Kevin Dawtry

Kevin Dawtry
Personal information
Full name Kevin Austin Dawtry
Date of birth (1958-06-15)15 June 1958
Place of birth Hythe, Hampshire, England
Date of death 13 August 2025(2025-08-13) (aged 67)
Position Midfielder
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1978–1979 Southampton 1 (0)
1980–1981 Crystal Palace 0 (0)
1981–1984 AFC Bournemouth 63 (11)
1982Reading (loan) 4 (0)
1984–1985 Road-Sea Southampton
1985–1986 Salisbury City
1986–1987 Fareham Town
1987–1988 Gosport Borough
1988–1990 Salisbury City
1990 Blackfield & Langley
Total 68 (11)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals

Kevin Austin Dawtry (15 June 1958 – 13 August 2025) was an English footballer who played as a midfielder. In the Football League, Dawtry played for Southampton, Crystal Palace, AFC Bournemouth and Reading.[1]

Career

After representing Southampton Schools, Dawtry turned professional with Southampton in June 1976, and made over a hundred appearances in their reserve team.[2] He only made one appearance in the first team, as a substitute at Nottingham Forest in 1979.[3] In 1980 he moved to Crystal Palace, but moved on to AFC Bournemouth the following spring without making a first team appearance. At the start of the 1981/82 season, he scored three goals in the first six games in the Fourth Division of the Football League, achieving promotion in that season.[4] Following a brief loan spell with Reading early in the 1982/83 season, he continued to play for AFC Bournemouth for the remainder of that season in the Third Division.[3]

In 1984 he moved into non-league football, playing for several clubs in the Southern League.[5][6]. He later coached and managed in the Wessex League, managing Totton and Eling between 2008 and 2013.[7]

Death

Dawtry died on 13 August 2025, at the age of 67.[2][7]

References

  1. ^ "Kevin Dawtry". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Archived from the original on 8 June 2024. Retrieved 20 February 2018.
  2. ^ a b "Kevin Dawtry: An appreciation". Southampton FC. 15 August 2025. Retrieved 15 August 2025.
  3. ^ a b Ponting, Ivan (2025). "Obituaries: Kevin Dawtry". Backpass. No. 95. p. 66.
  4. ^ "Kevin Dawtry - an obituary". AFC Bournemouth. 27 August 2025. Retrieved 18 December 2025.
  5. ^ The official centenary history of the Southern League. Paper Plane Publishing Ltd. 1993. p. 145. ISBN 1871872081.
  6. ^ Thear, David; Walker, Richard; Waterhouse, Peter; Wood, Peter (2007). The Whites - Salisbury City F.C. the first 60 years 1947-2007. Citywhite Publishing. p. 176. ISBN 9780955417009.
  7. ^ a b "Kevin Austin Dawtry". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 15 August 2025.
  • Kevin Dawtry at Post War English & Scottish Football League A–Z Player's Transfer Database