Dennis Hodgetts (28 November 1863 – 25/26 March 1945), commonly known as Denny Hodgetts, was a

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 ...

in the early years of professional football in England. Signed as a Youth player for Mitchell St George's in 1878 and played for three years. When 17 he signed for Great Lever for the 1881-82 season. In 1882 he returned to Mitchell St. George's F.C. where he stayed for four years. Hodgetts signed for

Aston Villa Aston Villa Football Club is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club competes in the , the top tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1874, they have played at their home ground, Villa Park ...

in February 1886. The following year he scored the first goal in Aston Villa's first FA Cup final triumph. In

1895 Events January–March * January 5 – Dreyfus affair: French officer Alfred Dreyfus is stripped of his army rank, and sentenced to life imprisonment on Devil's Island. * January 12 – The National Trust for Places of Histor ...

he collected another FA Cup winners medal with Villa. Hodgetts was also a key member of the

Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...

title-winning sides of

1894 Events January–March * January 4 – A military alliance is established between the French Third Republic and the Russian Empire. * January 7 – William Kennedy Dickson receives a patent for motion picture film in the United S ...

and

1896 Events January–March * January 2 – The Jameson Raid comes to an end, as Jameson surrenders to the Boers. * January 4 – Utah is admitted as the 45th U.S. state. * January 5 – An Austrian newspaper reports that Wil ...

Season 1888-89

Hodgetts was described as powerful and alert and good with both feet. He could shoot and pass expertly. He was outstanding at crossing the ball on the run. He played in Aston Villa' opening League game, as a winger, at

Dudley Road Dudley Road was a football ground in Wolverhampton in England. It was the home ground of Wolverhampton Wanderers between 1881 and 1889, and was used during the first season of the Football League. History The ground began to be used in 1881, ...

, Wolverhampton, then home of Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C., Wolverhampton Wanderers. The match ended 1-1. Denny Hodgetts played 17 of the 22 League games Aston Villa played in season 1888-89 scoring seven League goals (including 2 in a match against Everton F.C., Everton at Dudley Road on 22 September 1888 - His debut League goal (s)) and 3 FA Cup goals finishing as Joint 3rd top scorer with

Archie Hunter Archibald Hunter (23 September 1859 – 29 November 1894) was a Scottish Association football, footballer who was the first captain of Aston Villa F.C., Aston Villa to lift the FA Cup, in 1887 FA Cup Final, 1887. He was one of Victorian football' ...

. As a winger he played in a midfield that achieved a big (three-League-goals-or-more-in-a-match) win on four occasions. He assisted Aston Villa to finish League runners-up. On the eve of Villa's

Double A double is a look-alike or doppelgänger; one person or being that resembles another. Double, The Double or Dubble may also refer to: Film and television * Double (filmmaking), someone who substitutes for the credited actor of a character * Th ...

-winning success in

1897 Events January–March * January 2 – The International Alpha Omicron Pi sorority is founded, in New York City. * January 4 – A British force is ambushed by Chief Ologbosere, son-in-law of the ruler. This leads to a puniti ...

(in what would have been his third FA Cup final with Villa) Hodgetts transferred to local rivals Small Heath before retiring in 1898. He made six appearances for England between 1888 and 1894, scoring once. He went on to become a publican, and in 1930 was elected Aston Villa's vice-president, a position he held until his death, aged 81, in March 1945. The Villa News and Record 1 Sept. 1906

Statistics

Source:

References

External links

* 1863 births 1945 deaths Footballers from Birmingham, West Midlands English footballers England international footballers Birmingham St George's F.C. players Aston Villa F.C. players Birmingham City F.C. players English Football League representative players British publicans Great Lever F.C. players Association football wingers FA Cup Final players {{England-footy-forward-1860s-stub