Biography
Gary Hobson was born in North Ferriby and attended Kelvin Hall High School prior to joining his local league team as an apprentice in 1989, after shunning interest from Leeds United and Bradford City. After being nurtured by youth team coach Dale Roberts, Gary was handed his first team debut by Terry Dolan in April 1991 as City slipped into the Third Division and he began 1991/92 season as first choice centre back. After a run of defeats Hobson was rested and returned in January 1992, covering for absences at centre back and left back. Hobson was again Dolan’s first choice centre back at the start of 1992/93 season but dropped out of the first team in November and played only a handful of games for the rest of the season. In 1993/94 he finally secured a long term place in the first team, mostly at left back. He moved to centre back in 1994/95 and missed only six games until his season ended prematurely in mid April. Gary had a spell out of the first team in early 1995/96 but returned in the New Year. As the Tigers hurtled towards a cataclysmic relegation to the bottom tier, City were forced to cash in their saleable assets and Hobson was sold in March 1996.
A £60,000 fee lured Hobson to Brighton & Hove Albion and for two seasons he was a first team regular at the Seagulls as they also suffered a financial meltdown and ended up playing home games at Gillingham. After spending the second half of 1999/00 season at Chester City, Hobson returned north in the 2000 close season and rejoined former City boss Terry Dolan who was now in charge at York City. Hobson played a support role for much of his three years at Bootham Crescent as a result of a bad knee injury, before seeing out his career in the non-leagues.
After football Hobson studied for a Business Studies at the Open University and sold roadside advertising space before joining, and eventually owning, a company that arranges warm-weather overseas training camps for numerous high profile football and rugby clubs, a job that took him to all sun-kissed corners of the globe.
Details
Nationality: England
Date/Place of Birth: 12 November 1972, North Ferriby
Hull City First Game: 10 April 1991, West Bromwich Albion A (Division Two), 18 years, 149 days old
Hull City Final Game: 23 March 1996, Walsall H (League Division 2), 23 years, 132 days old
Clubs
Hull City (1990-1996), Brighton & Hove Albion (1996-2000), Chester City (2000, loan), York City (2000-2003), Spennymoor United (2003), Ossett Town (2003), North Ferriby United (2003-2004)
Hull City Record
Career: 167 apps, 0 goals
Gary Hobson| Season | LGE App | LGE Gls | FAC App | FAC Gls | FLC App | FLC Gls | EUR App | EUR Gls | OTH App | OTH Gls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990/91 | 4 (0) | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1991/92 | 15 (2) | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 | 4 (0) | 0 | - | - | 2 (0) | 0 |
| 1992/93 | 17 (4) | 0 | - | - | 2 (0) | 0 | - | - | - | - |
| 1993/94 | 36 (0) | 0 | - | - | 2 (0) | 0 | - | - | 1 (0) | 0 |
| 1994/95 | 35 (1) | 0 | 1 (0) | 0 | 2 (0) | 0 | - | - | 1 (0) | 0 |
| 1995/96 | 28 (1) | 0 | 1 (1) | 0 | 3 (1) | 0 | - | - | 2 (0) | 0 |