Alex Dawson

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Alex Dawson
Personnel
Surname Alexander Downie Dawson
birthday February 21, 1940
place of birth Aberdeen ,  Scotland
date of death 17th July 2020
position Center Forward
Juniors
Years station
Manchester United
Men's
Years station Games (goals) 1
1957-1961 Manchester United 80 ( 045)
1961-1967 Preston North End 197 (114)
1967-1968 Bury FC 50 ( 021)
1968-1971 Brighton & Hove Albion 57 ( 026)
1970 →  Brentford FC  (loan) 10 ( 006)
1971-1973 Corby Town
1 Only league games are given.

Alexander Downie "Alex" Dawson (born February 21, 1940 in Aberdeen , † July 17, 2020 ) was a Scottish football player . As a center forward "classic character" he was a regular at Manchester United for a few years after the Munich plane crash in February 1958 , before he made his mark in the club's history as the "Black Prince of Deepdale" with over 100 second division players at Preston North End .

Athletic career

Dawson made his debut on April 22, 1957 for the first team of Manchester United against Burnley FC (2-0) and in his three league appearances in the outgoing 1956/57 championship season he scored three goals. After the Munich plane disaster in February 1958, he achieved his sporting breakthrough in the professional team and his hat-trick in the FA Cup semi-final replay against Fulham at Highbury attracted particular attention . As a center forward who impressed less through playful finesse and more through athleticism, he scored 31 goals in 50 games in his last two full seasons for United. Nevertheless, he was never able to earn a permanent place. When, in 1961, another center striker, David Herd, was signed by Arsenal FC , it quickly became apparent that Dawson would not harmonize with the newcomer. United coach Matt Busby let him move on to Preston North End , which had recently been relegated to the second division, in October 1961 ,

At his new club Dawson was immediately a key player and in the 1963/64 season Preston North End reached the final of the FA Cup. There Dawson shot against West Ham United the interim 2-1 lead before the game was lost 3-2. He was the top goalscorer for "PNE" for many years and had his most profitable period, especially in the seasons 1962/63 (27 hits), 1963/64 (36 hits) and 1964/65 (again 27 hits). His nickname was "Black Prince of Deepdale" (German: Schwarzer Prinz von Deepdale ) and in a team that was rather inconsistent and always missed the longed-for return to the top class, he was so constant that a transfer from Dawson to a more ambitious club was speculated. This should not happen, however; instead he moved to league rivals FC Bury before the end of the 1966/67 season in March 1967 .

Bury fought in the second division against relegation and ultimately Dawson could not prevent his new club from being bottom of the table had to go into the third division. In December 1968 he moved on to Brighton & Hove Albion . There he let his professional career come to an end until 1971 - interrupted by a loan period in 1970 at Brentford FC in west London - and then moved to the amateur sector at Corby Town .

Title / Awards

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Alex Dawson: Ex-Man Utd, Preston, Bury, Brighton forward dies aged 80
  2. ^ Ponting, Ivan: Manchester United Player by Player . Hamlyn, London 1998, ISBN 0-600-59496-3 , pp. 39 .
personal data
SURNAME Dawson, Alex
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Dawson, Alexander Downie
BRIEF DESCRIPTION scottish soccer player
DATE OF BIRTH February 21, 1940
PLACE OF BIRTH Aberdeen
DATE OF DEATH 17th July 2020