Hobbis Harold Image 2 Charlton Athletic 1935

Description

Dartford, Kent born outside left Harold Hobbis played for Bromley from 1930 before joining Second Division Charlton Athletic, turning professional in March 1931, making his Football League debut at Stoke City in October 1931, so beginning a 17 year association with The Addicks. He was a key member of the Charlton team that won back to back promotions winning the Third Division (South) Championship in 1934-35, with Hobbis the club’s second top scorer, contributing 15 League goals, followed by runners up spot in the Second Division in 1935-36, when Hobbis was an ever present and was the club’s top scorer with 23 goals.

International honours followed and he was capped twice, making his England debut against Austria in Vienna in a 2-1 defeat in May 1936 and scoring three days later in a 3-2 defeat by Belgium in Brussels.

He then contributed 9 goals as Charlton very nearly made it a treble, finishing as runners up in the League Championship in 1936-37, their highest ever League finish. Hobbis continued as one of Charlton’s star players as they followed up their runners up positions, finishing fourth and third in the League Championship in the final two seasons before the outbreak of the Second World War in September 1939. Absolutely one of the club’s greatest ever players, Harold Hobbis spearheaded Jimmy Seed’s Charlton Athletic revolution and was one of the central features of the period that encapsulated their highest League finishes.

He continued to play after the War for The Addicks and during the War he appeared as a guest for West Ham United, but although he returned to The Valley in its aftermath his appearances were occasional, scoring once in 11 matches with his final match a home defeat to Everton in March 1948, and in the summer of 1948 he joined Southern League club Tonbridge after 78 goals in 271 appearances  for Charlton Athletic, subsequently becoming their manager.