George Pilkington

George Edward Pilkington (born 7 November 1981) is an English former professional footballer.

During his playing career he was a defender, and made 647 league and cup appearances across a 16-year professional career in the English Football League and National League.

Pilkington started his career at Everton 1998, staying at the club for five years without ever making a first team appearance.

He later became a trainee at Everton's Finch Farm, but did not make a first-team appearance for the club after turning professional in November 1998.

In 2002, he had a short loan spell at Exeter City.

He was sent on loan to Exeter City in November 2002 and played in twelve games, including in the FA Cup against Premier League side Charlton Athletic, which Exeter lost 3–1.

He was released by Everton at the end of the 2002–03 season.

In 2003, he signed with Port Vale, a club where he spent another five years; this time as a key member of the first team.

Pilkington signed for Brian Horton's Port Vale in June 2003.

He became one of the first names in the first XI during his first season, alongside captain and centre-back partner Sam Collins, making 49 appearances in the 2003–04 campaign.

At the end of the season, he and fellow rising star Billy Paynter signed long-term contracts at Vale Park.

On 17 September 2004 he saw his first red card at Brentford, during a 2–0 defeat.

However, he was generally productive again in 2004–05, as new manager Martin Foyle selected Pilkington for 48 appearances over all competitions.

He was announced as the club's Player of the Year in the 2005–06 season.

After making over 250 appearances for the club, he moved to Luton Town.

The 2005–06 saw Pilkington make 53 appearances, as he became an ever-presence in the league.

On 29 April 2006 he scored twice in ten minutes to end his thirty-month goal drought in a 3–1 victory over Chesterfield.

He signed a new two-year contract the following month, after which he was named club captain, following the departure of Tony Dinning.

Vale fans voted him Port Vale F.C. Player of the Year.

The 2006–07 season was a 'Topsy-turvy' campaign, as Pilkington captained his side to a mid-table finish, with a decent League Cup run to boast about – besting Championship sides Preston North End, Queens Park Rangers and Norwich City – before taking Premier League Tottenham Hotspur to extra time.

Once again he was an ever-present player, with 53 appearances to his name.

The 2007–08 was a disaster for the club and the player, as new manager Lee Sinnott stripped Pilkington of the captain's armband, and led the club to relegation into League Two.

Despite this, Pilkington said he was keen to stay at the club, though it was soon decided that he would leave in the summer.

He had made over 250 appearances for the club.

Pilkington joined Luton Town on a free transfer in August 2008.

After a slow start due to injuries, Pilkington managed to become an ever-present in the Luton defence, and helped the club to win the 2009 Football League Trophy.

He was also voted Player of the Season in the 2009–10 season.

A series of recurring injuries picked up throughout the season limited his playing chances, though he returned for the final run-in of games on 17 March 2009.

Pilkington played in the Luton side that beat Scunthorpe United 3–2 in the Football League Trophy final at Wembley Stadium.

However, he suffered relegation for his second-successive season as Luton lost their Football League status.

The next season, in which Luton contested their football in the Conference Premier, saw Pilkington play in every league game.

He also scored his first goals for the club, accumulating six in total, and won four end-of-season awards, including Player of the Year and Players' Player of the Year.

He switched to Mansfield Town in June 2012, and won the Conference Premier title with the club in 2012–13.

At the end of the season, Pilkington signed a two-year extension to his contract, keeping him at Luton until 2012, and was named as club captain for the 2010–11 season.

He played 56 games in the campaign, helping his team to the semi-finals of the FA Trophy and to the Conference play-off final; he scored a penalty in the final's shoot-out, held at the City of Manchester Stadium, but AFC Wimbledon won 4–3 to deny Luton a place in the Football League.

He joined Forest Green Rovers on loan in August 2013, and was loaned out to Macclesfield Town in February 2014.

He went on to join Macclesfield permanently in the summer, and was voted Player of the Year in his first three seasons at the club.

He also played in the club's defeat at the 2017 FA Trophy final.

He helped the club to win promotion back to the Football League as champions of the National League in 2017–18, before announcing his retirement in June 2018.

Born in Rugeley, Staffordshire, Pilkington started his career at Stone Dominoes.