Stephen Dawson


Stephen John Dawson is an Irish former professional footballer. He primarily played as a central midfielder, although he was also deployed in defensive midfield. He was noted for his aggressive and highly competitive style of play. At international level, Dawson represented the Republic of Ireland national football team at Under-21 level on two occasions.
Dawson began his career with Leicester City before moving to Mansfield Town in 2005, where he made 131 appearances in all competitions. He later played for Bury, Leyton Orient, Barnsley, Rochdale and Scunthorpe United before returning to Bury in May 2017. After an injury hit second spell with the club, he finished his career in non-league football with Hereford and Radcliffe.

Early career

Dawson was born on 4 December 1985 in Dublin. He started his career as a trainee at Leicester City, having joined from the Dublin schoolboy team Portmarnock AFC. Before that, he spent 7 years with St Malachys FC and although he became a regular in the reserve side, he did not graduate to the first-team. He subsequently rejected an offer for a new contract on reduced terms in May 2005.

Club career

Mansfield Town

Dawson joined Mansfield Town in the summer of 2005, signing a two–year contract.
After suffering a sore thigh and shortly recovered in the pre–season, Dawson scored on his debut against Stockport County in the opening game of the season on 6 August 2005. Since making his debut, he established himself in the first team regular at Mansfield Town, playing in midfield positions. Despite suffering from a groin strain, he finished his first season at Mansfield Town, making the total of 45 appearances and scoring once.
In the 2006–07 season, Dawson continued to remain in the first team regular for the side and was very fortunate to avoid a red card in a 2–1 win over MK Dons on 8 August 2006 after he "was first booked just before the break for a foul and then appeared to be shown a second a minute from time after lengthy protests over referee Kevin Wright's decision not to award him a penalty. But Dawson was not automatically red-carded and was substituted a minute later." After suffering injuries on three occasions throughout 2006, After returning to the first team in January, Dawson then scored his first goal of the season on 16 January 2007, in a 3–2 loss against Accrington Stanley. Despite suffering another injury later in the season, Dawson, nevertheless, made the total of 37 appearances and scoring once in all competitions.
Ahead of the 2007–08 season, Dawson signed a new one-year contract on 10 August 2007 and his handful of first team appearances resulted him being praised for his work rate by Manager Bill Dearden. Under Dearden, Dawson played in the 4–3–3 formation, where he was in the midfield position. He then scored his first Mansfield Town goal of the season, in a 3–1 loss against Chesterfield on 15 September 2007. His second goal of the season came on 16 February 2008, in a 2–1 win over Darlington. Despite suffering the setbacks during the season, At the end of the 2007–08 season, which saw them relegated from Dawson made the total of 49 appearances and scoring two times in all competitions.
After Mansfield Town were relegated to the Football Conference at the end of the 2007–08 season, he was out of contract, but rejected it. By the time Dawson's Mansfield Town career came to an end, he had made over 125 appearances in all competitions for Mansfield Town. While at the club, Dawson was considered "tough tackling midfielder" and "a constant performer for Stags in the centre of the park."

Bury

Shortly after rejecting a new contract at Mansfield Town, Dawson joined Bury on a two-year contract on 30 June 2008. Upon joining Bury, Dawson said he would improve as a player and hope to score more goals on a regular basis.
Dawson made his Bury debut on 9 August 2008 on the opening day of the season with a 1–0 win over Brentford at Gigg Lane. Since making his debut for the side, Dawson quickly established himself in the first team, partnering with Brian Barry-Murphy in central midfield. He then scored his first goal for Bury on 18 October 2008 in a 3–1 win at Dagenham & Redbridge. After being suspended against Darlington in the Football League Trophy campaign for picking up his fifth yellow card this season, Dawson returned to the first team and it wasn't until on 6 December 2008 when he scored again, in a 1–1 draw against Macclesfield Town. However, in a 1–0 defeat against Brentford on 28 February 2009, Dawson was sent–off for a second bookable offence. Up until his sending off, Dawson started every match for the side since the start of the season. Despite being suspended for the second time this season, the club was unsuccessful to reach promotion to League One. Nevertheless, Dawson was awarded 4 awards: Bury Times Player of the Year, Disabled Supporters Player of the Season, Billy Ayre Memorial Official Website Player of the Season, and Forever Bury Player of the Season. Manager Knill praised Dawson's role this season at Bury. In his first season at Bury, Dawson made the total of 47 appearances and scoring 2 times in all competitions.
In the 2009–10 season, Manager Knill expected Dawson to emulate and improve on his second season at Bury. However, in a 1–0 loss against Cheltenham Town on 12 September 2009, Dawson was at fault when he gave away the ball, leading opposition player Barry Hayles, who scored the winning and only goal for the side. After the match, Dawson made an apology to Bury's supporters for his role. Despite this, Dawson managed to fend off his mistake and scored his first goal of the season on 29 September 2009, in a 3–2 win over Crewe Alexandra. Three weeks later, on 17 October 2009, he scored again, in a 3–2 win over Aldershot Town. His third goal then came on 14 November 2009, in a 3–3 draw against Notts County. Dawson continuously formed a central midfield partnership with Barry-Murphy. By December, he was offered a new contract by the club. However, he turned down a new contract, citing his ambitions to play in the higher division. Despite this, Manager Knill said Dawson remained the key player for the side. It wasn't until on 17 January 2010 when Dawson scored again, in a 2–1 win over Bournemouth. At some point to the season, he was appointed captain at Bury, succeeding Paul Scott and previously captained the side the previous season. Since the start of the season, Dawson played in every match until he was sidelined over personal reason in March 2010, missing one league match against Macclesfield Town. Despite this, Dawson went on to finish his second season, making the total of 47 appearances and scoring 4 times in all competitions. At the end of the 2009–10 season, Dawson was again awarded the club's Player of the Year and was voted into the PFA League Two Team of The Year for the 2009–10 season at the PFA awards.
With his contract coming to an end in the summer of 2010, Dawson was offered a new contract by the club. However, Knill conceded defeat in attempt to keep Dawson, as it was made clear that he wanted to leave Bury to play at the higher level. By the time he departed Bury, Dawson went on to make the total of 97 appearances and scoring 6 times during his two years stay. Reflecting on his time at Bury, Dawson said he had to leave the club, saying: "I felt I had to move from Bury because, like in any job, I am not happy just to pick up a wage. I want to do well in my career and keep progressing to play at a higher level."

Leyton Orient

On 4 June 2010 he signed for League One side Leyton Orient, signing a two–year contract for the side. Upon joining the club, he was given a number 8 shirt ahead of the new season and also became Leyton Orient's Captain, succeeding Stephen Purches.
Dawson made his Leyton Orient debut, starting the whole game, in a 2–1 defeat to Yeovil Town in the opening game of the season. Since making his debut, he established himself in the starting eleven and played in every match from the beginning until he suffered a groin injury, resulting him being on the substitute bench to heal his injury and eventually his illness. However, during 3–0 win over Bristol Rovers, in which he set up one of the goals, Dawson received a horror tackle from Carl Regan, resulted him being substituted, which he described it as "a leg-breaker." Dawson scored his first goal for the O's on his return in their 2–1 win against Tranmere Rovers on 11 December 2010. For his performance, Dawson was named League One's Team of the Week. It wasn't until on 8 February 2011 when he scored his second goal, in a 3–0 win over Swindon Town. Weeks later on 20 February 2011, Dawson played a vital role throughout a 1–1 draw against Arsenal in the 5th round of the FA Cup, naming him Man of the Match; but lost 5–0 in the FA replay. Despite suffering from another injury, Dawson finished his first season at Leyton Orient, making the total of 50 appearances and scoring 2 times in all competitions.
In the 2011–12 season, Dawson missed the opening game of the season, due to suffering from ankle injury, which he sustained in the club's pre-season tour. After returning, he made his first appearance of the season on 13 August 2011, in a 1–0 loss against Tranmere Rovers. However, after suffering another injury, Dawson continued to feature in the first team and wasn't until on 17 December 2011 when he scored, in a 2–1 win over Notts County. After the match, Dawson, along with teammate Scott Cuthbert, was named League One's Team of the Week for his display. In a 2–1 loss against Carlisle United on 7 January 2012, Dawson was substituted in the first half after a challenge from Jon-Paul McGovern, in what turned out to be his last appearance for Leyton Orient. After the match, it was announced that Dawson was sidelined for six weeks. By the time Dawson departed Leyton Orient, he made 24 appearances and scoring 2 times in all competitions.