Stephen Dobbie

Stephen Dobbie (born 5 December 1982) is a Scottish former professional footballer.

Dobbie is currently the Senior Professional Development Phase coach at one of his former clubs Blackpool.

He started his career in the 2002–03 season at Rangers, followed by spells at Hibernian and St Johnstone.

In 2002, he was sent out on loan to Australian National Soccer League club Northern Spirit, scoring three goals in three league matches in the 2002–03 season.

He was then transferred to Hibernian in 2003, having made no league appearances for the Ibrox club.

Dobbie debuted for the Hibees on 9 August 2003 as an 85th-minute substitute in a 2–1 win over Dundee United at Tannadice.

After five substitute appearances, he had his first start on 23 September 2003, scoring a hat-trick in a 9–0 win over Montrose in the second round of the 2003–04 Scottish League Cup.

His league debut arrived four days later in a 2–1 defeat to Celtic at Easter Road and scored his first league goal on 7 December 2003 in a 3–1 defeat to Aberdeen at Pittodrie Stadium.

On 5 February 2004, in the semi-final of that season's Scottish League Cup at Hampden Park against Rangers, Dobbie scored the equalising goal in the 79th minute.

The match ended 1–1 after extra time, and Hibs won 4–3 on penalties.

Despite this, Dobbie failed to win a regular place in the Hibernian first-team as Garry O'Connor and Derek Riordan were preferred to him.

He was a 70th-minute substitute in the 2004 Scottish League Cup Final defeat by Livingston; Hibs lost 2–0.

Dobbie made a total of 33 appearances, scoring six goals that season.

On 3 July 2004, he made his European debut in the second round of the 2004 UEFA Intertoto Cup, as a 76th-minute substitute in a 1–1 draw with Lithuanian A Lyga club Vėtra at Easter Road.

Dobbie then started the 2004–05 season with Hibernian, with seven league appearances and five cup appearances.

A lack of opportunities at Hibernian under the management of Tony Mowbray meant that Dobbie was sent out on loan to Scottish First Division club St Johnstone on 26 January 2005.

He debuted on 19 March 2005, as a 57th-minute substitute in a 2–0 defeat to Ross County at McDiarmid Park.

He scored his first goal for Saints in a 4–0 win over Partick Thistle at Firhill on 16 April 2005.

He had eight appearances for the club that season, scoring two goals.

The transfer to the Perth club was made permanent in the 2005 close season, with Dobbie making 27 appearances and scoring five goals in the 2005–06 season.

Dobbie struggled to hold down a regular place in the first-team, and the following season he was loaned out to Scottish Third Division club Dumbarton, where he found some form, scoring ten goals in seventeen league matches.

His career was revived by a loan spell at Dumbarton in 2006, and he then scored 55 goals in 105 appearances for Queen of the South in his first spell at Palmerston Park, playing in the club's first-ever appearance in the Scottish Cup Final in 2008.

Dobbie debuted on 19 August 2006 in a single-goal defeat to Queen's Park at Hampden Park.

His first goal arrived in his second match for the club in a 3–1 defeat to Inverness Caledonian Thistle at the Caledonian Stadium in the second round of the Scottish League Cup.

Dobbie had 18 appearances on loan at the Sons, scoring eleven goals.

Dobbie debuted the following day in a 1–1 draw at Dundee in the third round of the 2006–07 Scottish Cup at Dens Park.

In the replay, a 3–3 draw at Palmerston ten days later, Dobbie scored his first two goals for the Dumfries club.

Dobbie's form at Dumbarton was noticed by Scottish First Division club Queen of the South, who signed him permanently from St Johnstone on 5 January 2007.

Dobbie moved to Swansea City in 2009.

The following year, he was loaned to Blackpool, with whom he won promotion to the Premier League via the 2010 play-offs.

He achieved the same feat with Swansea, winning promotion to the Premier League via the 2011 play-offs.

Dobbie was again loaned to Blackpool in 2012, and played in a third successive play-off final, this time as a runner-up.

In 2012, he signed for Brighton & Hove Albion, before joining Crystal Palace, initially on loan, where he helped the Eagles to win promotion in 2013 to the Premier League.

Dobbie had a third spell on loan at Blackpool, and also played for Fleetwood Town and Bolton Wanderers, before returning to Scotland in August 2016 to sign for Queen of the South for a second spell.

With the Doonhamers he scored a further 111 goals in 178 appearances.

Overall, Dobbie scored 166 goals in 283 appearances.

In 2021, after his release by Queen of the South, he made his return to Lancashire, signing for AFC Fylde in the National League North.

Dobbie was with Hearts at age group level before moving to Rangers when he was twelve years old.

At Rangers, he did not break into the first-team squad, despite being a prolific goalscorer in the reserves.

Dobbie is Queen of the South's second-highest goalscorer of all time (166 goals) and the club's record scorer for a single season (43 goals in the 2018–19 season).