In the 1926/27 season, George Camsell scored 59 goals for Middlesbrough in the Football League Second Division – a Football League record. He beat Jimmy Cookson’s record of 44 goals by some distance, and it was thought that the record would never be beaten.

In the same season, Dixie Dean bounced back from a career-threatening accident. In June 1926, he had a motorcycle accident in Wales and he fractured his skull. The doctors feared he could never play football again. They also feared he could die. He made his return following that horrific injury in October in a Central League match between Everton Reserves and Huddersfield Reserves. Despite Everton losing 3-0, it looked like Dixie Dean would be back to his very best.

Everton’s experiment with Dean when he was played at centre forward in the reserve side at Huddersfield in a Central League game proved to be a success. So successful in fact, that it it not unlikely that Dean will figure in the first team next Saturday.

Many thought Dean would never have the confidence to play as he used to do. So dangerous were his head injuries, yet against Huddersfield, despite the fact that he only touched the ball on about eleven occasions, he was the most dangerous Everton forward.

Of course, he was “tender” in the heading department – that was expected – but even so, he put one ball against the bar, from a long free kick.

Huddersfield Town Reserves 3-0 Everton Reserves – The Liverpool Post and Mercury, 11th October 1926

Dean then played in Everton Reserves’ next game against Birmingham City Reserves, wherein he scored two goals – one from a header – in a 3-2 win for Everton. The header was scored after Walter Weaver headed the ball into his direction “onto the simplest of scoring positions.”

Everton fans were eagerly awaiting Dixie Dean’s first-team comeback, and they were expecting him to play against Newcastle United in their eventual 3-1 defeat. However, the news of him of being included in the squad resulted in disappointment from the fans.

Everton disappointed in a double sense as in addition to losing the game. Dean was not included in the side much to the surprise and annoyance of no small section of the 45,000 spectators that witnessed the game. It transpired that Dean was suffering from a damaged ankle sustained at the midweek match and was quite unfit for duty.

This was a big blow because, as the game developed on Saturday, it became clear that Everton’s chance of success would have been considerably improved had Dean been able to lead the attack. It is one of Everton’s greatest misfortunes that they have not been able to find an efficient centre.

Everton 1-3 Newcastle United – The Liverpool Post and Mercury, 18th October 1926

On Saturday 23rd October, Dixie Dean finally made his return to the Everton first-team squad, and he was sorely missed. Before his first-team comeback match against Leeds United, Everton were bottom of the league and won only once in the opening 13 games of the season – a 1-0 victory over Merseyside rivals, Liverpool. Relegation seemed a very likely outcome. But Everton’s fears were soon (moderately) allayed, thanks to Dixie.

How came the wonderful change? The inclusion of Dean to a great degree was one of the factors but perhaps the main reason was that the Everton players decided to keep the ball on the “floor” and as a consequence the pass found the man in nearly every case, and when he found he could not find a passage way through he promptly sent it back to where it had come from and another source was exploited. The ball was made to do the work, and so Everton scored a brilliant victory, and took us back a few years when they were one of the greatest footballing side in the land. Dean made the forwards into a one-piece line. It was not a collection of units. He did not overexert himself. It was his first serious game since last season, but he did things is such a manner that his colleagues simply had to respond, which they did willingly. It was sheer joy to see heading to the wings passes that placed his comrades in an unassailable position, and if they were not always used up Dean was not to blame for he had played his part in the action. He scored a goal, but really Troup must take the honour for it.

Dean has not fully recovered his confidence, for he held back once or twice, but once he has fully recovered his courage he will be the Dean of old, for the one great doubt – his heading – was as sure and as confident as ever. He made one bad miss and looked disgusted with himself.

Leeds United 1-3 Everton – The Liverpool Post and Mercury, 25th October 1926

Dixie Dean was still recovering from the accident, but as the season went on, his confidence grew and grew. He went on to score 21 goals in 27 First Division games – a sign that Dixie Dean was back, and how Everton needed him. The club went on to finish the season in 20th place – 4 points ahead of the relegated teams, Leeds United and West Brom.

It was a very poor season from Everton’s perspective. But with Dixie Dean back in goalscoring form and George Camsell grabbing the headlines, the following season was expected to be a thrilling one.

Who Was George Camsell? »