Phil Parkinson has made former Walsall captain George Dobson a key part of his team at League One giants Sunderland.
George Dobson has enjoyed a solid first season at Sunderland but the former Walsall skipper knows that improvements are still required in his game, speaking to The Chronicle.
A man who earned the captain’s armband at Walsall thanks to his dynamic performances in the heart of midfield was always likely to face the biggest challenge of his career when he swapped the Bescot for the Stadium of Light over the summer.
But, despite having the likes of Grant Leadbitter, Max Power and Luke O’Nien for competition, Dobson has still established himself as a key player on Wearside, starting each of Sunderland’s last 10 games in League One.
It is no coincidence that the Black Cats have soared into the play-offs with the 22-year-old playing some of the best football of his life under Phil Parkinson. But Dobson is not getting carried away just yet.
“It’s been a tough journey for me coming from Walsall to Sunderland in the space of a season. The gaffer has put a lot of faith in me and I’m playing a lot of games so I’m just absolutely loving it,” the former Arsenal and West Ham youngster admitted.
“Going from playing in front of 4,000 to 32,000 that’s a massive jump, but that’s why you want to play football – to play in front of crowds like these.
“Hopefully I can keep myself in the team for as long as possible and keep helping the team move forward. I know I need to keep getting better and improving and I know I can do that.”
Josh Scowen, a League One promotion winner with Barnsley in 2017, was tipped to relegate Dobson to the bench when he arrived from QPR in January. But it’s testament to the bargain summer signing that a man who was playing Championship football in the first half of the season cannot get into the team, with Scowen managing just one minute in four games since moving to Wearside.
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