Gordon Sweetzer

{{short description|Canadian former professional soccer player (born 1957)}}

{{Infobox football biography

|name = Gordon Sweetzer

|image =

|image_size =

|caption =

|fullname = Gordon Eric Peter Sweetzer{{Hugman|19124}}

|birth_date = {{birth date and age|1957|1|27|df=y}}

|birth_place = Toronto, Ontario, Canada

|height = 1.80m

|position = Forward

|youthyears1 = {{0|0000}}–1975

|youthclubs1 = Queens Park Rangers

|years1 = 1975–1978

|clubs1 = Brentford

|caps1 = 72

|goals1 = 40

|years2 = 1978–1980

|clubs2 = Cambridge United

|caps2 = 9

|goals2 = 3

|years3 = 1980–1981

|clubs3 = Toronto Blizzard

|caps3 = 41

|goals3 = 9

|years4 = 1981–1982

|clubs4 = Brentford

|caps4 = 9

|goals4 = 1

|years5 = 1982

|clubs5 = Edmonton Drillers

|caps5 = 12

|goals5 = 2

|totalcaps = 143

|totalgoals = 55

|nationalyears1 = 1981

|nationalteam1 = Canada

|nationalcaps1 = 3

|nationalgoals1 = 0

|manageryears1 = 1990–1991

|managerclubs1 = Staines Town

}}

Gordon Eric Peter Sweetzer (born 27 January 1957) is a Canadian former professional soccer player who played as a forward. In a short, injury-plagued career, he played in the Football League for Brentford, Cambridge United and in the North American Soccer League for Toronto Blizzard and Edmonton Drillers. Sweetzer won three caps for Canada and later became a manager and coach. As a player, he was described as "an aggressive, all-action, bustling striker, with little finesse about his game".{{Sfn|Croxford|Lane|Waterman|p=276|2011}}

Club career

= Brentford (1975–1978) =

A forward, Sweetzer began his career in the youth system at Queens Park Rangers, before joining Fourth Division club Brentford on a one-month trial in July 1975.{{Sfn|Croxford|Lane|Waterman|p=276|2011}}{{Cite web |last=Long |first=Dan |title=John Docherty tribute: Salman, Sweetzer and Scales share their memories of Brentford Hall of Famer |url=https://www.brentfordfc.com/en/news/article/interviews-john-docherty-brentford-tribute |access-date=29 April 2025 |website=www.brentfordfc.com |language=en-gb}} The trial was extended for a second month and he signed a professional contract in September 1975. Sweetzer was named as the substitute for a league fixture versus Huddersfield Town late in the month and made his professional debut when he replaced Dave Simmons during the match.{{Cite book |title=100 Years Of Brentford |publisher=Brentford FC |year=1989 |isbn=0951526200 |editor-last=White |editor-first=Eric |page=393}} He scored the first senior goal of his career with a late header in the 2–1 defeat.{{Sfn|Croxford|Lane|Waterman|p=118|2011}} He went on to establish himself in the team and finished the 1975–76 season with 31 appearances and seven goals.

Sweetzer began the 1976–77 season with niggling injuries,{{Sfn|Croxford|Lane|Waterman|p=276|2011}} but after returning to fitness he showed prolific form, scoring 23 goals in 28 appearances to pull the Bees away from what would have been an almost-certain re-election scenario.{{Cite web |title=Brentford results for the 1976–1977 season |url=http://www.statto.com/football/teams/brentford/1976-1977/results |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160320041505/http://www.statto.com/football/teams/brentford/1976-1977/results |archive-date=20 March 2016 |access-date=23 January 2018 |website=Statto.com}} He was voted the club's Supporters' Player of the Year.{{Sfn|Croxford|Lane|Waterman|p=295|2011}} During the 1977–78 season, Sweetzer was part of a prolific forward line that also included Steve Phillips and Andrew McCulloch and despite being affected by injuries, he scored 14 goals in 20 appearances.{{Cite book |last=Haynes |first=Graham |title=Timeless Bees: Brentford F.C. Who's Who 1920–2006 |last2=Coumbe |first2=Frank |publisher=Yore Publications |year=2006 |isbn=978-0955294914 |pages=156–157}} With promotion to the Third Division almost assured, he was transferred out of the club in April 1978.{{Sfn|Croxford|Lane|Waterman|p=276|2011}} In just shy of three seasons at Griffin Park, Sweetzer scored 44 goals in 79 appearances.

= Later career (1978–1982) =

Sweetzer transferred to high-flying Third Division club Cambridge United for a £30,000 fee in April 1978, a move which reunited him with manager John Docherty, who had signed him at Brentford.{{Sfn|Croxford|Lane|Waterman|p=276|2011}} Sweetzer celebrated promotion to the Second Division with the club at the end of the 1977–78 season, but the remainder of his spell would be plagued by a long-standing knee injury and he left the club in 1980.{{Sfn|Croxford|Lane|Waterman|p=276|2011}} Sweetzer returned to his native Canada to play for North American Soccer League club Toronto Blizzard in 1980 and 1981, before closing out his career in 1982 with a short comeback at Brentford and a spell with North American Soccer League club Edmonton Drillers.{{Sfn|Croxford|Lane|Waterman|p=276|2011}}

International career

Sweetzer won four caps for Canada in 1981.{{Cite web |title=Canada Soccer |url=https://www.canadasoccer.com/index.php?t=csa_roster&pid=3105 |access-date=23 January 2018 |website=www.canadasoccer.com}}

Managerial and coaching career

Sweetzer served as manager at Isthmian League Premier Division club Staines Town between November 1990 and June 1991.{{Cite web |title=Staines Town Info |url=http://www.stainestownfootballclub.co.uk/club-info-2/4578018060 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170924092530/http://www.stainestownfootballclub.co.uk/club-info-2/4578018060 |archive-date=24 September 2017 |access-date=23 January 2018 |website=www.stainestownfootballclub.co.uk |language=en}} He later coached at Toronto High Park.{{Cite web |title=2017 Annual General Meeting February 1, 2017 |url=https://thpfc.ca/pub/c/e4c1d2d2d3e0a6b0eb2a92bfce533f19/docs/THPFC_Annual_Report_YE_20161031.pdf |access-date=26 November 2024 |website=thpfc.ca}}

Personal life

Sweetzer's brothers Billy and Jimmy also played professional football.

Career statistics

{{Expand section|
* Cambridge United cup appearances|date=January 2018}}

class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;" \|+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competition ! rowspan="2" \|Club ! rowspan="2" \|Season ! colspan="3" \|League ! colspan="2" \|National cup{{efn\|Includes FA Cup}} ! colspan="2" \|League cup{{efn\|Includes Football League Cup}} ! colspan="2" \|Total
Division !Apps !Goals !Apps !Goals !Apps !Goals !Apps !Goals
rowspan="4" \|Brentford \|1975–76{{Cite book \|last=Croxford \|first=Mark \|title=The Big Brentford Book of the Seventies \|last2=Lane \|first2=David \|last3=Waterman \|first3=Greville \|publisher=Legends Publishing \|year=2011 \|isbn=978-1906796709 \|location=Sunbury, Middlesex \|pages=323–325}} \|Fourth Division \|27 \|5 \|4 \|2 \|0 \|0 \|31 \|7
1976–77 \|Fourth Division \|27 \|23 \|1 \|0 \|0 \|0 \|28 \|23
1977–78 \|Fourth Division \|18 \|12 \|0 \|0 \|2 \|2 \|20 \|14
colspan="2" \|Total !72 !40 !5 !2 !2 !2 !79 !44
Cambridge United ! colspan="2" \|Total !9 !3 !0 !0 !0 !0 !9 !3
rowspan="3" \|Toronto Blizzard \|1980{{Cite web \|title=NASL – Gordon Sweetzer \|url=http://www.nasljerseys.com/Players/S/Sweetzer.Gordon.htm \|access-date=23 January 2018 \|website=www.nasljerseys.com}} \|North American Soccer League \|22 \|5 \| colspan="2" \|— \| colspan="2" \|— \|22 \|5
1981 \|North American Soccer League \|19 \|4 \| colspan="2" \|— \| colspan="2" \|— \|19 \|4
colspan="2" \|Total !41 !9 ! colspan="2" \|— ! colspan="2" \|— !41 !9
rowspan="2" \|Brentford \|1981–82{{sfn\|Croxford\|Lane\|Waterman\|2011\|p=423}} \|Third Division \|9 \|1 \| colspan="2" \|— \| colspan="2" \|— \|9 \|1
colspan="2" \|Total !81 !41 !5 !2 !2 !2 !88 !45
Edmonton Drillers \|1982 \|North American Soccer League \|12 \|2 \| colspan="2" \|— \| colspan="2" \|— \|12 \|2
colspan="3" \|Career total !143 !55 !5 !2 !2 !2 !150 !59

class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"

|+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

! rowspan="2" |Club

! rowspan="2" |Season

! colspan="3" |League

! colspan="2" |National cup{{efn|Includes FA Cup}}

! colspan="2" |League cup{{efn|Includes Football League Cup}}

! colspan="2" |Total

Division

!Apps

!Goals

!Apps

!Goals

!Apps

!Goals

!Apps

!Goals

rowspan="4" |Brentford

|1975–76{{Cite book |last=Croxford |first=Mark |title=The Big Brentford Book of the Seventies |last2=Lane |first2=David |last3=Waterman |first3=Greville |publisher=Legends Publishing |year=2011 |isbn=978-1906796709 |location=Sunbury, Middlesex |pages=323–325}}

|Fourth Division

|27

|31

1976–77

|Fourth Division

|27

|23

|28

|23

1977–78

|Fourth Division

|18

|12

|20

|14

colspan="2" |Total

!72

!40

!79

!44

Cambridge United

! colspan="2" |Total

rowspan="3" |Toronto Blizzard

|1980{{Cite web |title=NASL – Gordon Sweetzer |url=http://www.nasljerseys.com/Players/S/Sweetzer.Gordon.htm |access-date=23 January 2018 |website=www.nasljerseys.com}}

|North American Soccer League

|22

| colspan="2" |—

|22

1981

|North American Soccer League

|19

| colspan="2" |—

|19

colspan="2" |Total

!41

! colspan="2" |—