Back when Sheffield United were riding high in the Premier League, my old boss had the bright idea of touring the country to discover where the footballing dreams of Chris Wilder’s band of brothers had begun.
It turned into a fun piece, as we took in everywhere from Dean Henderson’s first club in Cumbria to the Leeds park where a young Oli McBurnie had benefited from a coaching session by former Brazilian captain Socrates.
George Baldock’s first team was one of the longer trips, the right-back having been brought up in the picturesque Buckinghamshire village of Steeple Claydon.
On first glance, the most striking aspect of The Rec where this sports-daft lad, the youngest of three brothers, had whiled away many an hour playing football, cricket and rugby was the memorial clock dedicated to Florence Nightingale, one of the pioneers of modern nursing and Steeple Claydon’s most famous former resident.
Taking time to examine not only the clock but also the pavilion sitting on the other side of The Rec in a place small enough for everyone to know everyone else, I no doubt stood out as something of an interloper. Which explains why my half-hour visit saw no less than three locals approach to ask if they could help.
The moment I mentioned my unusual work assignment and George’s name, their faces lit up. “They’re such a lovely family,” was the consensus, closely followed by how proud the village was of not only George but also his brother Sam — “another really nice lad” — for playing in the Premier League.
It was these unsolicited tributes from the summer of 2020 that came to mind when the dreadful news emerged on Wednesday night that Baldock had passed away in Greece at the age of just 31.
George Baldock was an adopted hero in Sheffield (Michael Regan/Getty Images)
The picture painted by these one-time neighbours fitted perfectly with the George Baldock those of us in the Sheffield United press pack had got to know following his 2017 transfer from Milton Keynes Dons.
United had just been promoted from League One at the time of his arrival. So, media relations were a lot more informal than they subsequently became following the club’s next leap into the top flight two years later.
Back then, there was no fancy media suite at the club’s Shirecliffe training ground — a former sports club once belonging to steel giants Forgemasters — so interviews were either conducted outside if the weather allowed or in a tiny room that had space for little else but three chairs and a random giant bell that had once belonged to the site’s former owners.
Any early arrivals for the 9am press briefings were also invited to enjoy a cup of tea and a slice of toast in the same breakfast area used by the players. Such relaxed surroundings meant players would often pop over for a chat, regardless of whether it was their turn on the interview rota or not.
George was always one of those with a welcoming smile who would pop over to say ‘hello’.
Come Saturday afternoon, however, the transformation to ‘Furious George’ — biceps bulging almost as much as the eyes, as he harangued either the opposition left-winger or the officials — was complete. And the fans loved him for it.
Even in the two desperate Premier League relegation seasons that saw United cut adrift early on, his sheer determination and ‘never surrender’ attitude could lift even the most despondent atmosphere.
No wonder there has already been a call on social media for United to retire the No 2 shirt worn with such pride by Baldock until he left the club in May.
The tears in his eyes during the final lap of honour were matched by those in the stands, as fans bid farewell to the last of the team who had reached the Premier League against all the odds in 2019.
In many ways, Baldock was born to play in that side under Chris Wilder. There had been no footballing silver spoon to propel him towards the top flight and, eventually, international recognition with Greece.
Hard work and a willingness to learn — even once in the top flight, Baldock sought out an analytics expert on Twitter who had written about the wing-back for tips on how he could improve his delivery from out wide — meant any success was earned.
With the benefit of hindsight, he admitted to being too rash as a youngster starting out at MK Dons. Flying into tackles when the ball just wasn’t there to be won and putting the team in trouble. He collected his fair share of injuries, too.
George Baldock had to curb his wilder instincts at MK Dons (Pete Norton/Getty Images)
Karl Robinson, his MK manager at the time, thought a spell on loan at IBV in Iceland would help. It did. Baldock then went to Tamworth in the Conference Premier (now National League, English football’s fifth tier), an eye-opening experience that brought home just how much is at stake in senior football.
His move to Sheffield came at the end of a season when he had seen first-hand the depth of United’s support, as 7,000 fans descended on stadium:mk to cheer Wilder’s side on another step towards the League One title. A few weeks later, he had joined the club himself.
There were any great moments for him in a United shirt, not least the two promotions to the top flight, plus some memorable goals. Earning a point at Tottenham Hotspur after the VAR ruled out what United felt had been a perfectly good goal for John Lundstram’s toe being offside was a highlight. As were the silky skills that brought another goal at Norwich City a few weeks later.
‘Furious George’ may have been his persona in the eyes of supporters, but he was never sent off in 219 United appearances.
United’s much-vaunted overlapping-centre-back system may have shone a light on the sudden charges downfield by Chris Basham and Jack O’Connell. But the system that took the Yorkshire club to ninth in the Premier League couldn’t have worked without Baldock or Enda Stevens on the opposite flank, too.
Again, hard work made that happen, as the confusion of his first training session with United — where he was baffled by the sight of Basham haring down the wing — gave way to him becoming an integral cog in a well-oiled machine.
George Baldock may have been brought up 120 miles south of Sheffield but he was truly forged in the steel city. And will be deeply missed.
(Top photo: George Wood/Getty Images)
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