Doug McGibbon

Douglas McGibbon (24 February 1919 – 25 October 2002) was an English footballer who played at centre forward for Southampton, Fulham and Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic in the years just after the Second World War. He once scored six goals in a match, one of which was timed at under 5 seconds from the second half kick-off.

Football career

Southampton McGibbon was born in Netley, Hampshire, the son of Charlie McGibbon (1880–1954), who was a centre forward for several clubs, including Southampton, in the 1900s. At the time Doug was born, his father had retired and was employed as the Chief Clerk in the Statistical Office at Netley Hospital.

McGibbon remained in Southampton at the start of the Second World War, making 16 appearances (scoring 7 goals) in the wartime leagues in 1939–40 before he moved to Swindon to work as an aircraft mechanic as part of the war effort. While at Swindon, he played for Swindon Railway in 1944 In total, including FA Cup matches, McGibbon scored 29 goals from 34 appearances in 1945–46, although his form did tail off towards the end of the season.

McGibbon made his home League debut in the opening match of the first season of League football after the war, scoring a hat trick in a 4–0 victory over Swansea Town. He scored three more goals in the next five games, before an injury forced him to sit out five games, with George Lewis taking over. On McGibbon's return he continued to score regularly until he was dropped, in favour of Lewis, in December before manager Bill Dodgin sold him to Fulham for a fee of £4,250

Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic At Bournemouth, playing in the Football League Third Division South, McGibbon again found his goal-scoring form and in each of his three seasons at Dean Court was the club's top scorer, with goal tallies of 30, 18 and 17 respectively.

Later career In the summer of 1951, McGibbon dropped out of League football, moving to Newport, Monmouthshire to play for Lovells Athletic in the Welsh League. His footballing days came to an abrupt end when he smashed his head following a collision with a cross bar.

After a spell in hospital, he returned to Hamble to work as an aircraft engineer and then as a sports officer. He later moved to Isleworth in Middlesex where he was sports secretary for Gillette before finishing his working life with Sperry Flight Systems in Basingstoke.

On his retirement, he initially settled in Isleworth before spending the last few years of his life in an Aylesbury care home, where he died in October 2002.