Albert Victor Hodgkinson (10 August 1884 – 25 November 1939) was a

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...

who played as an

outside-forward Forwards (also known as attackers) are outfield positions in an association football team who play the furthest up the pitch and are therefore most responsible for scoring goals as well as assisting them. As with any attacking player, the role ...

for various clubs in the 1900s, including making one appearance for the

Wales national football team ) , Association = Football Association of Wales (FAW) , Confederation = UEFA (Europe) , Coach = Rob Page , Captain = Gareth Bale , Most caps = Gareth Bale (111) , Top scorer = Gareth ...

in 1908.

Football career

Hodgkinson was born at

Pembroke Dock Pembroke Dock ( cy, Doc Penfro) is a town and a community in Pembrokeshire, South West Wales, northwest of Pembroke on the banks of the River Cleddau. Originally Paterchurch, a small fishing village, Pembroke Dock town expanded rapidly following ...

South Wales South Wales ( cy, De Cymru) is a loosely defined region of Wales bordered by England to the east and mid Wales to the north. Generally considered to include the historic counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire, south Wales extends westwards ...

, but grew up in

Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...

. His first professional club was Derby County before he joined Grimsby Town of the

Football League Second Division The Football League Second Division was the second level division in the English football league system between 1892 and 1992. Following the foundation of the FA Premier League, the Football League divisions were renumbered and the third ti ...

in October 1903. After a season at

Blundell Park Blundell Park is a football ground in Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire, England and home to Grimsby Town Football Club. The stadium was built in 1899, but only one of the original stands remains. The current capacity of the ground is 9, ...

, in which he made seventeen appearances, scoring five goals, Hodgkinson moved in May 1904 to

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...

, where he joined

Plymouth Argyle Plymouth Argyle Football Club is a professional football club based in the city of Plymouth, Devon, England. As of the 2021–22 season, the team are competing in League One, the third tier of English football. They have played at Home Park, ...

of the Southern League. This was followed by seasons with Leicester Fosse of the

Second Division In sport, the Second Division, also called Division 2 or Division II is usually the second highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Following the rise of Premier League style compet ...

and

Bury Bury may refer to: *The burial of human remains *-bury, a suffix in English placenames Places England * Bury, Cambridgeshire, a village * Bury, Greater Manchester, a town, historically in Lancashire ** Bury (UK Parliament constituency) (1832–19 ...

in the First Division. In May 1907, Hodgkinson returned to the Southern League when he joined

Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...

, along with his Bury teammate John Johnston. Described by the Saints' historians, Holley and Chalk, as "''a consistent performer with all his previous clubs''", Hodgkinson was "''still developing as a dashing

outside-left Forwards (also known as attackers) are outfield positions in an association football team who play the furthest up the pitch and are therefore most responsible for scoring goals as well as assisting them. As with any attacking player, the role ...

''" when he came to Southampton. He made his debut for the Saints on 7 September 1907, when he scored in a 3–2 defeat at home to Crystal Palace. He soon formed useful partnerships with his fellow Welsh forward John Lewis and with George Smith, going on to make 29 appearances in 1907–08, scoring nine goals as Southampton finished the league season in mid-table. He also played in all six

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...

matches as Saints reached the semi-finals, losing to

Wolverhampton Wanderers Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club (), commonly known as Wolves, is a professional football club based in Wolverhampton, England, which compete in the . The club has played at Molineux Stadium since moving from Dudley Road in 1889. The club's ...

who went on to take the cup in the

final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...

. The FA Cup fourth-round tie against Everton played at

Goodison Park Goodison Park is a football stadium in the Walton area of Liverpool, England. It has been the home stadium of Premier League club Everton F.C. since its completion in 1892. Located in a residential area 2 miles (3 km) north of Liverpool ...

on Saturday 7 March 1908 was a 0–0 draw. The replay was arranged for the following Tuesday, but was put back by one day to allow Hodgkinson to attend the funeral of his brother, William Henry Hodgkinson, who had died, aged 26, on the Saturday. As a mark of respect, the Saints players wore black armbands. Saints won the replay 3–2, with two goals from "man-of-the-match",

Frank Costello Frank Costello (; born Francesco Castiglia; ; January 26, 1891 – February 18, 1973) was an Italian-American crime boss of the Luciano crime family. In 1957, Costello survived an assassination attempt ordered by Vito Genovese and carried out by ...

. Hodgkinson is described by Holley & Chalk as

"a mercurial player, who would suddenly achieve the sensational only to, just as suddenly, disappear from prominence; he also rarely did what his opponents expected of him."

His reputation grew during his time at The Dell and on 11 April 1908, he played for

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

against

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

; the match, held at the Athletic Ground,

Aberdare Aberdare ( ; cy, Aberdâr) is a town in the Cynon Valley area of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales, at the confluence of the Rivers Dare (Dâr) and Cynon. Aberdare has a population of 39,550 (mid-2017 estimate). Aberdare is south-west of Merthyr Tyd ...

ended in a 1–0 victory for the Irish. He continued with the "Saints" for another season, at the end of which the club finished in third place, with Hodgkinson scoring 11 goals, just behind his fellow forwards

on 13 and Arthur Hughes on 15. In August 1909, Hodgkinson dropped down to

non-league football Non-League football describes football leagues played outside the top leagues of a country. Usually, it describes leagues which are not fully professional. The term is primarily used for football in England, where it is specifically used to de ...

with Croydon Common, followed by spells at Southend United and Ilkeston United.

Life outside and after football

Hodgkinson was also a baseball player of some note, winning two gold medals at the National Baseball Association's annual tournament. After he retired from football, he settled in Derbyshire and was the owner of the Rose & Crown Inn at

Chellaston Chellaston is a suburban village on the southern outskirts of Derby, in Derbyshire, England. History An early mention of Chellaston is thought to be a reference to Ceolarde's hill. This is mentioned in a 1009 charter when nearby lan ...

near

Derby Derby ( ) is a city and unitary authority area in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Derwent in the south of Derbyshire, which is in the East Midlands Region. It was traditionally the county town of Derbyshire. Derby gai ...

. Following his retirement, the licensee was Tom Keetley who had had a long football career with Doncaster Rovers and Notts County.Discover Derby: Chellaston

Family

Hodgkinson's brother,

Bill Bill(s) may refer to: Common meanings * Banknote, paper cash (especially in the United States) * Bill (law), a proposed law put before a legislature * Invoice, commercial document issued by a seller to a buyer * Bill, a bird or animal's beak Plac ...

was a centre-forward with Derby County, playing 16 matches, scoring nine goals in the

Football League First Division The Football League First Division was a division of the Football League in England from 1888 until 2004. It was the top division in the English football league system from the season 1888–89 until 1991–92, a century in which the First ...

in the 1903–04 season.

Notes

References

External links

Croydon Common career details
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hodgkinson, Bert 1884 births 1939 deaths Sportspeople from Pembroke Dock Welsh men's footballers Wales men's international footballers English Football League players Southern Football League players Hinckley Town F.C. players Derby County F.C. players Grimsby Town F.C. players Plymouth Argyle F.C. players Leicester City F.C. players Bury F.C. players Southampton F.C. players Croydon Common F.C. players Southend United F.C. players Men's association football forwards