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 ...

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 {{England-footy-midfielder-1850s-stub