George Neil Farm 1924-2004 - obituary by Gerry Wolstenholme

GEORGE FARM was born in Edinburgh and was signed by Blackpool for a fee of £2,700 on 8 September 1948 from Hibernian when he was 24 years of age. He made his debut in the Central League game against Aston Villa reserves on 11 September 1948 when Blackpool lost 2-0 but after just two Central League games it became obvious that he was too good to play at that level and he supplanted Joe Robinson in the first team goal. Initially nobody was impressed with his goalkeeping, saying politely that "he showed promise" and his over-and-under grip of the ball caused a rising of blood pressure in spectators and critics alike.

He made his League debut on 18 September 1948 and was not entirely blameless for Blackpool losing a 2-0 lead to draw 2-2 with Bolton Wanderers. Thereafter he was a permanent fixture between the posts and he did not miss a League game for over four years, playing in 187 consecutive League and Cup games. The first time that he was absent was on 18 October 1952 when he won his first international cap for Scotland against Wales at Cardiff when Scotland won 2-1 and he went on to win 10 international caps in two spells in the national side.

He was in the Blackpool side that lost to Newcastle United in the FA Cup Final in 1951 and again when Bolton Wanderers were beaten 4-3 in a final in which, on his own admission, he did not have his finest game. Indeed he did not miss a single game in the FA Cup competition during his whole time with the club, playing in all 47 games.

In addition, he has a unique place in the annals of Blackpool Football Club history when he became the first regular Blackpool goalkeeper to score in a League game when, returning to the field injured, he headed a goal in the 6-2 defeat by Preston North End on 29 October 1955.

He shocked the town when he requested a transfer in November 1959 on personal grounds but Blackpool refused his request. But he asked again in January 1960 when the club's directors were more sympathetic to his request and Queen of the South immediately wanted to sign him, which they duly did for a fee of £2,000 on 4 February 1960 after his last game for Blackpool, his 508th in 11 and a half years at the club after he had become the first ever Blackpool player to appear in 500 League and Cup games.

As player-manager of Queen of the South in the 1961/62 season he took the side to promotion in his first season when he was the only full-time player on the club's books. He remained with the club to the end of the 1963/64 season. He later went on to manage Raith Rovers and Dunfermline Athletic. After retirement from football he became a lighthouse keeper and a forthright radio commentator with Radio Forth.

He was a gentleman on and off the field and was delighted to return to Blackpool for the centenary celebrations in 1988 when he met up with former teammates. He passed away peacefully in hospital in Edinburgh last week. Blackpool has lost arguably one of its greatest ever goalkeepers.