Davison: Robert (Bobby)

1987-1992 (Leeds Player Details)(Player Details)

Forward

Born: South Shields: 17-07-1959

Debut v Swindon Town (h): 21-11-1987

5’8” 11st 8lb (1987)

#87 in 100 Greatest LUFC Players Ever

A former shipyard worker, he began with Red Duster and Seaham Colliery Welfare before joining Huddersfield Town on 2nd July 1980. He only made one start and one game from the bench for the Terriers before he was sold to Halifax Town for £20,000 on 28th August 1981. His twenty-nine goals in sixty-three League starts, none in two F.A. Cup starts and another four goals in four starts in the League Cup alerted Second Division Derby County to his potential and £80,000 was needed to take him to the Baseball Ground on 2nd December 1982. The Rams were relegated but Davison’s goals helped get them back from the Third to the First Division in successive seasons. He had scored eighty-three goals in two hundred and three starts and three games from the bench in the League, Seven goals in eleven starts in the F.A. Cup, six in eighteen in the League Cup and two more in four other games before Billy Bremner, bought him on 27th November 1987 for £350,000, to solve Leeds’ chronic goal shortage. He started with a flurry of goals and, despite injuries, he maintained a decent strike rate during their Second Division Championship season. He found goals harder to come by in the First Division and he was loaned to his old club Derby County, from 19th September 1991 to 5th March 1992. There he scored eight goals in ten League starts, before immediately being loaned to Sheffield United on 6th March 1992 until 31st May 1992 and he netted four in six starts and five games as a substitute in the League, while at Bramall Lane. Unable to get a look in at Elland Road, he joined Leicester City on 12th August 1992, for £50,000. He scored six goals in the League from twenty-one starts ans four games from the bench, also scoring one in three starts in the League Cup and two in three starts in other games. Dave Bassett had been impressed with him during his loan spell and he snapped him up and brought him back to Sheffield United on a free transfer on 4th November 1993. He scored once in nine starts and three substitute appearances in the League, once in two starts in the League Cup and failed to score in two other games. He moved on to Rotherham United on 14th October 1994, where he joined forces briefly with his old Leeds strike partner Imre Varadi. On 22nd November 1994, he scored in an FA Cup First Round Replay after just ten seconds, the fastest ever scored at Millmoor and the second fastest in FA Cup history at the time with only Vic Lambden's eight seconds goal for Bristol Rovers against Aldershot in January 1951 being quicker. Davison spent a month on loan at Hull City from 24th November 1995, scoring four goals in eleven starts in the League and also started one other game, without scoring. While at Millmoor he netted four goals in the League in twenty starts and two games from the bench, three goals in two starts in the F.A. Cup, but failed to score in one start in the League Cup and two starts in other games. He returned to Halifax Town on 31st May 1996. He then went on loan to Guiseley before signing for them in June 1997. When Davison retired as a player he took up coaching and ended up as Manager of Guiseley. He resigned in October 2000 and moved on to join Nicky Law's staff at Valley Parade, as youth team coach, before Law was sacked and replaced by Bryan Robson. In June 2004, when Robson left and Colin Todd was promoted, Davison moved into the vacated Assistant Manager role. He held the role for three years until Stuart McCall took over in June 2007. He later joined the coaching staff at Sheffield United and on 20th February 2008 he took over as advisory Coach of United's sister club Ferencvaros of Hungary and on 16th April he took over as head Coach and saw them win the Hungarian Second Division title. He was replaced by Craig Short on 30th October 2009 and came back to England, joining Leeds United as Youth team coach in November 2010. The holder of a UEFA Pro Licence qualification, he also acts as Noel Blake's Assistant with the England Under-Nineteen team.