English footballer
Herbert Bertie Hobson
MM
(26 February 1890 ? c. November 1963) was an English professional
footballer
who played as a
full back
in the
Football League
for
Sunderland
and
Darlington
. He was a Sunderland player from 1912 to 1922, of which four years were lost to the First World War, and made 160
First Division
appearances without scoring.
Life and career
[
edit
]
Herbert Bertie Hobson was born on 26 February 1890 in
Tow Law
,
County Durham
.
[2]
He played football for
Tow Law Town
,
Stanley United
and
Crook Town
,
[2]
and appeared for
Sunderland
's reserves as an amateur, before turning professional with the
Football League First Division
club in August 1912.
[3]
He made his debut for Sunderland on 24 March 1913 in a 3?1 win against
Sheffield United
at
Bramall Lane
,
[4]
played twice more
that season
, which Sunderland
finished as champions
, and soon became a regular in the side.
[2]
In January 1914, he was reported to be "as sound as a rock in the Sunderland defence. His tackling and kicking improves with every game he plays."
[5]
By the time competitive football was abandoned because of the
First World War
, he had 68 first-team appearances.
[2]
Hobson enlisted in the
Durham Light Infantry
, and in May 1916 was reported to have been wounded and invalided out to a London hospital.
[6]
[7]
He was awarded the
Military Medal
.
[8]
[9]
He also found time to guest for
Hull City
,
Stoke
and
Wolverhampton Wanderers
during the war.
[10]
[11]
He missed only two matches in the first post-war season, and was a regular in the side during the next.
[2]
In September 1921, he was touted for possible selection at right back for the
Football League XI
to face
their Irish counterparts
,
[12]
but was not chosen. At the end of that season, he was offered the maximum wage to sign on for another year, but refused unless he were granted another
benefit
. Arguing that he had received a lucrative benefit of £625 only 18 months earlier so could not expect to be guaranteed a second, the club listed him for transfer.
[13]
At a fee of £1,500, there were no takers. In December 1922, Sunderland's board agreed to release Hobson to play in
North-Eastern League
football, while still retaining his Football League registration, and he duly signed for
West Stanley
.
[14]
[15]
He remained with that club until February 1925, when Sunderland finally granted him a free transfer and he returned to the Football League with
Darlington
.
[16]
He went straight into the side in place of the injured
Tommy Greaves
,
[17]
and played in the next two matches, after which Greaves was fit to resume. Darlington won the
1924?25 Third Division North
title, and Hobson played just twice after their promotion to the
Second Division
, each time covering for Greaves.
He left the club at the end of the season and signed for
Jarrow
,
[19]
where he was appointed captain and stayed for at least a second season,
[20]
before finishing his career with
Spennymoor United
.
[2]
In 1936, Hobson was an unsuccessful applicant for the post of coach to
County Durham
secondary schools under the auspices of a scheme promoted by
the Football Association
. The
Sunderland Echo
reported that some of the other candidates dropped out of consideration because of their interpretations of the laws of the game, a topic in which the successful candidate, former Darlington footballer
Dave Edgar
, had excelled.
[21]
Hobson died in his native Tow Law in late 1963 at the age of 73.
[22]
Career statistics
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"Football prospects. Sunderland"
.
Athletic News
. Manchester. 25 August 1913. p. 6 – via Play Up Liverpool.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
"Player search: Hobson, HB (Bert)"
.
English National Football Archive
. Retrieved
19 November
2021
.
- ^
"The Sunderland club. Two new players".
Sunderland Daily Echo
. 30 August 1912. p. 6.
- ^
"1912?13: Football League Division 1 ? Match 32"
.
The Stat Cat
. Retrieved
18 November
2021
.
- ^
"Old Country soccer notes and comment".
Hamilton Daily Times
. Canada. 7 January 1914. p. 9.
- ^
"Sunderland's little lot".
Sports Special
. Sheffield. 21 August 1915. p. 2.
- ^
"All sorts of sport".
Evening Despatch
. Birmingham. 26 May 1916. p. 4.
- ^
"The Sunderland F.C. Coming season's prospects".
Sunderland Daily Echo
. 14 August 1919. p. 5.
Sunderland have reason to be proud of the part their players played in the war, for 25 out of 29 joined the forces, the remaining four going on to munitions; and the Military Medal was gained by Buchan, Hobson and Young.
- ^
"Durham Light Infantry"
.
London Gazette (Fourth Supplement)
(31405): 7683. 13 June 1919.
1516 Pte. (A./Sjt.) Hobson, B., 19th Bn. (Bishop Auckland).
- ^
"Tigers' cup-tie".
Daily Mail
. Hull. 23 December 1919. p. 2.
- ^
"Pre World War Two Crook Town Players who went onto play League football"
. Crook Town A.F.C
. Retrieved
19 November
2021
.
- ^
A.R.B. (21 September 1921). "International football. A foreword on the choice for coming inter-League match".
Sporting Chronicle
. Manchester. p. 2.
- ^
"Bert Hobson on the transfer list".
Daily Mail
. Hull. 27 May 1922. p. 3.
- ^
"Facts and fancies. Hobson won't sign".
Derby Daily Telegraph
. 30 September 1922. p. 3.
- ^
"All sorts of sport".
Newcastle Daily Chronicle North Mail
. 1 January 1923. p. 9.
- ^
"Sporting items".
Nottingham Evening Post
. 27 February 1925. p. 8.
- ^
"Hobson joins Darlington".
Northern Daily Mail
. West Hartlepool. 26 February 1925. p. 5.
- ^
"Round the club camps".
Leicester Chronicle
. 2 October 1926. p. 17.
- ^
"Jarrow re-sign Bert Hobson".
Shields Daily News
. 19 August 1927. p. 6.
- ^
Argus (27 November 1936). "Under the searchlight".
Sunderland Echo
. p. 14.
- ^
"Bert Hobson"
.
The Stat Cat
. Retrieved
18 November
2021
.
Sources
[
edit
]
External links
[
edit
]