Frederick Henry Herbert "Fred" Dawson (also known as Frankie) (23 June 1862 – 1938) was an English
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...
who played as a
left-half
A midfielder is an outfield position in association football.
Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...
in
the Football League
The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...
for
Aston Villa
Aston Villa Football Club is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club competes in the , the top tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1874, they have played at their home ground, Villa Park ...
.
He joined
Aston Unity in 1879 and left the following year in 1880 and signed for Aston Villa.
Described as a tenacious opponent, Frankie was in the
1886-87 FA Cup-winning side. Fred only played three League games for Aston Villa, all in 1888–89. Frankie played at left-half in the debut League match for Aston Villa. The date was 8 September 1888 and the venue was
Dudley Road
Dudley Road was a football ground in Wolverhampton in England. It was the home ground of Wolverhampton Wanderers between 1881 and 1889, and was used during the first season of the Football League.
History
The ground began to be used in 1881, ...
, the then home of Wolverhampton Wanderers. The match ended 1–1. On 6 October 1888 Fred Dawson played at wing–half against
Everton. Dawson was approximately 29 years 296 days old; which made him, on that fifth weekend of League football, Aston Villa's oldest League player. Dawson played two more games, all in 1888. The only time he was on the winning side was on 29 December 1888 when playing his only game at Wellington Road, Birmingham. Aston Villa beat Derby County 4–2.
One source described Dawson as a player who played with evident enjoyment, tenacity and constructiveness.
Professional baseball
In 1890 Dawson played professional baseball for Aston Villa in the
National League of Baseball of Great Britain.
Honours
Club
Aston Villa
*
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...
: 1887
References
1858 births
1938 deaths
English baseball players
Footballers from Birmingham, West Midlands
English footballers
Association football wing halves
Aston Unity F.C. players
Aston Villa F.C. players
English Football League players
FA Cup Final players
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