Around the middle of the season, Dixie Dean was neck-and-neck with yester-season George Camsell. Following his piece for the Bexhill-on-Sea Observer, it was evident that Dixie Dean wasn’t letting the pressure get to him and he was keeping a cool head. However, judging by the next couple of months, he needed to keep a cool head.
From January 21st to March 31st, he scored 6 goals in 10 games – including two he didn’t even play in. From Matchday 26 to 35 in the 1926/27 season, George Camsell scored 13 goals. By Matchday 35, 1926/27 Camsell scored 52 goals, whereas 1927/28 Dean scored 45. So what went wrong for Dixie Dean during this period?
After his record-breaking double against Middlesbrough, Dixie Dean failed to score in Everton’s 2-2 draw against Birmingham. His teammates didn’t help, either.
Dean did not show his usual prominence. For one thing, he was effectively shadowed by [Jimmy] Cringan, and for another, he was neglected by both the inside men, and did not receive the support he usually receives from Hunter Hart at centre-half.
Birmingham City 2-2 Everton – The Daily Courier, 23rd January 1928
Dean had a bit of a confidence boost after scoring two goals in Everton’s 4-3 defeat to Arsenal in the fourth round of the FA Cup. It was reported, though, that he would miss the next game against fellow title contenders Huddersfield because of a leg injury. Everton denied the claims, as told by the Daily Courier.
The Daily Courier is in a position to refute a statement circulated regarding Dean. Everton’s crack centre-forward who, it was said, would be unable to turn out against Huddersfield Town at Leeds Road today owing to a leg injury. An official of the Everton club, when approached by the Daily Courier on the matter, discredited the story.
He went on to score in two consecutive games in all competitions after scoring Everton’s only goal in their 4-1 defeat to Huddersfield. That result meant Huddersfield had a very slight upper hand in the title race, being one point above Everton. Although, Everton had a game in hand.
Confidence ebbed a bit again for Dixie Dean after he failed to score in Everton’s 5-2 defeat to Tottenham. Once again, the defenders did their job.
Dean came into view with a few headlong efforts, but generally speaking he was snuffed cut like a candle in a gate. When he obtained the ball, three men held him. Young [Harry] Skitt never left him, and he covered up well, while [Arthur] Grimsdell, the many times capped veteran, if he has not his former speed, was most tenacious, and never waited on ceremony in a tackle.
Not only was it not looking good for Dixie Dean’s crack at breaking George Camsell’s record, it was also not looking for Everton’s title hopes after they had earned only 1 point in 3 games. However, Dixie Dean appeared to be back at his usual best after he scored a hat-trick in Everton’s 3-3 draw against Liverpool – his 5th hat-trick of the season. The game was also his 100th for the club. But thereafter came four consecutive games without a goal – for both Dean and Everton.
Two successive 0-0 draws against West Ham and Portsmouth, followed by two successive 1-0 defeats to Manchester United and Leicester meant that Everton’s title hopes were hanging by a thread, further proving how crucial Dixie Dean was to the team. Dean missed the game against Portsmouth because he had to play in a game between selected players from English and Scottish Football Leagues. So who knows if he could have added to his tally that game?
I did not like the new forward line lay-out necessitated through the absence of Dean in Scotland. Again, it seems we have to ask ourselves; “What is the would-be championship side without Dean?”
Everton 0-0 Portsmouth – The Daily Courier, 12th March 1928
Regarding the defeat to Manchester United, according to the Daily Courier, it wasn’t Dean’s fault. He tried his very best to get a goal, but no-one else worked as hard. Everton were literally a one-man team.
Everton ought to have won by a comfortable margin in their re-arranged League match with Manchester United at Old Trafford yesterday. The fact that they lost by the odd goal was due to the mistaken tactics of expecting too much from Dean! No player worked harder than Dean. He strained every nerve and muscle to break down the Manchester defence, but nothing went right for him in front of goal. Everton had the better of matters early in the game, but their forwards missed many chances. Dean twice eluded the backs only to have his shots stopped by Richardson, and one of his best shots went just the wrong side of the post. Several times he was unlucky with his attempt with headers and he once placed on top of the net.
Manchester United 1-0 Everton – The Daily Courier, 15th March 1928
In the defeat to Leicester, Dixie Dean had a bit of an injury; early in the game, he had a knock in his right leg, which prevented him from using it in order to avoid worsening the injury.
Leicester were considerably assisted in their victory by the fact that Dean, the Everton leader, strained the muscles in his right leg early in the game, and although he played on pluckily, he was prevented from shooting with his right foot, and was just made that little bit slower by his injury which prevented him from scoring.
Leicester 1-0 Everton – The Daily Courier, 19th March 1928
As substitutions didn’t exist then, Dixie Dean had to play the whole 90 minutes, most of them with the injury. So it was probably best for Dean to have taken it easy in case his injury got worse and the quest to beat George Camsell’s record would have been in a lot of doubt.
Dean bounced back from the injury and the goalless streak by scoring twice in Everton’s 2-2 draw against Derby. In that game, he made top-flight football history by beating Ted Harper’s record of most goals scored in a top-flight season. Dixie Dean’s first goal of the game was his 44th of the season, thus beating Harper’s 43.
The joy bells were set ringing at Goodison Park when Dean, the famous goal hunter scored his 45th League goal, and thus becomes the record scorer in the First Division of the League, taking the title from Harper, of Blackburn, with his 43. Camsell, the Middlesbrough centre-forward, of course, still holds the record for the English League (all divisions), his 59 in the Second Division still standing as a record. Dean, has, of course scored a great bunch of goals besides in representative and club games.
Everton 2-2 Derby County – The Daily Courier, 26th March 1928
Dixie Dean did not play in Everton’s 2-0 win over Sunderland because he was on international duty. Meaning that after 35 out of 42 matchdays, Dixie Dean scored 45 goals whereas George Camsell was seven ahead at the stage the previous season with 52. However, the Sunderland game was the last game that season where Dean was not on the scoresheet. His quest was not over by any means.
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