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 ...

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 Great Lever is a suburb of Bolton, Greater Manchester, England. Historically in Lancashire, it is south of Bolton town centre and the same distance north of Farnworth. The district is served by frequent buses running to Bolton town centre, Farnwo ...

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 The FA Cup Final, commonly referred to in England as just the Cup Final, is the last match in the FA Cup, Football Association Challenge Cup. It has regularly been one of the List of sports attendance figures, most attended domestic football ev ...

triumph. In 1895 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 and 1896.

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 footballer who was the first captain of Aston Villa to lift the FA Cup, in 1887. He was one of Victorian football's first household names. Life and career Born in Joppa ...

. 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 (in what would have been his third FA Cup final with Villa) Hodgetts transferred to local rivals

Small Heath Small Heath is an area in south-east Birmingham, West Midlands, England situated on and around the Coventry Road about from the city centre. History Small Heath, which has been settled and used since Roman times, sits on top of a small hill. ...

before retiring in 1898. He made six appearances for

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

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

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* 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