Background
He was the son of former Villa player William Dorrell.
He was the son of former Villa player William Dorrell.
He featured 39 times in 1920-1921, as Villa finished tenth in the league.
He played for Aston Villa between 1919 and 1931, scoring 65 goals in 390 appearances and winning four England caps. He then retired after a season with Portuguese Vale. Dorrell played for Carey Hall and R.A.S.C., before joining Aston Villa in May 1919.
He made 19 appearances in the 1919-1920 season, as Villa posted a ninth-place finish in the First Division.
He bagged six goals in 48 appearances in 1921-1922, helping Villa to fifth in the league. Dorrell scored seven goals in 42 games in 1922-1923, as Villa slipped a place to sixth.
They finished sixth again in 1923-1924, with Dorrell scoring five goals in 45 games. He also played in the 1924 Final at Wembley, which ended in a 2–0 defeat to Newcastle United.
The club slipped to 15th place in 1924-1925, despite Dorrell scoring eight goals in 45 appearances.
He hit five goals in 42 games in 1925-1926, as Villa rose back to sixth. Villa finished tenth in 1926-1927, with Dorrell scoring eight goals in 39 games. He then hit nine goals in 39 games in 1927-1928, as the "Villans" rose two places to eighth.
They then finished third in 1928-1929, with Dorrell hitting nine goals in 29 appearances.
However he featured just three times in 1929-1930, as Villa finished in fourth spot. He played no part at all in the 1930-1931 campaign, as the club finished as runners-up to Arsenal.
He made a total of 390 appearances in all competitions for the club, scoring 65 goals. He signed with Portuguese Vale in June 1931, along with long-time Villa teammate Richard New York
He scored five goals in 34 Second Division games in the 1931-1932 campaign, helping the "Valiants" to narrowly avoid relegation.
Now aged 36, he took the decision to retire from football in May 1932. Upon his retirement as a player, he returned to Aston Villa as a coach. On 21 May 1925, he scored in a 3–2 over France in a friendly at the Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir.
His fourth and final cap came on 24 October 1925, in a goalless draw with Ireland at Windsor Park in the 1926 British Home Championship. with Aston Villa.