Peter Dobing – Blackburn Rovers Former Players Association

We were deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Peter Dobing at the age of 87.

Although his family had been entrenched in the world of Rugby Union, Peter Dobing, was a product of schoolboy football in the Crewe area and arrived at Ewood Park after Johnny Carey fought off competition from several other clubs to capture the promising 16-year-old. The rise from junior football to the Second Division was a rapid one for Dobing as he was still only 17-years-old when he made his bow with the first team. It was the 1956-57 campaign that proved to be the watershed in the fledging career of young Dobing as he not only helped the youth team to reach the last eight of the FA Youth Cup but also established himself as a regular in the inside-right spot at senior level.

A powerhouse of an inside-forward, Dobing combined strong, energetic running with a thunderous shot and, despite his youth, he proved more than a handful for many an experienced defender. His attributes combined well with those of Roy Vernon, another exceptionally talented youngster, who held down the inside-left position. The two youngsters bagged 35 goals between them, with Dobing notching 20 goals for himself, as the Rovers clinched promotion to the First Division at the end of the 1957-58 campaign.

The following season Dobing consolidated his position with 24 League goals, including a hat-trick against Arsenal at Ewood Park, whilst in 1959-60 he notched five goals during the march to the FA Cup Final. In May 1959 he had received his first England Under-23 cap when he featured in a 2-2 draw with West Germany Under-23’s at the Ruhr Stadium, Bochum. He figured on a further six occasions, and scored one goal, for the Under-23 side and also appeared on three occasions for the Football League – scoring a hat-trick against the League of Ireland in Dublin.

Dobing made a total of 205 League and Cup appearances for the Rovers and scored 104 goals before he left Ewood Park in a £37,500 move to Manchester City. However, despite scoring 31 goals in 82 League games at Maine Road, the move was not a complete success and in August 1963 he became part of Tony Waddington’s revamped Stoke City. He enjoyed great success in the Potteries, particularly after dropping back into a deeper midfield role. His flair and reading of the game made him a great favourite with the fans at the Victoria ground. During his long spell with the club, he scored 94 goals in 372 League and Cup games and captained the club to victory in the 1972 Football League Cup Final at Wembley. Whilst at Stoke, Dobing was successfully reunited with Roy Vernon for a time.

Dobing was good enough to be on the groundstaff of Lancashire County Cricket club as a youngster and played a couple of games for the Lancashire Second XI – in 1957 and 1960.

A broken leg led to him having to hang up his boots in 1973 and he then worked in the pottery trade. However, he was at his happiest with a fishing rod in hand and away from the limelight. In recent years he had moved into a care home due to his ongoing battle with dementia. Sadly, Peter passed away on 27th October 2026.

The Blackburn Rovers Former Players Association wish to express their deepest sympathy to Peter’s family and friends at this sad time.