Gordon Eric Peter Sweetzer (born 27 January 1957) is a Canadian former professional

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

player who played as a

forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People * Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Sm ...

. In a short, injury-plagued career, he played in the Football League for

Brentford Brentford is a suburban town in West London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It lies at the confluence of the River Brent and the Thames, west of Charing Cross. Its economy has diverse company headquarters buildings whi ...

, Cambridge United and in the North American Soccer League for

Toronto Blizzard Toronto Blizzard may refer to: * Toronto Blizzard (1971–1984), the original soccer club, a franchise of the North American Soccer League * Toronto Blizzard (1986–1993), the later club and franchise of the Canadian Soccer League * Toronto Azzurr ...

and Edmonton Drillers. Sweetzer won three caps for Canada and later became a manager and

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

. As a player, he was described as "an aggressive, all-action, bustling striker, with little finesse about his game".

Club career

Brentford (1975–1978)

, Sweetzer began his career in the youth system at Queens Park Rangers, before transferring to

Fourth Division Fourth or the fourth may refer to: * the ordinal form of the number 4 * ''Fourth'' (album), by Soft Machine, 1971 * Fourth (angle), an ancient astronomical subdivision * Fourth (music), a musical interval * ''The Fourth'' (1972 film), a Sovie ...

club

in July 1975. After signing a professional contract in September 1975, he was named as the substitute for a league fixture versus Huddersfield Town late in the month. Aged 18, Sweetzer made his professional debut when he replaced Dave Simmons during the match and scored the first senior goal of his career with a late header in the 2–1 defeat. He went on to establish himself in the team and finished the 1975–76 season with 31 appearances and seven goals. Sweetzer began the 1976–77 season with niggling injuries, but after returning to fitness he showed prolific form, scoring 23 goals in 28 appearances to pull the Bees away from what would have been an almost-certain re-election scenario. He was voted the club's Supporters' Player of the Year. During the 1977–78 season, Sweetzer was part of a prolific forward line that also included

Steve Phillips Stephen Francis Phillips (born May 18, 1963) is an American baseball analyst and former baseball executive. He served as the general manager of the New York Mets from 1997 through 2003. He worked as a baseball analyst for ESPN from 2005 until h ...

and Andrew McCulloch and despite being affected by injuries, he scored 14 goals in 20 appearances. With promotion to the

Third Division In sport, the Third Division, also called Division 3, Division Three, or Division III, is often the third-highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Association football *Belgian Thir ...

almost assured, he was transferred out of the club in April 1978. In just shy of three seasons at

Griffin Park Griffin Park was a football ground in Brentford in the London Borough of Hounslow, England. It was the home ground of Brentford F.C. from its opening in September 1904 to August 2020. The ground is in a predominantly residential area and was ...

, Sweetzer scored 44 goals in 79 appearances.

Later career (1978–1982)

Sweetzer transferred to high-flying Third Division club Cambridge United for a £30,000 fee in April 1978, a move which reunited him with manager John Docherty, who had signed him at Brentford. Sweetzer celebrated promotion to the Second Division with the club at the end of the 1977–78 season, but the remainder of his spell would be plagued by injuries and he left the club in 1980. He returned to his native Canada to play for North American Soccer League club

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning System time epoch begins at 00:00 UTC. * January 9 – ...

and

1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major offensiv ...

, before closing out his career in 1982 with a short comeback at Brentford and a spell with North American Soccer League club Edmonton Drillers.

International career

Sweetzer won four caps for Canada in 1981.

Managerial and coaching career

Sweetzer served as manager at

Isthmian League The Isthmian League () is a regional men's football league covering Greater London, East and South East England, featuring mostly semi-professional clubs. Founded in 1905 by amateur clubs in the London area, the league now consists of 82 tea ...

Premier Division club

Staines Town Staines Town Football Club was a semi-professional football club based in Staines-upon-Thames, Middlesex. History Early days Staines Town FC was founded in 1892 and was known under various names including ''Staines F.C.'',''Staines Albany F ...

between November 1990 and June 1991. He is currently a youth coach at Toronto High Park.

Personal life

Sweetzer's brothers

Billy Billy may refer to: * Billy (name), a name (and list of people with the name) Animals * Billy (dog), a dog breed * Billy (pigeon), awarded the Dickin Medal in 1945 * Billy (pygmy hippo), a pet of U.S. President Calvin Coolidge * Billy, a youn ...

and

Jimmy Jimmy may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Jimmy'' (2008 film), a 2008 Hindi thriller directed by Raj N. Sippy * ''Jimmy'' (1979 film), a 1979 Indian Malayalam film directed by Melattoor Ravi Varma * ''Jimmy'' (2013 f ...

also played professional football.

Honours

Brentford *

Football League Fourth Division The Football League Fourth Division was the fourth-highest division in the English football league system from the 1958–59 season until the creation of the Premier League prior to the 1992–93 season. Whilst the division disappeared in name ...

fourth-place promotion: 1977–78 Individual * Brentford Supporters' Player of the Year: 1976–77

Career statistics

References

External links

Gordon Sweetzer
at canadasoccer.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Sweetzer, Gordon 1957 births Living people Brentford F.C. players Cambridge United F.C. players Canada men's international soccer players Canadian soccer players Edmonton Drillers (1979–1982) players Canadian people of English descent English people of Canadian descent Association football forwards North American Soccer League (1968–1984) players Soccer players from Toronto People with acquired Canadian citizenship English Football League players Toronto Blizzard (1971–1984) players Canadian expatriate soccer players Expatriate footballers in England Staines Town F.C. managers Isthmian League managers Canadian expatriate sportspeople in England Canadian soccer coaches