Andy Dawson (2006/07)
Andy Dawson reflected on his Player of the Year award for the 2006/07 season. With the Tigers maintaining their Championship status the season prior, after back-to-back promotions from the fourth to the second tier, City geared up for a new campaign.
“We had a quick rise through the divisions, so the objective in that first season was achieved in staying up because obviously the Championship as we all know is relentless and difficult,” said Dawson.
“We came up from League One so the standard all of a sudden increased from playing teams in League One to then three or four months later, playing teams that have been relegated from the Premier League, so the jump was enormous and we achieved our goals in the season before.
“As normal, when you achieve your goals, you always want to kick on and become better the year after. We had a few signings that year and expectation was probably higher from around the place and from us players as well.”
City struggled within the opening league games, losing five and drawing once ahead of key fixtures over Leicester City and Sheffield Wednesday. The Tigers defeated the Foxes 1-0 on their own patch before quickly dismantling Sheffield Wednesday in front of the Sky cameras, with Jon Parkin netting a brace.
“Those wins were needed. Expectations went up and once we didn’t start well, that pressure started to add up and take its toll. That is football and the environment we are in so to go away to Leicester and then beat Sheffield Wednesday at home was good. It was good to get them points on the board and start looking forward and actually try and kick on to progress.”
Sadly for Phil Parkinson, results were not good enough, despite impressive victories over Southend United and Wolves. A 4-2 home defeat against Southampton saw Parkinson relieved of his duties and in came Phil Brown.
Brown’s debut match did see the Tigers suffer a narrow 1-0 away defeat at Plymouth Argyle, but his first home fixture at the KC Stadium saw a statement victory over Cardiff City. Over 23,000 spectators saw finishes from Damien Delaney, Dean Marney, Craig Fagan and Michael Bridges in an emphatic 4-1 win.
“I remember the game against Cardiff. It was a full crowd, which showed the size of the club back then getting full houses in the Championship which was fantastic. From that game, the confidence Phil Brown gave us individually and collectively was great,” reminisced Dawson.
“The belief he put in us and the standards he expected carried on so looking back now, was it a surprise what we did that year and the year after with promotion? Probably not because of the standards and the coaching environment he wanted to create. It was a fantastic period for the club.
“We got to the winter window and we signed some really good players and from then on, we kicked on,” added Dawson. “The start we had put ourselves in was a real predicament in terms of where would we end up? We were always sort of chasing the pack and in the end, we stayed up which was credit to Phil Brown and the people around him.”
Results had an upturn as the Tigers began to catch up the teams above. One statement result came on Saturday 10 February 2007. A trip to Pride Park to face top-of-the-league Derby County.
Trailing 1-0 from Gary Teale’s opener, Dawson levelled the scoring just four minutes later with a thunderous finish. An 88th-minute finish from David Livermore produced a vital point for City at the league leaders, with the defender saying that the result was not a surprise due to the manager.
“That result was credit to Phil. The year we came up, we wanted to stay up, but we wanted to progress and when Phil came, we went away to Derby who were top of the table and got a result. That was the trust and the accountability he gave us as players.
“I think the recruitment in the window was good as Ray Parlour and Dean Windass came in, so all of a sudden, with the players we already had like Nick Barmby, we were looking around saying we have Premier League winners and have Premier League footballers scattered around the squad.
“I remember scoring that day, but that was actually expected and it was a clever way Phil was putting that into us as a group of footballers and that season was the building block for the year after as you could start to see things starting to snowball.”
A 1-0 victory away at Cardiff City, courtesy of Windass’ finish, secured the Tigers' safety in the final away game of the season. The Northallerton-born left-back played a key role in City’s success in the campaign, making 43 appearances in all competitions, scoring four goals, earning him the 'Player of the Year' award.
“It is always nice to be given an award. In the end, we got over the line ready for next year as that was the main thing. The majority of the squad knew how hard they had worked to actually get to the Championship,” explained Dawson.
“I am always a big believer that in adversity, who rises to the challenge? We had a group of players that were going to hit that challenge head on, because we knew how hard we had worked and what success looked like and look what we achieved the year after, and I think that is credit to Phil Brown, his staff, and the people he had brought in and the people he had around him, because I firmly believe from minute one onwards, he started to create is what we obviously achieved the following year in May.”
The rest is history well known to Hull fans. The following campaign saw promotion to the top flight for the first time in the club’s history. Once again, Dawson was instrumental in the rise of the club.
A 10-year playing period for the club, a well-deserved testimonial, and more recently, a Hall of Fame induction has seen Dawson’s name firmly written in the history of Hull City. Currently a first-team coach, the club has seen Andy’s brother Michael represent the club while two of his sons currently play in the club’s academy.
“Hull City has been a massive part of my life. Lucas and my youngest are both in the academy. We have all grown up and have been lucky to love football and to feel part of a club. I feel very privileged to be part of that and Michael does too, because it is not easy with how football works, especially modern-day football as people don’t hang around.
“I am a big believer that when you are trying to create something, you have got people that it matters to. There are loads of staff members in every department in this football club that have been here for years and when we win or lose a game of football, it matters to them. When you are creating a unity and something that matters to everyone, I moved away for a short period to try and keep learning and developing myself as a human being and as a coach, but it was always the first result I would look for on a Saturday afternoon and when I got the opportunity to come back, I still feel really fortunate and really privileged to be here.”
