OTD: DOBSON SIGNS

On this day in 2019, Sunderland completed the signing of Walsall midfielder George Dobson. Arriving on Wearside at the age of 22, and having captained his previous club at such a young age, there was a bit of hope Sunderland had found a talented young player - on paper the type of signing we would maybe look for with the current model - however he never reached that potential at the Stadium of Light.

Dobson started his youth career at Arsenal before joining West Ham at the age of 17. He would get his first taste of senior football out on loan at Walsall. He would make 26 appearances across all competitions for the League One side before joining Sparta Rotterdam in the summer of 2017 on a permanent basis. After just six months in Holland, Dobson would return to Walsall after struggling for game time at Sparta. He signed a two-and-a-half-year contract and would play a part in keeping them in League One.

The 2018/19 season saw him given the captaincy at just 21 years old showing just how highly thought off he was at the Bescot Stadium. We would see a fair bit of his Walsall side that year, drawing 2-2 at the Bescot, with Lynden Gooch scoring an 89th minute equaliser before beating them 2-1 in the reverse fixture thanks to Lee Cattermole and a rare Will Grigg goal. That game is probably best remembered for the fact going to that game made you eligible for one of the stages of Wembley tickets for the Checkatrade Trophy final, with 34,000 in attendance for the game. They would also knock us out of the FA Cup that year, with a 1-1 draw in the Midlands leading to a replay at the SoL which we would lose 1-0 thanks to a Liam Kinsella goal.

Clearly the four games against Walsall allowed recruitment to get a good look at Dobson, who in the summer of 2019 was of interest for Jack Ross’ side. He was acquired for an undisclosed fee, with Jack Ross saying in his announcement that George would “thrive under the pressure that comes with playing for Sunderland”.

Life on Wearside started positively for him, looking good in the early stages, including scoring in a 3-1 win away at Premier League Burnley in the EFL Cup to get his first goal in Red and White.

However, it would not last long as with Sunderland continued to struggle to get out of the third tier, with Dobson ever present as newly appointed Phil Parkinson had Sunderland finish 8th in a COVID curtailed season, our lowest ever position in the club’s history.

The 2020/21 season saw change in the middle of the park with Josh Scowen being preferred to partner Grant Leadbitter for most of the season. Dobson was given the nod on the opening day against Bristol Rovers but a red card in the 96th minute of the 1-1 draw summed up how his season would go. He would rarely feature after that, dipping in and out of the starting eleven and after just five league appearances he would be loaned out to AFC Wimbledon in January 2021.

After a solid spell at the Dons, Dobson would leave Sunderland permanently, joining Charlton Athletic on a two-year deal. He would become a key player at The Valley, getting the captain's armband in December 2022. A player that clearly had leadership attributes to his game but were never really seen during his time on Wearside.

Dobson would not extend his stay at Charlton though at the end of his contract in 2024, signing a pre-contract deal with Hungarian side Fehervar. However, Dobson would reach a mutual agreement to terminate that contract before it had begun due to a change in personal circumstances. He would instead link up with former boss Phil Parkinson at Wrexham where he still plays his football today. Of course, since George left SAFC we have gone on to much bigger and much better things. It seems unfathomable that not so long ago, we celebrated his signing like it was a new dawn on Wearside.