*Indicates unconfirmed information. Figures in brackets after English team names indicate all appearances made and goals scored in competitive matches for Football League clubs from 1888 onwards. For Scottish League clubs the figures show details of all competitive appearances and goals scored from 1946/47 onwards.
Bobby Wilson
Appearances: 145 Goals: 15
Date / Year of birth: 21st September 1957
Position: Midfielder
Season of first appearance: 1985/86
Season of last appearance: 1987/88
Also played for: Canterbury City, Charlton Athletic (0), Dover, Folkestone, Hythe Town, Snowdown Colliery Welfare and Folkestone Invicta
5' 8" tall creative but tough midfielder born in Aylesham, near Canterbury.
Bobby started his career at Canterbury where he played in the youth team during the 1973/74 campaign. He also made nine Southern League appearances during the season, scoring once in a 2-1 defeat at home to Minehead on 23.3.74.
In the summer of 1974 Bobby was signed by Charlton but he didn't make the Addicks' first team and early in 1976 he was loaned to Dover. When Charlton released him at the end of the 1975/76 season Bobby joined Dover on a permanent basis.
He went on to spend seven full seasons at Crabble and scored a total of 41 goals. Bobby's highest tally was 14 during the 1979/80 campaign when he was the club's joint top scorer along with Ricky Fusco. In March 1982 Bobby was sent off for in a game against Thanet United after a fight with Mark Harrop that also saw the young Thanet player dismissed.
Bobby joined Folkestone for the start of the 1983/84 season and had a successful spell with the club before moving to Thanet in June 1985 at the same time as his Folkestone team-mate Billy Plews.
He made his United debut in the opening match of the 1985/86 campaign - a 3-1 win over Chichester City in an FA Cup tie at Hartsdown Park. The Thanet Times said that Bobby was "outstanding" in midfield and he scored one of the Thanet goals with a deft lob. His class shone through in the early part of the season and the Thanet Times also praised Bobby for his "shrewd distribution". However he could be a fiery character and on 21.9.85 Bobby was sent off as United beat Dorchester 5-0 at Hartsdown. He clashed with an opposition player and the Thanet Times described it as an "unnecessary display of temper".
Bobby made 42 appearances during the campaign and scored ten goals, three of them from the penalty spot. The pick of his strikes were a curling free-kick from 25 yards in a 4-1 win at Trowbridge on 30.11.85 and a delightful chip over the keeper from 20 yards as Thanet won 2-0 at Canterbury on 1.1.86. That goal was described as "magnificent" by the Thanet Times and it was the highlight of a superb display by Bobby. The paper praised his "stream of pinpoint passes" and shortly afterwards the Isle of Thanet Gazette said that Bobby was a "midfield maestro" who "generalled the side superbly". He maintained his excellent form throughout the season but in March 1986 Bobby picked up an injury that kept him out of the last 13 games of the campaign.
During the 1986/87 season Bobby was virtually ever-present, making 49 appearances in Thanet's midfield. The Isle of Thanet Gazette said he was a "dynamo" whose "driving efforts" were a key element of the United side. On 20.9.86 Bobby was sent off for disputing a free-kick awarded against him during a 2-2 draw at Dunstable. Thanet manager John Wickens said it was "one of the harshest refereeing decisions I've seen for some time." Bobby's best display of the season came on 18.10.86 when Thanet lost 4-1 at home to Trowbridge. Despite the scoreline the Thanet Times said that he was "outstanding" and Bobby continued to turn in similar performances throughout the campaign, prompting the Gazette to dub him "a pillar of consistency". Curiously he failed to score during the season.
Bobby was in fine fettle at the start of the 1987/88 campaign and scored twice in a 3-2 win over Hastings at Hartsdown on 5.9.87. His all-round influence led United's player-manager Norman Fusco to say "he's always looking to create something and he is enjoying his football." On 14.11.87 Bobby wasn't quite so happy when he scored a bizarre own goal in a 3-1 defeat at home to Baldock. The Thanet Times said that he "casually rolled a back-pass into the net", thinking the ball was dead due to the linesman flagging for offside. However the referee had decided to over-rule the linesman and play on so the goal stood - much to Bobby's disgust. He went on to make 54 appearances during an excellent season for him, only missing two games which were United's last two of the campaign. He scored five goals, two of them penalties.
In the summer of 1988 Bobby left Hartsdown Park and rejoined Canterbury. He made 12 appearances for City early in 1988/89, scoring once, before leaving the club in November 1988 after a dispute. He then joined big-spending Hythe.
Bobby spent over a year at Hythe, scoring in their 1-1 draw with Margate at Reachfields on 18.11.89, before rejoining his old club Folkestone early in 1990. He then went back to Canterbury for the start of the 1990/91 season but after making six appearances (three as sub) he left the club in September 1990.
Bobby then joined Kent County League side Snowdown Colliery Welfare and stayed there until the end of the 1992/93 season.
In August 1993 Bobby returned to Folkestone and he played for the club until the end of the 1996/97 season when he retired aged 39. He'd been Folkestone's assistant manager during the later stages of that period.
In 2012 Bobby was living in Snowdown.
|
SEASON (CLUB) |
FULL (MAX) |
SUB |
GLS |
FAC |
FAT |
SLC |
KSC |
EFC | |
|
1985/86 (TUFC) |
42 (59) |
0 |
10 |
SOUTHERN LEAGUE SOUTHERN DIV. (15TH OF 21) |
1QR |
PR |
GR |
1R |
GR |
|
SEASON (CLUB) |
FULL (MAX) |
SUB |
GLS |
FAC |
FAT |
SLC |
KSC |
EFC | |
|
1986/87 (TUFC) |
49 (53) |
0 |
0 |
SOUTHERN LEAGUE SOUTHERN DIV. (10TH OF 20) |
PR |
1QR |
GR |
1R |
GR |
|
SEASON (CLUB) |
FULL (MAX) |
SUB |
GLS |
FAC |
FAT |
SLC |
KSC |
||
|
1987/88 (TUFC) |
54 (56) |
0 |
5 |
SOUTHERN LEAGUE SOUTHERN DIV. (5TH OF 21) |
4QR |
2QR |
GR |
1R |