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Bert Hobson
Personal information
Full name	Herbert Bertie Hobson
Date of birth	26 February 1890
Place of birth	Tow Law, England
Date of death	c. November 1963 (aged 73)
Place of death	Tow Law, England
Height	5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Position(s)	Full back
Senior career*
Years	Team
	Tow Law Town
	Stanley United
19??–1912	Crook Town
1912–1922	Sunderland
1922−1925	West Stanley
1925−1926	Darlington
1926−192?	Jarrow
	Spennymoor United
	*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Herbert Bertie Hobson MM (26 February 1890 – c. November 1963) was an English professional footballer who played as a full back in the Football League for Sunderland and Darlington. He was a Sunderland player from 1912 to 1922, of which four years were lost to the First World War, and made 160 First Division appearances without scoring.

Life and career

Herbert Bertie Hobson was born on 26 February 1890 in Tow Law, County Durham.^[2] He played football for Tow Law Town, Stanley United and Crook Town,^[2] and appeared for Sunderland's reserves as an amateur, before turning professional with the Football League First Division club in August 1912.^[3] He made his debut for Sunderland on 24 March 1913 in a 3–1 win against Sheffield United at Bramall Lane,^[4] played twice more that season, which Sunderland finished as champions, and soon became a regular in the side.^[2] In January 1914, he was reported to be "as sound as a rock in the Sunderland defence. His tackling and kicking improves with every game he plays."^[5] By the time competitive football was abandoned because of the First World War, he had 68 first-team appearances.^[2]

Hobson enlisted in the Durham Light Infantry, and in May 1916 was reported to have been wounded and invalided out to a London hospital.^[6]^[7] He was awarded the Military Medal.^[8]^[9] He also found time to guest for Hull City, Stoke and Wolverhampton Wanderers during the war.^[10]^[11]

He missed only two matches in the first post-war season, and was a regular in the side during the next.^[2] In September 1921, he was touted for possible selection at right back for the Football League XI to face their Irish counterparts,^[12] but was not chosen. At the end of that season, he was offered the maximum wage to sign on for another year, but refused unless he were granted another benefit. Arguing that he had received a lucrative benefit of £625 only 18 months earlier so could not expect to be guaranteed a second, the club listed him for transfer.^[13] At a fee of £1,500, there were no takers. In December 1922, Sunderland's board agreed to release Hobson to play in North-Eastern League football, while still retaining his Football League registration, and he duly signed for West Stanley.^[14]^[15]

He remained with that club until February 1925, when Sunderland finally granted him a free transfer and he returned to the Football League with Darlington.^[16] He went straight into the side in place of the injured Tommy Greaves,^[17] and played in the next two matches, after which Greaves was fit to resume. Darlington won the 1924–25 Third Division North title, and Hobson played just twice after their promotion to the Second Division, each time covering for Greaves.^[18] He left the club at the end of the season and signed for Jarrow,^[19] where he was appointed captain and stayed for at least a second season,^[20] before finishing his career with Spennymoor United.^[2]

In 1936, Hobson was an unsuccessful applicant for the post of coach to County Durham secondary schools under the auspices of a scheme promoted by the Football Association. The Sunderland Echo reported that some of the other candidates dropped out of consideration because of their interpretations of the laws of the game, a topic in which the successful candidate, former Darlington footballer Dave Edgar, had excelled.^[21]

Hobson died in his native Tow Law in late 1963 at the age of 73.^[22]

Career statistics

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club	Season	League			FA Cup		Total
Club	Season	Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Sunderland^[2]	1912–13	First Division	3	0	0	0	3	0
	1913–14	First Division	31	0	5	0	36	0
	1914–15	First Division	28	0	1	0	29	0
	1919–20	First Division	40	0	4	0	44	0
	1920–21	First Division	36	0	1	0	37	0
	1921–22	First Division	22	0	1	0	23	0
	Total		160	0	12	0	172	0
Darlington^[18]	1924–25	Third Division North	3	0	0	0	3	0
	1925–26	Second Division	2	0	0	0	2	0
	Total		5	0	0	0	5	0
Career total			165	0	12	0	177	0

References

^ "Football prospects. Sunderland". Athletic News. Manchester. 25 August 1913. p. 6 – via Play Up Liverpool.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g "Player search: Hobson, HB (Bert)". English National Football Archive. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
^ "The Sunderland club. Two new players". Sunderland Daily Echo. 30 August 1912. p. 6.
^ "1912–13: Football League Division 1 – Match 32". The Stat Cat. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
^ "Old Country soccer notes and comment". Hamilton Daily Times. Canada. 7 January 1914. p. 9.
^ "Sunderland's little lot". Sports Special. Sheffield. 21 August 1915. p. 2.
^ "All sorts of sport". Evening Despatch. Birmingham. 26 May 1916. p. 4.
^ "The Sunderland F.C. Coming season's prospects". Sunderland Daily Echo. 14 August 1919. p. 5. Sunderland have reason to be proud of the part their players played in the war, for 25 out of 29 joined the forces, the remaining four going on to munitions; and the Military Medal was gained by Buchan, Hobson and Young.
^ "Durham Light Infantry". London Gazette (Fourth Supplement) (31405): 7683. 13 June 1919. 1516 Pte. (A./Sjt.) Hobson, B., 19th Bn. (Bishop Auckland).
^ "Tigers' cup-tie". Daily Mail. Hull. 23 December 1919. p. 2.
^ "Pre World War Two Crook Town Players who went onto play League football". Crook Town A.F.C. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
^ A.R.B. (21 September 1921). "International football. A foreword on the choice for coming inter-League match". Sporting Chronicle. Manchester. p. 2.
^ "Bert Hobson on the transfer list". Daily Mail. Hull. 27 May 1922. p. 3.
^ "Facts and fancies. Hobson won't sign". Derby Daily Telegraph. 30 September 1922. p. 3.
^ "All sorts of sport". Newcastle Daily Chronicle North Mail. 1 January 1923. p. 9.
^ "Sporting items". Nottingham Evening Post. 27 February 1925. p. 8.
^ "Hobson joins Darlington". Northern Daily Mail. West Hartlepool. 26 February 1925. p. 5.
^ ^a ^b Tweddle (2000), pp. 26–27.
^ "Round the club camps". Leicester Chronicle. 2 October 1926. p. 17.
^ "Jarrow re-sign Bert Hobson". Shields Daily News. 19 August 1927. p. 6.
^ Argus (27 November 1936). "Under the searchlight". Sunderland Echo. p. 14.
^ "Bert Hobson". The Stat Cat. Retrieved 18 November 2021.