Dixon Arthur Image 1 St Mirren 1916

Description

Chadderton, Lancashire born right or centre half Arthur Dixon began his football career with Washbrook Primitives and played for Woodhouse in 1909 and Tonge in 1910, from where he was signed by First Division club Oldham Athletic in January 1912, making his Football League debut against Manchester City in November 1913. He played 21 matches in his debut season as The Latics finished fourth in the League Championship, but was then less involved, making 10 appearances in their 1914-15 campaign as Oldham finished runners up in the League, the club’s highest ever finishing position.

The onset of the First World War then forced the suspension of peacetime football in England in May 1915, although League football in Scotland continued and Dixon played for St Mirren (the move to Scotland possibly related to undertaking wartime work in the area), initially on loan from Oldham in 1915 then as a permanent signing. After a couple of goals in 48 appearances he then joined Glasgow Rangers in April 1917, and made his Rangers debut in a 1-0 win at Kilmarnock on 18th August 1917. Dixon soon established himself as an influential player for the club and scored his first goal in a 3-0 win against Hamilton Academical on 8th March 1919. In May of that year he returned to St Mirren on loan and played a further single match for The Buddies before the end of their 1918-19 campaign.

In total Dixon made 351 appearances for Glasgow Rangers, scoring 8 goals through to September 1926. He won six League Championships, six Glasgow Cups and four Charity Cups, and was in their 1921 and 1922 Scottish Cup Final teams surprisingly beaten by Partick Thistle and Morton respectively. In the autumn of 1926, having announced his retirement, he reversed his decision and joined Cowdenbeath, then also competing in Scotland’s top tier, for two further seasons, scoring 3 goals in 66 appearances for Cowden. While still at Rangers he enjoyed a benefit match at Ibrox Park on 10 September 1923: A crowd of 10,000 watched Rangers draw 1-1 with Liverpool.

Dixon began his coaching career in the Irish League with Dublin club Dolphin as their player-manager in 1930, leaving them to become a coach at Rangers from July 1932. In addition to his involvement in what was another successful era for the club, he was responsible for the signing of Alex Stevenson, an Irish international from his former club.