Early career Dobbie was with
Hearts at age group level before moving to
Rangers when he was twelve years old. At Rangers, he did not break into the first-team squad, despite being a prolific goalscorer in the reserves. In 2002, he was sent out on loan to Australian
National Soccer League club
Northern Spirit, scoring three goals in three league matches in the
2002–03 season. He was then transferred to
Hibernian in 2003, having made no league appearances for the
Ibrox club.
Hibernian Dobbie debuted for the
Hibees on 9 August 2003 as an 85th-minute substitute in a 2–1 win over
Dundee United at
Tannadice. After five substitute appearances, he had his first start on 23 September 2003, scoring a
hat-trick in a 9–0 win over
Montrose in the
second round of the
2003–04 Scottish League Cup. Despite this, Dobbie failed to win a regular place in the Hibernian first team as
Garry O'Connor and
Derek Riordan were preferred to him. He was a 70th-minute substitute in the
2004 Scottish League Cup Final defeat by
Livingston; Hibs lost 2–0. Dobbie made a total of 33 appearances, scoring six goals
that season. On 3 July 2004, he made his European debut in the
second round of the
2004 UEFA Intertoto Cup, as a 76th-minute substitute in a 1–1 draw with Lithuanian
A Lyga club
Vėtra at Easter Road. Dobbie then started the
2004–05 season with Hibernian, with seven league appearances and five cup appearances.
St Johnstone A lack of opportunities at Hibernian under the management of
Tony Mowbray meant that Dobbie was sent out on loan to
Scottish First Division club
St Johnstone on 26 January 2005. He debuted on 19 March 2005, as a 57th-minute substitute in a 2–0 defeat to
Ross County at
McDiarmid Park. He scored his first goal for
Saints in a 4–0 win over
Partick Thistle at
Firhill on 16 April 2005. He had eight appearances for the club
that season, scoring two goals. The transfer to the
Perth club was made permanent in the 2005 close season, with Dobbie making 27 appearances and scoring five goals in the
2005–06 season.
Dumbarton Dobbie struggled to hold down a regular place in the first team, and the
following season he was loaned out to
Scottish Third Division club
Dumbarton, where he found some form, scoring ten goals in seventeen league matches. Dobbie debuted on 19 August 2006 in a single-goal defeat to
Queen's Park at
Hampden Park. Dobbie debuted the following day in a 1–1 draw at
Dundee in the
third round of the
2006–07 Scottish Cup at
Dens Park. In the replay, a 3–3 draw at
Palmerston ten days later, Dobbie scored his first two goals for the
Dumfries club. Queens went on to win the tie 4–2 on penalties. After scoring another brace in a 4–3 home league win over Partick Thistle on 27 January 2007, Dobbie scored once again in the 2–0 fourth round win over
Cowdenbeath in the Scottish Cup. Dobbie then grabbed a third brace on 17 February 2007 in a 3–0 win over
Airdrie United at the
Excelsior Stadium. Dobbie then played in the quarter final of the Scottish Cup as Queens were defeated 2–1 by his former club Hibernian. Dobbie scored 12 goals in 21 appearances
that season. On 19 January 2008, Dobbie scored his first hat-trick for Queen of the South against
Greenock Morton in a 3–0 league win at Cappielow. The goals were scored in the 65th, 73rd and 84th minutes. With
Gordon Chisholm appointed manager for the
2007–08 season, Dobbie and Queens embarked on a club history-making Scottish Cup adventure. Dobbie scored a brace in the
third round as Queens defeated
Peterhead 5–0 at the Balmoor Stadium on 24 November 2007. Dobbie scored another goal in the
fourth round 4–0 home win over
Linlithgow Rose on 12 January 2008. Queens then defeated
Greenock Morton 2–0 in the fifth round on 2 February 2008 at
Cappielow. Dobbie's opening goal in a 2–0 home win of the quarter-final match versus
Dundee on 8 March 2008 at
Palmerston helped Queens to their first Scottish Cup semi final since
1950. Queens second goal was scored by
Ryan McCann with a notably long range shot from 84 yards. Despite early second half goals by
Steve Tosh and
Jim Thomson, Queens were defeated 3–2 by Rangers in
the final on 24 May 2008, with Dobbie being substituted in the 82nd minute. Dobbie was Queens' top goalscorer for the
2007–08 season, with 20 goals in a total of 44 games, as the club finished fourth in the
First Division. Dobbie played in Queens
2008–09 UEFA Cup campaign in August 2008, when they lost 4–2 over two legs to
Danish Superliga club
FC Nordsjælland in the
second qualifying round. Despite being the most prolific goalscorer for the
Dumfries club since
Andy Thomson in the early 1990s, Chisholm elected to leave Dobbie out of the starting line-up for both matches, preferring
Stewart Kean. During the
2008–09 season, Dobbie scored 23 goals in 40 matches, including four in one match in a 7–1 home league win over
Clyde on 25 April 2009, with all four goals arriving during a 13-minute spell during the second half, for his second Queens hat-trick. Dobbie won the First Division Player of the Month award for April 2009. On 6 May 2009, Queens announced Dobbie was moving to Wales to play for
Championship club
Swansea City. Dobbie said of the move: "I'm sad to leave Queen of the South as I felt I'd struck up a good bond with the fans these past two and a half years. However, it's an offer I just couldn't refuse! I'd like to say a big thank-you to the manager, the players and coaching staff at Palmerston and I'll never forget my time there. If I'm not playing any week don't be surprised to see me in the stand watching Queens in action. Good luck to you all." Dobbie was the first player to transfer between the two clubs since
Tommy Lang in 1938.
Swansea City On 7 May 2009,
Swansea City confirmed that they had agreed personal terms with Dobbie and that he would be moving to the
South Wales club, subject to a medical at the
Liberty Stadium. On 22 May 2009, Dobbie passed his medical and signed a three-year deal on a free transfer. On 11 August 2009, Dobbie's first two goals for the
Swans arrived in a 3–0 win at home to
Brighton & Hove Albion in the
first round of the
2009–10 League Cup. On 25 August 2009, Dobbie's third goal arrived in the
next round of the League Cup in a 2–1 defeat at home to
Scunthorpe United. Dobbie had scored three goals in six matches for the
Swans and he lost his first-team place due to picking up an injury and played only two more matches in 2009.
Blackpool (first loan spell) On 1 February 2010, Dobbie signed on loan for
Blackpool until the end of the
2009–10 season with a view to a permanent move after this loan spell. On 3 February 2010, Dobbie scored his first goal for the
Seasiders on his debut in a 3–2 defeat to
West Bromwich Albion at
Bloomfield Road. On 6 February 2010 in his first full appearance, Dobbie scored in the 89th minute in a 2–1 home defeat to
Leicester City. Dobbie scored a crucial goal in the play-off semi-final versus
Nottingham Forest and this earned the
Tangerines a place in the
Wembley final. Dobbie was a second-half substitute in the 3–2 play-off final win versus
Cardiff City.
Return to Swansea City After his loan spell with
Blackpool, Dobbie returned to
Swansea City. After
Paulo Sousa departed the club to join
Leicester City as their new manager, the new
Swans manager
Brendan Rodgers started playing Dobbie in the first team. With
Craig Beattie and
Gorka Pintado out injured long term, leaving only
Shefki Kuqi to compete with Dobbie for the lone striker role, he was heavily relied on to score goals. Dobbie scored in a 4–0 home win versus
Preston North End on 14 August 2010, his first goal in a year for the
Swans and he dedicated his strike to
Besian Idrizaj. The following month, Dobbie scored in the 13th minute, to place the
Swans 1–0 ahead versus
Leeds United but Swansea ended up losing the game 2–1. After
Shefki Kuqi was loaned out to
Derby County, Dobbie was the only fit and available striker at the
Liberty Stadium, whilst Rodgers looked elsewhere for a striker on loan.
West Ham striker
Frank Nouble arrived at Swansea on a three-month loan deal, as competition for Dobbie up front. Dobbie was dropped to the substitutes bench and was later used and scored to give the
Swans a 2–0 lead. On 28 September 2010, his next goal arrived away at
Watford that merited the
Swans a 3–2 victory. From October 2010 until January 2011, Dobbie was only used as a substitute and failed to score any goals as he was replaced by Middlesbrough loan signing
Marvin Emnes and a returning
Craig Beattie. Dobbie was getting fewer chances in the first team when
Jermaine Easter joined for a month on loan from
Milton Keynes Dons. On 28 December 2010, in a home match versus
Barnsley, Dobbie was given a rare starting place, alongside
Jermaine Easter. Easter scored the only goal of the match and Dobbie impressed in what seemed to be an attacking midfield role. After
Luke Moore was signed from
West Bromwich Albion, Dobbie continued to be an unused substitute. On 22 February 2011, away to
Coventry City, Dobbie appeared from the substitute's bench to score the only goal in a 1–0 victory. This was Dobbie's first goal in five months. On 8 March 2011, Dobbie opened the scoring with an early goal at home to
Watford, as the match finished in a 1–1 draw. Dobbie scored three goals in the last two games of the season that helped the
Swans finish third in the division. During the first leg of the semi-final play-off match away to
Nottingham Forest, left back
Neil Taylor was sent off after only one minute of play. Rodgers substituted Dobbie immediately after the sending off that enabled the
Swans to have another defender on the pitch. Swansea City were the first
Welsh club to play in the Premier League since its formation in 1992. After the
Swans were promoted to the Premier League, Dobbie made his league debut for the club in a 4–0 defeat versus
Manchester City. Dobbie had seven appearances in the Premier League without scoring a goal. Dobbie twisted his left ankle under a challenge from
Kyle Naughton and suffered an injury. Dobbie's injury kept him out of action for a week until he returned to action versus
Manchester United. After eight appearances in the Premier League, Dobbie found himself down the pecking order behind strikers
Danny Graham,
Leroy Lita,
Luke Moore and new signing
Rory Donnelly. Finding his first-team appearances limited, manager
Brendan Rodgers allowed Dobbie to leave on loan after his former club
Blackpool had enquired about his availability.
Birmingham City also enquired on his availability, although lack of finances meant that the club could only get Dobbie on loan with a view to a permanent deal at the end of his loan spell. However, neither the
Blues nor the
Seasiders signed him on loan before the close of the transfer window on 31 January 2012. After failing to find a loan deal in the January transfer window, Rodgers understood Dobbie's frustration at his lack of first-team opportunities, although he did not allow Dobbie to leave the club on loan, as he could be required to play in the first team if other players were out injured.
Blackpool (second loan spell) On 22 March 2012, it was confirmed that Dobbie had finally sealed a loan deal, returning to
Blackpool until the end of that season. On 19 May 2012, Dobbie played in the 2012 Football League Championship play-off final at Wembley for the third successive season.
Brighton & Hove Albion On 31 August 2012, Dobbie signed for
Brighton & Hove Albion on a three-year contract for an undisclosed fee.
Crystal Palace In January 2013, Dobbie joined
Crystal Palace on an initial loan deal lasting until the end of the season. Dobbie completed a permanent transfer on 1 July 2013, signing a two-year contract. On 16 July 2014, he scored four goals in a 13–1 pre-season friendly win versus
GAK Graz. On 22 May 2015, it was announced that Dobbie would not be offered a new contract by the
Eagles at the end of the
2014-15 season.
Blackpool (third loan spell) On 17 September 2013, Dobbie returned to
Blackpool on a three-month loan deal. Dobbie then had his first full appearance for the club versus
Leicester City that ended time in a 2–1 defeat Dobbie scored two goals in successive matches versus the Brighton and
Wigan Athletic during April 2014 to help move the
Seasiders above the relegation zone.
Fleetwood Town (loan spell) On 7 August 2014, Dobbie joined
League One club
Fleetwood Town on loan until the end of that season, when he departed the
Eagles.
Bolton Wanderers On 5 August 2015, Dobbie joined
Championship club
Bolton Wanderers on a one-year deal and debuted from the bench on 11 August 2015 in a
League Cup game versus
Burton Albion, which Bolton lost 1–0. Dobbie scored his first goal for the
Trotters on 22 August 2015, when he scored just minutes after coming onto the pitch to snatch a late equaliser versus
Nottingham Forest, with the game finishing 1–1. After initially signing up until the end of the
2016–17 season, Dobbie then extended his contract on 26 August 2016 up until May 2018. Dobbie was appointed the club's vice-captain on 7 January 2017 and scored 26 goals (19 league and 7 cup) in his first season back in
Dumfries. Dobbie was shortlisted for the
PFA Scotland Championship player of the season, but lost out to Hibernian midfielder
John McGinn. Dobbie was selected in the
PFA Scotland Team of the Year for the Scottish Championship.
2017–18 season On 23 December 2017, Dobbie scored his 100th goal for Queens after only 18 seconds of the match in a 3–2 defeat versus
St Mirren at Palmerston Park. Dobbie was only the fifth player in the club's history to reach this milestone, after
Jim Patterson,
Bobby Black,
Derek Lyle and
Andy Thomson. On 11 January 2018, Dobbie was presented with the Ladbrokes
Scottish Championship Player of the Month award for December 2017. On 13 January 2018, Dobbie signed an extension to his contract to keep him at
Palmerston until May 2019. On 27 January 2018, Dobbie scored his third
hat-trick of the season versus
Brechin City in a 3–1 victory at Palmerston, having already scored trebles away to both
Falkirk (4–1 win on 26 August 2017) and
Dunfermline Athletic (5–2 win on 9 December 2017). On 19 April 2018, Dobbie was nominated for the PFA Scotland's
Scottish Championship player of the season, alongside
Craig Halkett,
Lewis Morgan and
Cammy Smith. On 28 April 2018, Dobbie scored his fourth hat-trick of the campaign in the final league match of the
2017–18 season in a 5–1 away win over Brechin City at
Glebe Park. Dobbie scored 27 goals (18 league and nine cup) in his second season back in Dumfries.
2018–19 season Dobbie was appointed Queens' new club captain after
John Rankin departed to join
Clyde during the 2018 close season. On 17 July 2018, Dobbie scored his fifth hat-trick since his return to Queen of the South against Clyde in a 3–0 win in the
Scottish League Cup at Palmerston, his first treble of the season. Dobbie's sixth hat-trick since his return to Queen of the South and his second of the season was scored on 25 August 2018 in a 3–0 win away to Falkirk in the Scottish Championship. On 1 September 2018, Dobbie scored his seventh hat-trick since his return to Palmerston in a 5–0 win at home to
Ayr United in the Scottish Championship, his third treble of the season; the first three goals arrived in a ten-minute spell during the first half (12, 20 and 22 minutes), with his second goal being a
penalty kick. Dobbie then had a penalty saved in the 31st minute by Ayr goalkeeper
Ross Doohan. Dobbie scored his fourth goal of the match in the 84th minute. On 15 September 2018, he played in his 200th match for Queen of the South against
Ross County in a goalless draw. At that point his record for Queens included 182 starts and 18 substitute appearances. On 4 October 2018, Dobbie was presented with the Ladbrokes
Scottish Championship Player of the Month award for September 2018. On 6 October 2018, Dobbie scored his eighth hat-trick since his return to Queens at home to
Alloa Athletic in the Scottish Championship, his fourth treble of the season; the
Wasps had taken a 3–0 lead in the first 25 minutes before Dobbie scored his goals on 36, 43 and 70 minutes. On 9 October 2018, Dobbie signed an extension to his contract to keep him at the
Dumfries club until May 2020. On 29 January 2019, Dobbie scored his ninth hat-trick since his return to Queen of the South, this time in a 3–0 win at home to
Scottish Premiership club
Dundee, in the fourth round replay of the
2018–19 Scottish Cup, his fifth treble of the season. Dobbie scored his goals after 12, 27 and 74 minutes, the first being a "looping long-range effort" from 25 yards. On 31 January, he was presented with the Scottish Championship Player of the Month award for January 2019. On 10 February, in the next round of the Scottish Cup, he scored an "outrageous" goal from around 30 yards to equalise against Aberdeen at
Pittodrie, although this time the top-tier side responded and eventually won 4–1 to eliminate Queen of the South from the competition. On 24 April 2019, Dobbie was nominated for the PFA Scotland's
Championship player of the season, for the third consecutive year, alongside
Billy Mckay,
Lawrence Shankland and
Pavol Šafranko and on 5 May 2019, Dobbie won the individual award and was selected in the Championship Team of the Year for the third successive season. He also won the
equivalent individual award presented by the
SPFL. Despite Dobbie's personal achievements, Queens finished ninth in the
2018–19 Scottish Championship and entered the play-offs along with
Forfar Athletic,
Raith Rovers and
Montrose from
League One. On 11 May 2019, Dobbie scored his tenth hat-trick since his return to Queen of the South, this time in a 5–0 win at home to
Montrose in the Scottish Championship play-off semi-final second leg, his sixth treble of the season. Dobbie scored his goals after 11, 28 and 40 minutes. Dobbie has scored the most goals for Queen of the South in all competitions in a single season in their entire history of 105 years. The previous record of 41 goals was held between Jimmy Rutherford in
1931–32 and
Nicky Clark in
2012–13. Dobbie scored 43 goals (21 league and 22 cup) in his third season back in Dumfries.
2019–20 season On 27 July 2019, Dobbie was not in the squad for the final
Scottish League Cup Group E match at
Cappielow versus
Greenock Morton, as he was injured early in the second half in the previous match away to
Dumbarton. On 19 October 2019, after a wood carving statue of three club legends, Dobbie alongside
Allan Ball and
Billy Houliston was unveiled outside the Queens Arena to mark the club's centenary season, Dobbie scored a brace as Queen of the South defeated league leaders
Dundee United 4–0 at
Palmerston Park. On 21 December 2019, Dobbie extended his contract at Queens until 31 May 2021. Dobbie scored 11 goals (eight league and three cup) in his fourth season back in Dumfries.
2020–21 season On 4 December 2020, on the eve of his 38th birthday, Dobbie captained Queens to a 3–0 defeat at
Palmerston versus
Inverness Caledonian Thistle in the live Friday night match on
BBC Scotland. On 16 January 2021, Dobbie appeared as a used substitute in the 78th minute, replacing
Joe McKee for the final 12 minutes versus
Arbroath at
Palmerston in a 2–2 draw. Dobbie had been out of action since 19 December 2020 with a hamstring injury whilst playing at
Cappielow versus
Greenock Morton. On 28 April 2021, Dobbie announced that he would be leaving Queen of the South after the final league match of the
2020–21 season. On 30 April 2021, Dobbie played 73 minutes versus
Dundee in the 2–0 defeat at
Palmerston in his final match for Queen of the South, before being replaced by Niyah Joseph. Dobbie scored four goals (three league and one cup) in his fifth and final season at Queen of the South.
AFC Fylde On 17 June 2021, Dobbie returned to England, signing for
National League North side
AFC Fylde. On 28 August, Dobbie scored his first goal the
Coasters versus
Hereford in the 76th minute in a 4–1 away win. On 12 March 2022, having been out injured since November 2021, Dobbie's introduction for the final nine minutes of the
Coasters 1–0 win away to
Kidderminster Harriers was his 500th league appearance of his career. On 20 May, Dobbie was released by Fylde, and five days later he announced that he would be ending his 23-year playing career. == Coaching career ==