George Dobson (footballer, born 1949)

George Richard Dobson (24 August 1949 – 10 September 2007) was an English footballer who played in the Football League for Brentford as a winger. He later dropped into non-League football and played for Guildford City and Slough Town. After retiring as a player, he became a coach.

George Dobson
Personal information
Full name George Richard Dobson[1]
Date of birth (1949-08-24)24 August 1949
Place of birth Chiswick, England
Date of death 10 September 2007(2007-09-10) (aged 58)[1]
Place of death Barton on Sea, England
Position(s) Winger
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1966–1970 Brentford 86 (10)
1971–1972 Guildford City
1975 Slough Town 14 (1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Playing career

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Brentford

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A winger, Dobson joined Brentford at a young age and came through the youth ranks and made his debut in a 1–0 Fourth Division win over Chesterfield at Griffin Park on 25 February 1967 at the age of just 17.[2][3] He quickly established himself as a first team regular, making 37 appearances during the 1967–68 season and winning rave reviews for his ability to take on and beat opposition full backs.[2][3] Dobson's appearance count reduced during the 1968–69 season, as a broken ankle hindered his progress.[2] An injury to Dobson's other leg ensured he would not be the same player again and he departed the Bees at the end of the 1969–70 season.[2] He made 93 appearances and scored 10 goals for the club.[2]

Non-League football

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After his release from Brentford, Dobson had spells with non-League clubs Guildford City and Slough Town in the 1970s.[4]

Coaching career

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Dobson later returned to Brentford to work in the club's Centre Of Excellence.[2]

Personal life

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Dobson had two sons, Michael and Richard, who were both on the books at Brentford,[5] with Michael making over 200 appearances for the first team between 2000 and 2006, many of them as captain.[6] Richard played non-League football and went on to work in the Centre Of Excellence at Brentford and coached the club's women's team,[2][5] before moving to Wycombe Wanderers in 2007 to work in the club's youth system, rising to become first team assistant manager in 2011.[7][8] Dobson, a cancer sufferer, died on 10 September 2007.[6]

Career statistics

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Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League FA Cup League Cup Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Brentford 1966–67[3] Fourth Division 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0
1967–68[3] 36 3 0 0 1 0 37 3
1968–69[3] 28 3 0 0 3 0 31 3
1969–70[3] 20 4 1 0 2 0 23 4
Total 86 10 1 0 6 0 93 10
Slough Town 1975–76[4] Isthmian League First Division 14 1 0 0 1[a] 0 15 1
Career total 100 11 1 0 6 0 1 0 108 11
  1. ^ Appearance in FA Trophy

References

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  1. ^ a b "George Dobson". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Haynes, Graham; Coumbe, Frank (2006). Timeless Bees: Brentford F.C. Who's Who 1920–2006. Yore Publications. p. 48. ISBN 978-0955294914.
  3. ^ a b c d e f White, Eric, ed. (1989). 100 Years Of Brentford. Brentford FC. pp. 389–390. ISBN 0951526200.
  4. ^ a b "George Dobson". The Official Website of Slough Town FC. Retrieved 26 July 2014.
  5. ^ a b Parry, Alan. "Brentford vs Wycombe preview: Richard Dobson on being in a Brentford mad family". Bucks Free Press. Retrieved 20 June 2022.
  6. ^ a b "Michael Dobson takes on running challenge". Brentford FC. Retrieved 8 October 2017.
  7. ^ "Richards Dobson becomes Wycombe Wanderers assistant". BBC Sport. 30 June 2011. Retrieved 26 July 2014.
  8. ^ "Five Minutes of Your Time Please; Richard Dobson". 2nd Yellow. Archived from the original on 29 July 2014. Retrieved 26 July 2014.