670 Gary Hobson

Biography

Central defender Gary Hobson was born in North Ferriby and attended Kelvin Hall High School, playing for Hull Schoolboys alongside Stuart Young and Nicky Barmby. He joined the Tigers on apprentice terms in the summer of 1989 after shunning interest from Leeds United and Bradford City, joining the Hull City youth team led by ex-Tiger Dale Roberts. By January 1990 Hobson had made his debut for City’s Reserves side and he continued to progress over the next year, making his first team debut in April 1991 as Terry Dolan’s City side struggled at the foot of the Division Two table – he was also offered his first professional contract in April 1991, capping off an impressive first season of senior football.

When the Tigers began the 1991/92 season in Division Three Hobson was a first choice centre back until a knee injury sustained in a October 1991 League Cup tie against Queens Park Rangers sidelined him for three months. Gary returned in January 1992, covering for absences at centre back and left back.

Hobson was again Dolan’s first choice at both left back and 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 in the second half of the season. In the 1993/94 season Hobson finally secured a long term place in the first team, mostly at left back. He moved to centre back in the 1994/95 season and missed only six games until his season ended prematurely in April 1995. Gary was a first team fixture in the early months of the 1995/96 season and continued to impress in Dolan’s struggling side that quickly slumped to the foot of the League Division 2 table. 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.

In March 1996 the Tigers League Division 2 relegation rivals paid £60,000 to secure Hobson’s services. He went straight into the Seagulls first team as centre back, making his debut against Rotherham United at the end of March and starting every game as Brighton joined Hull City in the relegation places at the end of the season. During the 1996/97 season Hobson retained his first team shirt as Brighton, dogged by financial problems and fan protests, struggled under manager Jimmy Case. When Case was replaced by Steve Gritt in December 1996 the Seagulls were marooned eleven points adrift at the foot of the table, but an uptick in form saw Hobson and his teammates close the gap on the teams above them – notably when they defeated Hartlepool United in February 1997 and Gary scored the first and only goal of his senior career. At the end of the season a final day draw saw the Seagulls finish above Hereford United on goals scored, a couple of weeks after the club’s heinous owners had sold their Goldstone Ground home to developers and agreed to play home matches seventy miles away in Gillingham.

Gary retained his shirt for much of the 1997/98 season as Brighton again narrowly avoided expulsion from the Football League, but was sidelined by a hamstring injury for much of the 1998/99 season as new Seagulls manager Brian Horton started to generate some upwards momentum. Hobson was used infrequently during the opening months of the 1999/00 season and by his final appearance for the club against Rochdale in December 1999 he had scored one goal in 113 appearances.

In January 2000 Hobson moved to League Division 2 strugglers Chester City where he made 20 appearances, mostly at left back, as the Seals finished bottom of the table and were relegated to the National League. In July 2000 he moved to League Division 3 side York City where he was reunited for former Hull City manager Terry Dolan, making his debut against Chesterfield in August 2000. Hobson remained with the Minstermen for three seasons that were badly affected by a knee injury sustained in September 2000, which sidelined him for six months and affected him for the rest of his career. The 2002/03 season proved to be Hobson’s last in senior football as he played in over half the Minstermen’s matches – when he was released by the club in May 2003 he had taken his York City tally to 63 appearances.

In July 2003 Hobson signed for Northern Premier League side Spennymoor United but by the end of August 2003 he had moved on again, joining Northern Premier League rivals Ossett Town. After a similarly short spell in West Yorkshire Gary returned to his homeland, joining Northern Premier League side North Ferriby United in Octover 2003 before drawing a close to his playing career in the 2004 close season.

After football Hobson studied for a Business Studies at the Open University and sold roadside advertising space before joining – and eventually owning – HI Group Sport and Travel, a company that arranged warm-weather overseas training camps for numerous high profile football and rugby clubs and took Gary to every sun-kissed corner 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