*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.
Dave Hawkins
Appearances: 6 Goals: 3
Date / Year of birth: 11th August 1931
Position: Striker
Season of first appearance: 1956/57
Season of last appearance: 1956/57
Also played for: Ramsgate Athletic, Sittingbourne, Sheppey United, Gillingham (14,8), Maidstone United and Whitstable Town
5' 11 tall strong centre-forward born in Kingston who started his career with Ramsgate before moving on to Sittingbourne.
Dave then joined Sheppey before being signed by Gillingham during the 1954/55 campaign. However he was only an amateur with the Gills and later in the season he returned to Sheppey.
In January 1955 Dave joined Maidstone but within a month he went back to Sheppey once more. He then had a short spell with Whitstable before going back to Sheppey again. Towards the end of January 1956 he rejoined Gillingham, again as an amateur, and broke into the first team there.
Dave made his debut for the Gills in a 1-1 draw at home to Crystal Palace on 28.1.56, the day after joining the club, and scored a fine goal in the 13th minute. He went on to score a total of eight goals in 14 Football League appearances for the Gills during the remainder of the 1955/56 season but he refused professional terms and left the club in the summer of 1956.
Dave joined Margate for the 1956/57 campaign and became the club's first-choice centre-forward during the opening weeks of the season after making his debut in a 4-1 win over Whitstable at Hartsdown on 18.8.56. He went on to score three times in six first team appearances, two of the goals coming in a 6-2 win at home to Bexleyheath & Welling on 29.9.56, a match that turned out to be Dave's last for the first team. He was then dropped to reserves having struggled to win over the Hartsdown crowd and in November 1956 he left the club and returned to Sheppey once more. Margate manager Almer Hall described Dave as "a big disappointment."
However he was soon amongst the goals for Sheppey and he scored a hat-trick for them within weeks of leaving Margate. Dave also scored twice in Sheppey's 4-1 win over Margate on 29.12.56 and the local press made a point of mentioning that the encouragement he got from the Sheppey fans was in stark contrast to what he'd experienced during his brief stay at Hartsdown. A few days later Dave scored in the return match against Margate as Sheppey went down 2-1 at Hartsdown.
He stayed with the club for several more seasons, making almost 600 appearances in total, and was working 'behind the scenes' at Botany Road during the 1967/68 campaign.
He later joined the board of directors and during the 1980's Dave became Sheppey's President.
He was still living in the Swale area in 2010.
|
SEASON (CLUB) |
FULL (MAX) |
SUB |
GLS |
|
FAC |
KSC |
KLC |
KSS |
|
|
1956/57 (MFC) |
6 (47) |
N/A |
3 |
KENT LEAGUE DIVISION ONE (8TH OF 17) |
2R |
1R |
SF |
SF |
|