Dabbs Ben Image 1 Liverpool 1936

Description

Oakengates, Shropshire born full back Ben Dabbs played for hometown club Oakengates Town from 1931 initially playing as a forward and joined First Division Liverpool in June 1932, making his Football League debut at Wolverhampton Wanderers on the first day of the 1933-34 season in a 3-2 defeat, his only appearance of the season. He made a further 2 appearances in 1934-35 and eventually broke into the team regularly in January 1936 playing 15 times in 1935-36 and making 32 appearances in 1936-37 with former England captain, Ernie Blenkinsop, unavailable through injury. Dabbs played in six consecutive First Division fixtures early in the 1937-38 season but after he conceded an unnecessary penalty in the home derby with Everton on 2nd October 1937 he was not chosen again. Dabbs joined Watford in Third Division South in June 1938 after 56 appearances for The Reds, but he found it difficult to wrest the Watford right- back shirt from the well-established Vic O’Brien and made only 5 appearances for The Hornets before the interruption of the Second World War. Ben Dabbs was still on the Vicarage Road books after the War, being transfer-listed at £250 in 1945 and again in 1946, but as it turned out he had made what was to be his last appearance for the club in a South Regional League fixture back in 1940 and retired soon after.

Ben Dabbs’ mother and England’s captain Billy Wright’s grandmother were sisters.