linesman convinced the referee that the ball hadn't crossed the goal line, despite the lack of protests from the opposition, who had already lined up for the restart. The normally placid Dews, whose laid-back demeanour had earned him the nickname 'Gentleman George', was furious. He was often on the receiving end of rough treatment by opposition sides who were all too aware of the threat that he posed.

Dews never played in the final game of the season for the Pilgrims. A respected county cricketer, he played for Worcestershire CC for 15 years, scoring nearly 17,000 runs, including 20 centuries, and taking 355 catches in 376 games. Many on the county circuit believed that Dews was unfortunate not to have gained international honours during his career. Dews' time at Argyle drew to a close under new manager, Jack Rowley. His move to Walsall in 1955 was not received well by Argyle fans and he found it difficult to settle at his new club, making just nine appearances before hanging his boots up. He retired from playing cricket in 1961, taking up golf for a short time before ill-health intervened. Dews passed away in 2003, aged 81.