Former Swansea City, Blackpool and Bolton Wanderers forward Stephen Dobbie has announced his retirement from football at the age of 39.
Swansea City, Blackpool and Bolton Wanderers’ former man spent the 2021/22 season playing for National League North side AFC Fylde while coaching their U18s.
He scored three goals and provided two assists in 19 outings but now, upon the climax of their season, Dobbie has announced his retirement.
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In a statement posted on Twitter by his wife Susanne, the 39-year-old expressed that he now has the desire to pass on his experience from the dugout in management.
He also moved to thank everyone who helped him over the course of his career, revealing his honour to have played under the likes of Brendan Rodgers and Ian Holloway.
From Stephen ❤️ pic.twitter.com/UOSuq8EY1r
— Susanne Dobbie (@Susanne_Dobbie) May 25, 2022
Dobbie’s Football League career
The Glaswegian started out his footballing career in his native before arriving in the EFL with Swansea City in 2009.
With the Welsh outfit, Dobbie scored 14 goals and laid on 12 assists in 67 outings, helping them win promotion to the Premier League.
While on the books with Swansea City, he also spent the first two of his three separate loan spells with Blackpool, for whom he netted 15 goals and provided eight assists in 56 appearances. He would return on a temporary deal for the 2013/14 season while contracted to Crystal Palace, who he signed for in 2013 after a short spell with Brighton and Hove Albion.
A loan spell with Fleetwood Town followed for Dobbie before spending a year with Bolton Wanderers, where he scored four times in 25 games.
He then returned to former club Queen of the South in 2016, enjoying the most successful spell of his career despite being 33. Dobbie took his tally for the club to 160 goals and 51 assists in 270 games, becoming a club legend in the process.
Now, Dobbie will be focusing on the next chapter of his career after calling it a day upon the end of his AFC Fylde contract.
