George Torrance (footballer)

{{Infobox football biography

| name = George Torrance

| image =

| caption =

| fullname = George Clark Torrance

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1957|9|17|df=y}}

| birth_place = Rothesay, Scotland

| death_date =

| death_place =

| height =

| position = Left midfielder

| years1 = 1980–1981

| clubs1 = Camberley Town

| caps1 =

| goals1 = 4

| years2 =

| clubs2 = Farnborough Town

| caps2 =

| goals2 =

| years3 = 1982–1984

| clubs3 = Wokingham Town

| caps3 =

| goals3 =

| years4 = 1984–1986

| clubs4 = Brentford

| caps4 = 34

| goals4 = 1

| years5 = 1986

| clubs5 = → Maidstone United (loan)

| caps5 =

| goals5 =

| years6 = 1986–1987

| clubs6 = Maidstone United

| caps6 = 40

| goals6 = 6

| years7 = 1987–1994

| clubs7 = Falmouth Town

| caps7 = 252

| goals7 = 55

| years8 =

| clubs8 = Porthleven

| caps8 =

| goals8 =

| manageryears1 =

| managerclubs1 = Porthleven (player-assistant)

}}

George Clark Torrance (born 17 September 1957) is a Scottish retired professional footballer who played as a left midfielder in the Football League for Brentford.

Club career

= Non-League football =

A left-sided midfielder, Torrance began his career with Isthmian League First Division club Camberley Town,{{Cite web |title=1980/81 |url=http://www.camberleytownfc.co.uk/archive/s198081.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140812214338/http://www.camberleytownfc.co.uk/archive/s198081.htm |archive-date=12 August 2014 |access-date=20 October 2015 |website=camberleytownfc.co.uk}} when he was stationed with the British Army in nearby Blackwater.{{Cite book |title=Brentford Official Matchday Magazine versus Camberley Town |date=14 November 1998 |publisher=Morganprint Blackheath Ltd |location=London |page=19}} He moved on to join fellow Isthmian League club Farnborough Town, before being posted to Germany for two years. While still in Germany, Torrance joined Isthmian League Premier Division club Wokingham Town where, in the 1982–83 FA Cup, he scored the equaliser in a 1–1 first round draw with Third Division club Cardiff City.{{Cite web |last=Thomas |first=Bob |title=Football FA Cup First Round 20th November 1982 Wokingham Town 1 v... News Photo 79019346 |url=http://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/news-photo/football-fa-cup-first-round-20th-november-1982-wokingham-news-photo/79019346 |access-date=26 January 2015 |website=Getty Images}}

= Brentford =

Torrance and Wokingham Town teammate (and fellow soldier) Steve Butler joined Third Division club Brentford in December 1984,{{Hugman|19793|accessdate=25 June 2015}} with the Griffin Park club paying £400 to buy the pair out of the army. Torrance found himself used as a utility player in his early time with the Bees, playing six different positions in his first eight games. He became an integral part of the team, making 17 appearances during the 1984–85 season,{{Cite book |title=100 Years Of Brentford |publisher=Brentford FC |year=1989 |isbn=0951526200 |editor-last=White |editor-first=Eric |pages=398}} though an ankle injury saw him lose his place towards the end of the campaign. Torrance was an unused substitute for the 3–1 1985 Football League Trophy Final defeat by Wigan Athletic and later recalled that failing to get onto the pitch at Wembley was his "greatest disappointment". He played on into the 1985–86 season and departed the club during the campaign, having made 44 appearances and scored three goals.

= Return to non-League football =

Torrance joined Alliance Premier League club Maidstone United on loan during the 1985–86 season, helping the club stave off relegation on goal difference and signed on a permanent deal at the end of the campaign.{{Cite book |last=Croxford |first=Mark |title=The Big Brentford Book of the Eighties |last2=Lane |first2=David |last3=Waterman |first3=Greville |publisher=Legends Publishing |year=2011 |isbn=978-1906796716 |location=Sunbury, Middlesex |pages=350}} He moved to Cornwall in 1987 and joined South Western League club Falmouth Town, winning three division championships and making over 250 appearances for the club.{{Cite web |date=2019-11-12 |title=Appearances |url=http://www.falmouthtownafc.co.uk/appearances/ |access-date=2023-07-30 |website=Falmouth Town AFC |language=en}} Torrance later joined Porthleven, playing well into his 40s and serving as player-assistant manager at the club.

Representative career

In December 1986, Torrance was called upon to represent the FA XI in a match versus an Isthmian League representative team.{{Cite book |title=Brentford F.C. Griffin Gazette versus Huddersfield Town |date=21 February 1995 |publisher=Quay Design of Poole |page=33}} He scored in a 4–1 victory.{{Cite web |title=Representative Matches – History |url=http://www.isthmian.co.uk/articles.php?id=473&page=3 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150320034041/http://www.isthmian.co.uk/articles.php?id=473&page=2 |archive-date=20 March 2015 |access-date=26 January 2015 |website=The Ryman Isthmian Football League}} Despite being Scottish, Torrance appeared for England Police in a match versus Scotland in 1994, with England winning 3–0. Also playing for England was Torrance's Welsh former Brentford teammate, Gary Roberts.

Personal life

Torrance served in the Royal Engineers and later ran a residential home with his parents-in-law in St Keverne. He joined the Devon and Cornwall Constabulary in 1994, after moving to Falmouth.{{Cite web |title=New police officer welcomed to RCHT |url=http://www.rcht.nhs.uk/RoyalCornwallHospitalsTrust/News/NewsArticles/NewpoliceofficerwelcomedtoRCHT.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303234145/http://www.rcht.nhs.uk/RoyalCornwallHospitalsTrust/News/NewsArticles/NewpoliceofficerwelcomedtoRCHT.aspx |archive-date=3 March 2016 |access-date=6 September 2017}} He was later stationed in Truro and in 2010 was based at Royal Cornwall Hospital in the town. Torrance has two children and lives in Helston.

Career statistics

class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;" \|+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competition ! rowspan="2" \|Club ! rowspan="2" \|Season ! colspan="3" \|League ! colspan="2" \|FA Cup ! colspan="2" \|League Cup ! colspan="2" \|Other ! colspan="2" \|Total
Division !Apps !Goals !Apps !Goals !Apps !Goals !Apps !Goals !Apps !Goals
rowspan="2" \|Brentford \|1984–85 \| rowspan="2" \|Third Division \|13 \|1 \|1 \|0 \| colspan="2" \|— \|3Appearances in Football League Trophy \|2 \|17 \|3
1985–86 \|21 \|0 \|1 \|0 \|4 \|0 \|1 \|0 \|27 \|0
colspan="3" \|Career total !34 !1 !2 !0 !4 !0 !4 !2 !44 !3

class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"

|+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

! rowspan="2" |Club

! rowspan="2" |Season

! colspan="3" |League

! colspan="2" |FA Cup

! colspan="2" |League Cup

! colspan="2" |Other

! colspan="2" |Total

Division

!Apps

!Goals