[Albion] Alex Dawson

[carlzeiss]

You remembered it exactly right. FA Cup 2nd round game v Walsall December 1969.

It seemed that he was fooling about...their 'keeper never moved a muscle. He was a character for sure and a great Goldstone favourite back then.

That would have been my first match at the Goldsone ground , all I can remember though is Geoff Sidebottom being knocked out after colliding with the post and me being sick after eating a wagon wheel purchased from the East Stand tea hut .


Good article from the Daily Mail on Alex here -


Former Manchester United striker and Busby Babe Alex Dawson dies aged 80, club confirm

Former Manchester United and Preston striker Alex Dawson has died aged 80
The Scot featured for United under Matt Busby before joining Preston in 1961
Dawson scored 212 goals in 394 career appearances in a stellar career

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/s...be-Alex-Dawson-dies-aged-80-club-confirm.html

 

[carlzeiss]

There is a wonderful picture in John Vinnicombe's book of Dawson, ball and goalkeeper all in the back of the net - tried to scan it, but printer not having any of it! My main memories of him of wet nights at places like Tranmere, Southport, Preston and Shrewsbury in the time I spent a Liverpool Uni. I thought he would be much older than 80 too.

Anyway, RIP Black Prince.

This is the one

 

[GT49er]

This is the one

Yep.

 

[LamieRobertson]

This is the one

Ah the days when a goalie would take his newspaper onto the field of play for a read when he wasn’t busy

 

[el punal]

RIP Alex one of my heroes , legend to those who saw him play for BHA......The best picture

NOW that’s how to do a goal celebration - arm raised, the contemptuous arrogant grin, the complete f*** off look to the opposition saying “I own you!” Marvellous.

 

[DavidinSouthampton]

Just read it in the paper. He was a Busby Babe after Munich. Remember him very very well. Terrifying.

 

[BLOCK F]

A wonderful old fashioned centre forward, back in the day. Never a dull moment when Alex was playing.
R.I.P. Alex

 

[Driver8]

Minutes silence for him at Old Trafford.

 

[WATFORD zero]

Minutes silence for him at Old Trafford.

Well done United

 

[el punal]

An additional bit of information I’ve just heard about Alex’s time at Man.Utd. - as one of the youth team players, I believe he was 17 at the time, he was asked to join the team to travel for United’s ill fated tie at Red Star Belgrade prior to the Munich tragedy. This inclusion, apparently, was quite common in the United set up to give youngsters experience in appreciating what might be expected of them.

Alex duly turned up at Manchester airport (Ringway?) to join the rest of the team. As he was under 18 he did not have a visa to travel to Belgrade and therefore was not allowed to board the plane and had to stay behind. When news of the air crash came out his mother was unaware that Alex had not travelled and believed that he might have been one of the casualties in this tragedy.

Fate dealt Alex a kind hand that day.

 

[GT49er]

An additional bit of information I’ve just heard about Alex’s time at Man.Utd. - as one of the youth team players, I believe he was 17 at the time, he was asked to join the team to travel for United’s ill fated tie at Red Star Belgrade prior to the Munich tragedy. This inclusion, apparently, was quite common in the United set up to give youngsters experience in appreciating what might be expected of them.

Alex duly turned up at Manchester airport (Ringway?) to join the rest of the team. As he was under 18 he did not have a visa to travel to Belgrade and therefore was not allowed to board the plane and had to stay behind. When news of the air crash came out his mother was unaware that Alex had not travelled and believed that he might have been one of the casualties in this tragedy.

Fate dealt Alex a kind hand that day.

So where had he been those three days? What did the young scallywag get up to when his mum thought he was away in Belgrade but he was actually on the loose in Manchester? We need to know...................................

 

[el punal]

So where had he been those three days? What did the young scallywag get up to when his mum thought he was away in Belgrade but he was actually on the loose in Manchester? We need to know...................................

On the training ground practicing barging opposition goalies into the net - he got that one down to a fine art!

His Mum, l believe, lived in Glasgow or thereabouts so Alex would have been living in digs with other United players in Manchester. Instant communication in those days was a rarity, very few people had telephones, hence the reason his dear old Mum was unaware of the situation.

There you go, supposition at its finest!

 

[Mo Gosfield]

Aah...The Black Prince. One of my favourite players. No quarter given, none asked. Full bloodied commitment. The memories.....back heel v Walsall....the 4 goals at Hartlepool that should have been 5 ( his shot stuck in the mud on the goalline )...getting stick at Crawley in the Sussex Senior Cup....approaching a group of home fans, who must have been shitting themselves and just smiling ( come and have a go if you think you are hard enough )
From corners and free kicks you only watched Big Al. You knew he was going to do his utmost to get on the end of it. A veritable battering ram.
Of the big, hard men, he was right up there. R.I.P to a big hearted fellow.