Alex Dawson

Born Aberdeen; February 21, 1940.

One of the most common phrases used in connection with football within these shores throughout the years has been “a typical British centre forward”. The phrase immediately conjures up a clear image of a big, burly and brave man trading blows with the opposition defence, holding up and laying the ball off for his colleagues and banging the ball into the back of the net in an uncomplicated manner with equal effectiveness be it with foot or head.

This type of player appears to be going out of fashion at the present time as modern coaches digest their textbooks and come across no mention of anything so uncouth but down the years our football has been inundated with them, generally reasonably effective, and more often than not heroes with the crowd. Alex Dawson was very definitely “a typical British centre forward” and while he was not the greatest ever he might just have been the best example of the type.

For starters he was perhaps more British than most, even in the days before the EU. Born in Aberdeen, and always considering himself Scottish, Dawson actually represented England at schoolboy level after moving to this country as a child.

Dawson’s father was a trawler man whose job shifted him continually along the east coast but by the time young Alex was eleven the family decided that a move south to Hull would be in the interests of the whole family. The move certainly worked out well for Alex who quickly developed into a formidable schoolboy footballer and came to the attention of the greatest football nursery this country has ever produced.

During the early 1950’s Manchester United, under Matt Busby, went out of their way to secure the finest schoolboys in the country and bring them to Old Trafford for development and these efforts led to an unparalleled conveyor belt of talent coming through the ranks at the club. Dawson, starring for his school and the Hull Boys team, became one of the chosen few and joined the all conquering United youth team set up.

To people who remember Dawson as a seasoned professional, wholehearted but with as many rough edges as smooth, it may seem surprising that Busby and United sought him out as a youngster. It becomes almost astonishing when the fact that Dawson was not used as a centre forward in his youth is taken into consideration.

At school and with the Hull town team Dawson operated either at wing half, a defensive midfield role, or at inside forward, providing the link between defence and attack. At United, and for the England schoolboy side, he operated on the right wing. It is hard to imagine Dawson ever being considered a decent prospect as a winger and this surprising beginning would have one, truly unfortunate, legacy during his professional career.

Dawson’s switch to centre forward came during a junior game for United in which Kenny Morgans got injured. Dawson moved into the middle, banged in a hat trick, and basically remained a leader of the attack from that day onwards. Morgans, ironically, would go on to make his mark in the United first team as a right winger.

The positional switch suited Dawson down to the ground. He was big, strong, fearless and certainly knew where the nets where. He was also outstanding in the air, either flicking balls down for his team-mates to latch onto or heading for goal himself.

He played his part in two FA Youth Cup victories as United won the competition in each of its’ first five years and then moved to the fringes of the United first team. Dawson’s progress at Old Trafford had been excellent since his switch to centre forward but his first team prospects remained remote. Standing in his way was Tommy Taylor.

Taylor, the established first choice centre forward for both United and England, was himself in the traditional mould of British striker but could reasonably be classed as a Rolls Royce model. Taylor was robust and dynamic in the air but moved well across the ground and had the ability to join in the fast, sweeping moves for which United were famous. He was also a sure finisher with his head and both feet. In short he was a class act.

At seventeen years of age Dawson was in no position to realistically challenge Taylor for his first team shirt and, as the man in possession was only twenty five himself, he seemed to have a long wait ahead of him if he cherished ambitions of becoming the leader of United’s attack. At this stage of his career, however, Dawson was happy to continue learning his trade and there was no better place to do so than at Old Trafford under the expert guidance of Busby and his staff.

Dawson was given his first taste of senior action at the end of the 1956-57 season as, with the league title already secured and Busby resting players ahead of the forthcoming FA Cup final with Aston Villa, he was selected for the final three league games of the campaign. The bustling youngster showed he was not intimidated by the big stage and scored in all three games as United defeated Burnley and Cardiff before drawing with West Brom.

Although Dawson might not be a challenger for Taylor’s shirt he had immediately shown Busby that he could be considered an able deputy, capable of stepping into the team and scoring goals without the team needing to change it’s style of play to accommodate him.

Dawson’s next appearance in the United first team was not so happy, however, and his prospects appeared to have diminished considerably as a consequence. Dawson was included for a home game with Portsmouth in October 1957 as United made a strangely erratic start to the campaign. It was a game best forgotten for all concerned as United crashed to a shock 3-0 defeat and Dawson slipped into the background as the team subsequently regrouped and embarked on a magnificent winning run around the turn of the year.

All Dawson could do was return to the reserves, continue banging in the goals and hope for another opportunity to present itself with the first team. This opportunity would present itself sooner than anybody could have expected and in the most dreadful of circumstances.

Dawson, himself, had been waiting to see if he would get the call to travel as a reserve with the first team as they prepared to venture to Belgrade for the second leg of their European Cup quarter final with Red Star. In the end he was not included in the party and stayed behind in Manchester to hear the grim news that the plane bringing the party home had crashed on take off in Munich. Taylor was among the eight players to lose their lives. Suddenly Dawson was taking his place in a desperately patched up United side and being asked to lead their attack.

As United carried on, amid a tidal wave of emotion from the terraces, Dawson got on with the job of banging in goals. He managed five in eleven league games and played a major part in the teams’ remarkable FA Cup run which took them back to Wembley for another final.

Dawson scored in the 3-0 victory over Sheffield Wednesday which marked the clubs’ return to action following the disaster, scored a vital goal in the 2-2 quarter final draw at West Brom and slammed in a memorable hat trick as Fulham were swept aside 5-3 in a semi final replay at Highbury.

The final brought United face to face with Bolton Wanderers and the powerful, abrasive, confident Dawson was expected to have an important role to play against a Wanderers’ defence itself renowned for its’ rugged qualities.

Inexplicably, however, it was decided that Dawson would operate on the right wing with Bobby Charlton taking the centre forward position. Not surprisingly Dawson flopped completely as a winger and the United attack rarely troubled the Bolton defence as Wanderers ran out comfortable 2-0 winners.

Charlton himself played well enough and struck a post with United one behind but it is safe to assume that he would have shown up to advantage in whichever of the forward positions he was placed. Dawson might have begun life at Old Trafford as a winger in his junior days but he was now patently equipped to play in one position only and the decision to move him to the wing was an unmitigated failure and remains one of the most baffling selections in cup final history.

With memories of his stirring semi final deeds fresh in the mind it was painful to watch Dawson struggling hopelessly to make an impression on the flank and the futility of his afternoon was put into even sharper context as Nat Lofthouse, Bolton’s very own buccaneering forward, claimed both goals after ninety minutes terrorising the United defence.

Perhaps this was an early indication that the United hierarchy never truly trusted Dawson as he would fail to genuinely establish himself as a first team regular over the next few seasons despite remaining a consistent goalscorer. There is no doubt that Busby wanted not only success but style and a swagger. No matter how many goals the bulldozing Dawson smashed in for him Busby no doubt remembered the smooth, stealthy Tommy Taylor and hankered after a more refined centre forward to lead his line.

Eventually Busby would find that man but Dawson certainly played his part in seeing United through the most difficult period of their history and enjoyed several remarkable bursts of goalscoring himself.

Dawson rammed home ten goals in the last six league games of the 1959-60 season and then enjoyed a spectacular Christmas and New Year period the following season. United met Chelsea on both Christmas Eve and Boxing Day and Dawson hit four goals as both games were won. New Years’ Eve brought an Old Trafford derby with Manchester City and Dawson banged in a hat trick in a 5-1 win and topped off this spree a week later with two more as Middlesbrough were beaten 3-0 in the FA Cup.

This goalscoring burst was brought to an end the following week as United played host to Tottenham Hotspur and Dawson found himself in goal after a first half injury to Harry Gregg. The London club were storming towards the league title, and the Double, and had scored eighty one goals in their previous twenty five league games. Nobody had stopped them scoring up to that point.

With Gregg charging around gamely up front with a dislocated shoulder Dawson managed to get in the way of everything the Spurs attack could hit at him and a memorable game ended with United running out 2-0 winners.

Perhaps Dawson should have stayed between the posts. Ronnie Briggs was brought in for his debut in the next game at Leicester and let in six before shipping seven at home to Sheffield Wednesday in an FA Cup replay.

Busby decided that United could manage without Dawson’s services the following season after signing David Herd from Arsenal, although it would only be the signing of Denis Law a year later that really provided Busby with the significant improvement on Dawson that he craved.

Dawson left Old Trafford having scored fifty four goals in ninety three games and had certainly let no-one down. His transfer, for £18,000, saw him dropping a division to join Preston North End. It was a move that would work out wonderfully well for both the player and his new club and Dawson would end up achieving near legendary status at Deepdale.

Preston had just been relegated from the first division but had made a poor start in Division Two and were badly missing the inspirational genius of Tom Finney who had retired just over a year earlier. Nobody could ever replace the genius of Finney at Deepdale but Dawson provided the struggling side with a new focal point and the North End faithful with a new hero.

Dawson netted on his debut in a 2-2 draw at Rotherham and continued to score consistently as results showed a steady improvement. On the Deepdale terraces Dawson became the new king.

The fans were obviously happy to have a centre forward who knew where the nets where to cheer but Dawson’s popularity went beyond his goalscoring exploits. His bruising style might not have been exactly suited to Old Trafford under Matt Busby but in the less exotic surroundings of the second division it was ideal. Wherever you turned there was a yard dog centre half looking to intimidate the opposition away from his penalty area. Dawson was a man who was impossible to intimidate and he took up the physical challenge on Preston’s behalf with relish. Not surprisingly the Preston fans loved him for it, especially as the extra class he also possessed at this level regularly shone through to brighten a winters’ afternoon and win their side the points.

At Preston, Dawson was an instantly recognisable figure. His bulky, thick set frame was the one both sets of fans instinctively trained on with the large number nine and his jet black, cropped hair standing out fiercely against Preston’s famous white shirt.

In the days when football was truly gladiatorial Dawson was one of its’ fiercest warriors and it was not long before the Preston supporters were referring to him lovingly as “The Black Prince”. The nickname fitted him perfectly and rolled easily off the tongue as he belted home a thumping shot or guided a precise header beyond the groping reach of the opposing goalkeeper.

Not surprisingly Dawson was viewed somewhat differently by opposing supporters. They howled disgust in his direction as he charged into challenges with their defenders and goalkeeper and mocked with glee when his efforts ended with him fluffing a chance or crumpled in a heap on the floor. With such a whole hearted player such occasions were not uncommon.

During a period when Lancashire derbies were commonplace, and with little to choose between the combatants, you could be sure of hearing Dawson cried up as “The Black Prince” on one side of the fence and shouted down as “The Black Pudding” on the other.

To the neutral it was obvious that Dawson was a highly effective centre forward and that his supporters were a lot closer to the truth than his detractors.

On the pitch Dawson soon came face to face with his former club as Preston made it through to the FA Cup quarter finals after seeing off Liverpool in a second replay at Old Trafford in the 5th round. Deepdale was packed for the visit of Busby’s United and Dawson had the chance to put one over his former employers but blazed wide from close range. The game ended goalless with United edging the replay 2-1.

Preston were a side in transition and struggled particularly during the 1962-63 season, eventually finishing in seventeenth position. Dawson continued to prove his worth by scoring at better than a goal every other game. The following season saw North End’s youngsters coming into their own and a memorable campaign ensued.

With Dawson firing on all cylinders Preston mounted a strong challenge in both league and cup. Dawson slammed in thirteen goals in the first nine league games, including a hat trick against Swansea Town, to set the ball rolling and by Christmas North End were involved in a three way struggle with Leeds United and Sunderland for the two available promotion places.

Dawson was also at the forefront of his clubs’ FA Cup campaign which took North End all the way to the final at Wembley. Dawson’s most crucial contribution came in the 4th round when he scored both goals in a pulsating 2-2 draw away to local rivals Bolton Wanderers and he also notched in the replay which Preston won 2-1.

Dawson also scored in the 2-1 win at Oxford United in the 6th round before converting a penalty in a 2-1 semi final victory over Swansea Town at Villa Park.

A heavy defeat away to Sunderland shortly after the semi final signalled the beginning of the end of North End’s promotion challenge and there would also be massive disappointment in the cup after defeat to West Ham in an epic encounter beneath the Twin Towers at Wembley.

Preston, huge underdogs, actually dominated the first half and took the lead twice before half time. Doug Holden poached the first after a low drive from Dawson had been fumbled by the West Ham keeper and then the centre forward scored himself with a trademark header after his marker slipped at a corner.

West Ham upped the pace after half time and drew level for a second time but Preston appeared to be finishing the stronger of the two sides until they were beaten by a last minute goal with extra time seeming inevitable.

So Dawson and his colleagues ended up with nothing tangible to show for providing the club with one if its’ finest and most memorable seasons. Dawson’s thirty six goals cemented his place in the affections of the fans, however, and went a long way towards establishing a legend that prevails at Deepdale to this day.

Most observers felt that this young North End side would not have to wait long to put right the narrow failures of that campaign but the 1963-64 season would actually prove to be their high point. Subsequent seasons saw the club falling into mid-table obscurity and Dawson’s own performances gradually fell away in a similar manner.

The following season saw Dawson still striking fear into defences as he plundered twenty six goals from thirty six league games, including hat tricks against Charlton, Portsmouth and Manchester City, but Preston could only finish twelfth and in 1965-66 they dropped to seventeenth as Dawson’s strike rate dropped significantly. His goalscoring record remained more than adequate but never again approached the prolific levels of his early days at Deepdale.

Dawson was also prominent in another decent cup run in 1966 as Preston made it to the quarter finals. He scored in both games as Bolton were beaten after a replay in the 4th round and was also on target as Spurs were defeated 2-1 at Deepdale in the next round.

This set up a meeting with Manchester United at Deepdale and Dawson scored against his former club in a 1-1 draw before United won the replay at Old Trafford 3-1.

The following season would see widespread dissatisfaction within the playing staff at Deepdale and Dawson was not alone in handing in a transfer request during the campaign. Wheras things were smoothed out with other players Dawson’s disagreement with the club proved terminal and in March 1967 he left the club to join Bury, who were struggling against relegation in the same division.

It was desperately disappointing that such a popular player, who had done so much for the club, should leave under a cloud of animosity but this unhappy parting of the ways never threatened his overall standing with the North End supporters.

Dawson arrived at Gigg Lane with a cluster of other new faces but inspiration was not forthcoming and relegation soon became a near certainty. The following season was a happier one for the club as promotion back to the second division was clinched at the first time of asking. Dawson’s impact remained solid rather than spectacular but it was a surprise when he was subsequently sold to Brighton after managing seven goals in twelve games back in Division Two.

Brighton were languishing in the relegation zone in Division Three when Dawson arrived at the club in December 1968 but the bulldozing centre forward made an immediate impact and helped transform the clubs’ fortunes. He scored in his first two games for the club, both of which were won, and helped his new side go on a fine run in which only one game out of eleven was lost.

Dawson continued to score regularly and finished the season with seventeen from just twenty three appearances, including a haul of four in an away game at Hartlepool which was won 5-2.Brighton themselves ended up finishing in a respectable twelfth position.

Not surprisingly Dawson was instantly popular among the Brighton fans and everything looked set fair for the striker to prosper on the south coast. By the start of the following season, however, it seemed that Brighton’s manager, Freddie Goodwin, was beginning to have concerns about Dawson’s weight and the fact that his league career fizzled out from that point adds credence to such theories.

It was believed that Dawson had a clause in his contract whereby he would get a bonus if he weighed in at or below a certain weight but would be fined if he tipped the scales any higher. It was said that the Dawson pay packet was short of a few quid every week from the start of the 1969-70 season.

If this story is true Goodwin possibly lost out by being so particular. Dawson had always been heavy and he was now obviously less mobile around the pitch but he retained the natural abilities that had made him a striker to fear. He instinctively found the right place to be in inside the box and still finished in an uncomplicated, but highly effective, manner.

Above all else he remained a master in the air. No matter how big his backside got Dawson could still soar higher than opponents several inches taller than him to plant fierce headers into the bottom corner of the net or glide subtle flicks perfectly into the path of supporting colleagues.

Brighton ended up missing out on promotion after losing four of their last five games with Dawson playing a bit part. Given a more central role he might just have made a crucial difference over the course of the campaign.

It was evident that Dawson’s prospects were now limited at the Goldstone Ground and he would play only one more game for the club. Instead his league career came to an end with a loan spell at Brentford. Dawson played eleven games for the Griffin Park club but it was enough for him to make his mark.

Brentford were struggling in Division Four when Dawson arrived to lend a hand and the new man quickly made an impression with his forceful displays. He was booked in an early game against Bournemouth, something of a feat in itself in those days, and scored six goals in the ten league games he played for the club, five of which were won.

Dawson is also still remembered at Brentford for scoring the winning goal against Gillingham in an FA Cup 1st round tie at Griffin Park in which the visitors had been leading until the last minute of the game. The real significance of this goal was felt later as the club went on a money spinning run to the 5th round.

Brentford were keen to make Dawson’s loan spell a permanent move but the parties were unable to agree terms so Dawson ended up slipping out of league football to play with Corby Town where he could combine his football earnings with a job outside the game.

So non league audiences got the opportunity to appreciate the mixture of crass and class that had always made up the Dawson repertoire and which, somehow, had always been almost equally entertaining.

To many football fans, however, Dawson’s departure from league football was a sad day as it certainly appeared that he had plenty of good football left in him.

His supporters could console themselves with the store of happy memories his barnstorming displays had given them over the years, however, and the knowledge that they had witnessed a very British, a very typical and a very good centre forward.

Manchester United 80 games, 45 goals

Preston North End 199 games, 114 goals

Bury 50 games, 21 goals

Brighton & Hove Albion 57 games, 26 goals

Brentford (loan) 10 games, 6 goals.