FULL NAME: GEORGE DEARNALEY
NICK NAME: THE SHARK, MADLINYOKA (MAN WHO EATS SNAKES… ASK THE AMAZULU SUPPORTERS)
DATE OF BIRTH: 23 FEBRUARY 1969
PLACE OF BIRTH: GREYVILLE, DURBAN
SCHOOLS: MONTCLAIR PRIMARY (DURBAN), NORKEM PARK (JHB), WESTERING HIGH (PE), NEW FOREST BOYS HIGH (DURBAN)
JUNIOR TEAMS: RAMBLERS (DURBAN), SOUTHERN SUBURBS (JHB)
AMATEUR TEAMS: RAMBLERS (DURBAN), UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND, VIRGINIA (USA)
PROFESSIONAL TEAMS: AMAZULU, HELLENIC (LOAN), SEVEN STARS
OVERSEAS EXPERIENCE OR TRIALS: MAN UNITED, OLDHAM AND HIBERNIAN WHEN I WAS 16. LEEDS UNITED FOR 3 MONTHS (NOV 93-FEB 94)
EVER COACHED: AJAX CAPE TOWN U17 (1999), THE MAGIC FC (ABC MOTSEPE LEAGUE) 2012-2019.
HONOURS AS PLAYER: 3 BAFANA BAFANA CAPS, GOLDEN BOOT AWARD FOR SA TOPGOALSCORER (1992), RICHLIEU LEAGUE GOAL SCORER OF THE YEAR SHARED WITH MARK WILLIAMS (1992) RUNNER UP SA PLAYER OF THE YEAR (1992), RUNNER UP SA PLAYERS PLAYER OF THE YEAR (1992), COCA COLA CUP WINNER WITH AMAZULU (1992), NFD LEAGUE WINNER WITH SEVEN STARS (1997)
HONOURS AS COACH: ABC MOTSEPE W. CAPE LEAGUE RUNNERS UP 2017/18 AND 2018/19. MY AMATEUR TEAM THE MAGIC F.C. REACHED THE NEDBANK CUP LAST 32 IN 2015 (LOST 0-3 TO PLATINUM STARS AWAY), AND REACHED THE LAST 16 OF THE NEDBANK CUP IN 2019 (BEAT NFD TEAM MACCABI – LAST 32, LOST TO KAIZER CHIEFS 0-3 AFTER EXTRA TIME)
REPRESENTATIVE COLOURS: DURBAN U10, SOUTHERN TRANSVAAL U12, NATAL U16, NATAL SCHOOLS VICE CAPTAIN, NATAL U19, NATAL U23, NATAL CURRIE CUP 1989.
FAVOURITE OVERSEAS TEAM: MANCHESTER UNITED, AND MANCHESTER UNITED RESERVES.
FAVOURITE SA TEAM: AMAZULU & THE MAGIC FC.
BEST PLAYER EVER PLAYED WITH: TOO MANY. LUCAS RADEBE, SHOES MOSHOEU, FANI MADIDA, DOCTOR KHUMALO, BENNET MASINGA, BRUMMIE DE LEUR, LAWRENCE CHELIN… AND TRAINING WITH PROFESSOR NGUBANE AT AMAZULU WAS INCREDIBLE. WHILE AT LEEDS I WAS IN THE SAME 5-A-SIDE TEAM WITH GORDON STRACHAN, GARY McALLISTER AND GARY SPEED (RIP) – ABSOLUTE FANTASY STUFF WHEN YOU’RE THE STRIKER WITH THE 3 OF THEM GIVING YOU SERVICE.
BEST PLAYER EVER PLAYED AGAINST: I WAS 15/16 PLAYING SENIOR FOOTBALL FOR RAMBLERS AGAINST TOP PROS WHO HAD ALL COME BACK TO THEIR LOCAL AMATEUR CLUBS IN THE MID 80’S. YOU AND YOUR DURBAN CITY COLLEAGUES LIKE ERNIE WALLIS, GRANT CROWSHAW, CRAIG BANFIELD, MARLIN BURGESS, COLIN STEENKAMP, WAYNE LAMBERT, DENIS WICKS, IAN BENDER – UNBELIEVABLE LEARNING EXPERIENCE FOR A YOUNGSTER.
WHEN I CAME BACK FROM COLLEGE IN AMERICA IN 1992 I WAS UP AGAINST THE ‘GOLDEN GENERATION’ OF SA PLAYERS: NEIL TOVEY, SIZWE MOTAUNG, LUCAS RADEBE, AND SOME REALLY TOUGH CENTRAL DEFENDERS LIKE GAVIN LANE, JOHN SALTER, STEVE KOMPHELA, BRICKS MUDAU AS WELL AS SOME OF THE BEST NATAL-BASED PLAYERS OF THE TIME IN GAVIN RADFORD, MARK DAVIES, BRADLEY MUIR. I SCORED 23 GOALS IN 1992 AND 14 IN 1993 AGAINST KEEPERS LIKE STEVE CROWLEY, MARK ANDERSON, ANDRE ARENDSE AND WADE DU PLESSIS. SOME DAYS I STILL CAN’T BELIEVE IT.
THE HOURS PLAYING 1 V 1 AGAINST MY BROTHER STUART IN THE BACK GARDEN WERE TOUGH TOO. HE KICKED ME TO PIECES!
I ALSO PLAYED AGAINST JOMO SONO AT THE END OF HIS CAREER AND HE NUTMEGGED ME WITH HIS BACK TO ME…
INJURIES: UNFORTUNATELY, I’VE HAD MORE THAN A FAIR SHARE OF BAD INJURIES. I’VE HAD A TOTAL OF 6 KNEE OPERATIONS. MY DISLOCATED KNEE AND SNAPPED LIGAMENTS IN 1995 KEPT ME OUT THE GAME FOR 19 MONTHS AND IT WAS NEVER THE SAME AFTERWARDS. IN 10 YEARS AS A PRO I ONLY STARTED 124 GAMES (SCORED 61 GOALS) BUT I SHOULD HAVE PLAYED MORE LIKE 300 GAMES OVER THAT TIME. BUT STILL VERY GRATEFUL FOR THE OPPORTUNITIES I’VE HAD.
INTERESTING FACT: IN 1986 I PLAYED A TOTAL OF 86 GAMES FOR SCHOOL, U19 AND SENIOR CLUB TEAMS AND SCORED 52 GOALS FROM MIDFIELD.
OTHER SPORTS: I PLAYED 5TH TEAM RUGBY SO I COULD PLAY CLUB FOOTBALL IN THE AFTERNOONS!
JOB AFTER FOOTBALL: PUBLISHER OF KICK OFF MAGAZINE, PUBLISHER OF AMAKHOSI MAGAZINE, NOW RUN MY OWN FOOTBALL SPONSOSHIP CONSULTING BUSINESS – SOCCERBIZ.
CURRENTLY LIVING IN: CAPE TOWN SINCE 1997.