Bobby Mason
Encyclopedia
Robert Henry "Bobby" Mason (born 22 March 1936) is an English former professional footballer, who played in the Football League
for Wolverhampton Wanderers
, where he spent the majority of his league career, and for Leyton Orient
.
as a youngster and turned professional in 1954. He spent time in the reserves and youth ranks - playing in the 1954 FA Youth Cup Final - before he finally made his league debut on 5 November 1955 in a 1–5 defeat at Luton
.
He made only a handful of appearances until the departure of Dennis Wilshaw
in December 1957 opened the door for him. He took his chance and scored 10 goals during the remainder of the 1957–58 season to help Wolves win the league title. He continued his form the following year as he scored 13 times en route to a second successive championship.
The 1959–60 season brought his best seasonal tally - 15 goals - but the club missed out on a third successive title by a single point. He also netted four times during their European Cup
campaign that year, but missed out playing in the 1960 FA Cup Final when he lost his place on the eve of the game to Barry Stobart
.
After two more modest goalscoring seasons, he left Molineux
in June 1962. He initially dropped into the non-league with Chelmsford City
but returned to the Football League for the 1963–64 season with Leyton Orient
. He later had brief spells with Poole Town
and Parley Sports before retiring from the game in 1965.
Today, he resides in Swadlincote
, Derbyshire
.
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
for Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club that represents the city of Wolverhampton in the West Midlands region. They are members of the Premier League, the highest level of English football. The club was founded in 1877 and since 1889 has played at...
, where he spent the majority of his league career, and for Leyton Orient
Leyton Orient F.C.
Leyton Orient F.C. are an English professional football club in East London. They currently play in Football League One and are known to their fans as the O's.Leyton Orient have spent one season in the top flight of English football, in 1962–63...
.
Career
Mason was signed up by his local club Wolverhampton WanderersWolverhampton Wanderers F.C.
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club that represents the city of Wolverhampton in the West Midlands region. They are members of the Premier League, the highest level of English football. The club was founded in 1877 and since 1889 has played at...
as a youngster and turned professional in 1954. He spent time in the reserves and youth ranks - playing in the 1954 FA Youth Cup Final - before he finally made his league debut on 5 November 1955 in a 1–5 defeat at Luton
Luton Town F.C.
Luton Town Football Club is an English professional football club based since 1905 at Kenilworth Road, Luton, Bedfordshire. The club currently competes in the fifth tier of English football, the Conference National, for the third consecutive season during the 2011–12 season.Formed in 1885, it was...
.
He made only a handful of appearances until the departure of Dennis Wilshaw
Dennis Wilshaw
Dennis James Wilshaw was an English international footballer. He scored 172 goals in 379 appearances in the Football League, and also scored ten goals in twelve appearances for the England national team.-Playing style:...
in December 1957 opened the door for him. He took his chance and scored 10 goals during the remainder of the 1957–58 season to help Wolves win the league title. He continued his form the following year as he scored 13 times en route to a second successive championship.
The 1959–60 season brought his best seasonal tally - 15 goals - but the club missed out on a third successive title by a single point. He also netted four times during their European Cup
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
campaign that year, but missed out playing in the 1960 FA Cup Final when he lost his place on the eve of the game to Barry Stobart
Barry Stobart
Barry Henry Stobart is an English former professional footballer who played in the Football League as a forward for Wolverhampton Wanderers, Manchester City, Aston Villa and Shrewsbury Town during the 1960s.-Career:...
.
After two more modest goalscoring seasons, he left Molineux
Molineux stadium
Molineux Stadium is a Premier League football stadium situated in Whitmore Reans, Wolverhampton, England. It has been the home ground of Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club since 1889, and has a long and illustrious history as the first 'new build' stadium in Football League history, one of the...
in June 1962. He initially dropped into the non-league with Chelmsford City
Chelmsford City F.C.
Chelmsford City F.C. is an English semi-professional football club based in the town of Chelmsford, Essex. The club are currently members of the Conference South and play at the Melbourne Stadium.-Chelmsford:...
but returned to the Football League for the 1963–64 season with Leyton Orient
Leyton Orient F.C.
Leyton Orient F.C. are an English professional football club in East London. They currently play in Football League One and are known to their fans as the O's.Leyton Orient have spent one season in the top flight of English football, in 1962–63...
. He later had brief spells with Poole Town
Poole Town F.C.
Poole Town F.C. is a football club based in Poole, England. They were established in 1890 and joined the Western League Division Two in 1930. They won the Western League title in 1957 and reached the First Round Proper of the FA Cup four times in their history. They are currently members of the...
and Parley Sports before retiring from the game in 1965.
Today, he resides in Swadlincote
Swadlincote
Swadlincote is a town and unparished area in South Derbyshire, about southeast of Burton-upon-Trent and about south of Derby. It is the main town of South Derbyshire and the seat of South Derbyshire District Council....
, Derbyshire
Derbyshire
Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
.