Biography
Half back Gordon Dreyer joined the Tigers in June 1935 after impressing at Hartlepools United during the latter months of the 1934/35 season. He began the season in the centre of Jack Hill’s defence but the fifth game of the season, a 2-4 defeat at home to Charlton Athletic, was Dreyer’s last and he saw out the rest of the season out in City’s Reserves.
Dreyer was born in Sunderland and played for both Whitburn St Marys juniors and Sunderland schoolboys alongside future Tigers player-manager Raich Carter. While Carter was breaking into the Sunderland first team in the early 1930s Dreyer was making his way with Washington Colliery in the North Eastern League. He had two trials for Bolton Wanderers in November and December 1932 and had a further trial with Stoke City in November 1933, but it wasn’t until June 1934 that Gordon broke into the professional game when he signed for Division Three North side Hartlepools United. He made his senior debut on Christmas Day 1934 against Doncaster Rovers and ended the 1934/35 season with 17 appearances in all competitions, impressing sufficiently to attract interest from Hull City.
In May 1936 Dreyer returned to Hartlepools United and resumed his first team place in the Pools defence, having another fine season at Victoria Park and making 31 starts. This time his fine form attracted the attention of Division Two side Luton Town, who signed him in May 1937. Dreyer spent two seasons at Kenilworth Road prior to the outbreak of World War Two, after a season and a half on the first team fringes he made the centre half position is own in the latter half of the 1938/39 season and made 24 first team appearances in two seasons with the Hatters.
When the wartime hostilities began and league football was halted, Dreyer worked in a Luton chemicals factory and played 50 wartime matches for Luton Town plus three starts for Watford in the 1942/43 season and six starts for Orient in the 1943/44 season. With the war over and league football restarting in 1946, Dreyer resumed his football career in the non-league scene, having a trial at Cheltenham Town then signing for Southern League side Bedford Town in September 1946. He later turned out for Southern League outfit Gravesend & Northfleet during the 1948/49 season, a team he also coached. In June 1949 he signed for United Counties League side Rushden Town and made the 1949/50 season his last as a player.
Dreyer lived in Luton after his playing days and worked a car factory. In the 1950s Gordon and his wife Evelyn gained local fame in the Bedfordshire area for their capabilities in old-time dancing, winning several medals, and were county Veleta Dance champions three times between 1955 and 1957. Gordon remained in Luton for the rest of his life, dying in the Bedfordshire town in February 2003.
Details
Nationality: England
Date/Place of Birth: 1 June 1914, Sunderland
Hull City First Game: 31 August 1935, Fulham H (Division Two), 21 years, 91 days old
Hull City Final Game: 14 September 1935, Charlton Athletic H (Division Two), 21 years, 105 days old
Clubs
Whitburn St Marys, Washington Colliery (1932-1934), Hartlepools United (1934-1935), Hull City (1935-1936), Hartlepools United (1936-1937), Luton Town (1937-1939), Bedford Town (1946-1947), Gravesend & Northfleet (1948-1949), Rushden Town (1949-1950)
Hull City Record
Career: 5 apps, 0 goals
Gordon Dreyer| Season | LGE App | LGE Gls | FAC App | FAC Gls | FLC App | FLC Gls | EUR App | EUR Gls | OTH App | OTH Gls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1935/36 | 5 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |