James Hanson (footballer Born 1987)
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James Robert Hanson (born 9 November 1987) is an English professional
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 plays as a striker for
Worksop Town Worksop Town Football Club is an English football club based in Worksop, Nottinghamshire. As of the 2021–22 season the team plays in the . They are nicknamed ''The Tigers'' and play their home games at Sandy Lane in Worksop. History First clu ...
. He also coaches at the RIASA Academy. After playing youth football for
Huddersfield Town Huddersfield Town Association Football Club is a professional football club based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . The team have played home games at the Kirklees Stadium since moving from Leeds Road in 1994. The ...
and
Bradford City Bradford City Association Football Club is an English professional football club in Bradford, West Yorkshire. The team competes in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system and are currently managed by Mark Hughes. Th ...
, Hanson began his career in semi-professional non-league football, playing for Eccleshill United and
Guiseley Guiseley ( ) is a town in metropolitan borough of the City of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is situated south of Otley and Menston and is now a north-western suburb of Leeds. It sits in t ...
. He turned professional after re-signing with
Bradford City Bradford City Association Football Club is an English professional football club in Bradford, West Yorkshire. The team competes in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system and are currently managed by Mark Hughes. Th ...
in 2009, for whom he made over 300 appearances. He later played for
Sheffield United Sheffield United Football Club is a professional football club in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . They are nicknamed "the Blades" due to Sheffield's history of cutlery production. The team have played home games at ...
,
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 ...
,
AFC Wimbledon AFC Wimbledon is an English professional Association football, football club, based in London Borough of Merton, Merton, London, that plays in the EFL League Two, after being relegated from the EFL League One following the 2021–22 EFL Leagu ...
,
Grimsby Town Grimsby Town Football Club is a professional football club based in Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire, England, that in the 2022–23 season will compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system, following the victory in ...
, Farsley Celtic and
Boston United Boston United Football Club is a semi-professional association football club based in Boston, Lincolnshire, England. The club participates in the National League North, at the sixth tier of the English football league system. The club is known ...
.


Playing career


Early career

Born in
Bradford Bradford is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Bradford district in West Yorkshire, England. The city is in the Pennines' eastern foothills on the banks of the Bradford Beck. Bradford had a population of 349,561 at the 2011 ...
,
West Yorkshire West Yorkshire is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. It is an inland and upland county having eastward-draining valleys while taking in the moors of the Pennines. West Yorkshire came into exi ...
, Hanson played youth football for
Huddersfield Town Huddersfield Town Association Football Club is a professional football club based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . The team have played home games at the Kirklees Stadium since moving from Leeds Road in 1994. The ...
(where he was let go at the age of 15 for being too small), as well as
Bradford City Bradford City Association Football Club is an English professional football club in Bradford, West Yorkshire. The team competes in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system and are currently managed by Mark Hughes. Th ...
. He began his senior career playing semi-professional non-league football with Eccleshill United and
Guiseley Guiseley ( ) is a town in metropolitan borough of the City of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is situated south of Otley and Menston and is now a north-western suburb of Leeds. It sits in t ...
, balancing his football career with a job in a local Co-operative supermarket in
Idle, Bradford Idle is a residential suburban area in the city of Bradford, West Yorkshire, in England and was a separate village, and before that it was the Manor of Idle. Idle is loosely bordered by the areas of Eccleshill, Wrose, Thackley, Apperley Bri ...
. Bradford City fans later sang a song about Hanson's supermarket work.


Bradford City


2009–10 season

Hanson signed his first professional contract with
Bradford City Bradford City Association Football Club is an English professional football club in Bradford, West Yorkshire. The team competes in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system and are currently managed by Mark Hughes. Th ...
in July 2009, with his transfer fee set by a tribunal hearing six months later at a figure close to £7,500, a sell-on clause and the agreement of a friendly between the two sides. Hanson made his debut for Bradford on the opening day of the 2009–10 season, on 8 August 2009, in a 5–0 defeat against
Notts County Notts County Football Club is a professional association football club based in Nottingham, England. The team participate in the National League (division), National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. Founded on the 2 ...
. Hanson scored his first goal for Bradford on 22 August 2009, in a 5–4 victory away at
Cheltenham Town Cheltenham Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. From the 2021–22 season, the club compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league syst ...
. Hanson won the Player of the Year award during his first season at Bradford City, and was rewarded with a new, improved contract for the next four years.


2011–12 season

In February 2012, Hanson suffered a groin injury, and was estimated to miss six weeks of matches. During the 2011–12 season, Hanson scored 14 goals, his highest tally to date in three years as a professional.


2012–13 season

In October 2012, teammate Andrew Davies stated his belief that Hanson's goals would help the club achieve promotion. He scored Bradford City's goal in the second leg
League Cup In several sports, most prominently association football, a league cup or secondary cup generally signifies a cup competition for which entry is restricted only to teams in a particular league. The first national association football tournament t ...
semi-final tie against
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 ...
, and was named Man Of The Match for the second leg, helping Bradford to the League Cup final. Hanson had a broken toe prior to the match, and received an injection for it 15 minutes before kick-off. Hanson's performance was praised by former manager Steve Kittrick. Hanson played in the
2013 Football League Cup Final The 2013 Football League Cup Final was a football match between Bradford City and Swansea City, which took place on 24 February 2013 at Wembley Stadium in London. It was the final match of the 2012–13 Football League Cup, the 53rd season of t ...
; after the match, he said he believed Bradford City would return to Wembley via the League Two play-offs. Hanson scored two goals in the next three League matches, reaching 10 goals for the season, and later that month he stated that the club had to win both forthcoming Easter games. In April 2013, Hanson spoke of the "buzz" around the club as they mounted a play-off challenge. On 5 May, he scored a vital goal in the second leg of the play-off semi-final against
Burton Albion Burton Albion Football Club is a professional association football club in the town of Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, England. The team compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. The club moved its home groun ...
, helping Bradford overcome a 3–2 deficit from the home leg to win the game 3–1 and the tie 5–4 on aggregate. In the Final at Wembley, Hanson scored in a 3–0 victory against Northampton Town, and later spoke about how he was looking forward to playing in a higher division.


2013–14 season

Ahead of the 2013–14 season, Bradford City manager
Phil Parkinson Philip John Parkinson (born 1 December 1967) is an English professional football manager and former player who played as a midfielder. He is currently manager of National League side Wrexham. Parkinson is the only manager to take an English fou ...
said that only a high-money bid would persuade the club to sell either Hanson and fellow striker
Nahki Wells Nahki Michael Wells (born 1 June 1990) is a Bermudian professional footballer who plays as a forward for club Bristol City and the Bermuda national team. Wells began his career in his native Bermuda, playing for Dandy Town Hornets and Bermu ...
. In July 2013, Hanson was praised by former Bradford City left-back
Wayne Jacobs Wayne Jacobs (born 3 February 1969) is an English football coach and former professional player who is an assistant manager at Sheffield Wednesday under Darren Moore. Career Playing career During his career he played for Sheffield Wednesday, ...
, and in August 2013 Hanson spoke positively of his partnership with teammate
Nahki Wells Nahki Michael Wells (born 1 June 1990) is a Bermudian professional footballer who plays as a forward for club Bristol City and the Bermuda national team. Wells began his career in his native Bermuda, playing for Dandy Town Hornets and Bermu ...
. Wells has also publicly praised his strike partnership with Hanson, as has journalist Simon Parker, who described them as "
ne of NE, Ne or ne may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Neutral Evil, an alignment in the American role-playing game ''Dungeons & Dragons'' * New Edition, an American vocal group * Nicomachean Ethics, a collection of ten books by Greek philosopher Ar ...
the best front pairs that League One has to offer." Hanson has also been praised by manager Phil Parkinson. In October 2013 Hanson spoke about his use of a mind coach. On 29 November 2013 he signed a new contract with the club, taking him up to the end of the 2016–17 season, and becoming the first player at the club to sign a new contract that season. In December 2013 fellow Bradford City player Andrew Davies described Wells and Hanson as the best strike pair in the division. The partnership ended when Wells was sold to Huddersfield Town in January 2014. In February 2014, after Hanson scored his 10th goal of the season, Davies spoke about Hanson's increase in playing form. In March 2014, Hanson spoke about new strike partner Aaron McLean's lack of goals for the club, while Hanson himself had scored 6 goals in 9 games. That same month Hanson was revealed as the player in 3 divisions 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 ...
who had committed the most fouls in the 2013–14 season to date; he was defended by manager Phil Parkinson. Throughout March and April, Hanson suffered a number of minor injuries which prevented him from playing, making only 1 appearance in the past 7 games as of 25 April 2014. His work-rate during that season was later praised by former teammate Andy Gray.


2014–15 season

Ahead of the 2014–15 season the club implemented new a playing style and match tactics, and Hanson stated he was looking forward to showing that he was able to adapt to it. In August 2014, after scoring five goals in the season to date, Hanson entered the club's top ten all-time scorer list. In September 2014 it was announced that Hanson was suffering from a thigh injury, and could miss up to 5 matches. In December 2014, following his return from injury, Hanson was kept out of the starting line-up by
Jon Stead Jonathan Graeme Stead (born 7 April 1983) is an English retired professional footballer who played as a striker. He currently is an assistant coach for the Tampa Bay Rowdies in USL Championship, the American second division. Stead played for H ...
and Billy Clarke. In January 2015 Hanson praised Stead, while later that month he was himself praised by ex-Bantam striker
Dean Windass Dean Windass (born 1 April 1969) is an English former professional footballer who played as a striker. He played spells at Bradford City and contributed to his hometown team Hull City's promotion to the Premier League in 2008. Windass started ...
. Following Bradford City's shock victory in the FA Cup over
Chelsea Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to: Places Australia * Chelsea, Victoria Canada * Chelsea, Nova Scotia * Chelsea, Quebec United Kingdom * Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames ** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...
, Hanson was praised by their captain
John Terry John George Terry (born 7 December 1980) is an English professional football coach and former player who played as a centre-back. He was previously captain of Chelsea, the England national team and Aston Villa. He was most recently the assi ...
. Hanson later described the Chelsea match as his favourite game for Bradford City. In April 2015 Hanson declared that he was aiming to score 20 goals a season for the club; at that point he was on 11 goals, having not scored for two months. In May 2015 the club rejected an undisclosed transfer bid for Hanson from
Millwall Millwall is a district on the western and southern side of the Isle of Dogs, in east London, England, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It lies to the immediate south of Canary Wharf and Limehouse, north of Greenwich and Deptford, east ...
. Despite the rejection, Millwall stated they were still interested in signing Hanson, and Bradford City turned down a second bid a few weeks later. Bradford City delayed any possible transfer while they searched for a replacement, although Hanson later stated he wished to remain at the club. Hanson credited manager Phil Parkinson with persuading him to stay at the club.


2015–16 season

At the start of the 2015–16 season, Hanson discussed his striker partnership with new summer signing
Devante Cole Devante Lavon Andrew Dewar-Cole (born 10 May 1995) is an English professional footballer who plays as a striker for EFL League One club Barnsley. Early and personal life Cole was born in Alderley Edge on 10 May 1995. His father is the former M ...
. He was dropped from the starting XI in October 2015, following a poor performance in a previous game, having played every game up to that point of the season. After an injury to his replacement Steve Davies, Hanson returned to the first-team later that month, scoring in his first game back in the starting XI. In November 2015 he suffered an ankle ligaments injury in an FA Cup game. On 13 February 2016 he made his 300th appearance for the club, scoring two goals in the process. On 23 April 2016 he scored a hat-trick as City beat promotion rivals Walsall 4–0; it was his first professional hat-trick, having previously not started a game since 5 March.


2016–17 season

After playing in the first two games of the 2016–17 season, Hanson missed over a month of play due to a calf problem. He scored his first goal of the season in a 3–2 victory against AFC Wimbledon on 29 October, scoring twice.


Sheffield United

On 21 January 2017
Sheffield United Sheffield United Football Club is a professional football club in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . They are nicknamed "the Blades" due to Sheffield's history of cutlery production. The team have played home games at ...
made an offer for Hanson. The transfer was completed on 24 January 2017. He stated that he was looking forward to playing against his old club. He scored on his debut in a 4–0 win over
AFC Wimbledon AFC Wimbledon is an English professional Association football, football club, based in London Borough of Merton, Merton, London, that plays in the EFL League Two, after being relegated from the EFL League One following the 2021–22 EFL Leagu ...
on 4 February 2017. In August 2017 and November 2017 he was linked with a return to Bradford City, although the club's manager
Stuart McCall Andrew Stuart Murray McCall (born 10 June 1964) is a professional football coach and former player. He is assistant manager at Sheffield United. McCall played in a total of 763 league games and in 40 full international matches for Scotla ...
dismissed the rumours. Hanson made his debut in the Championship in November 2017, against Fulham. He moved on loan to
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 January 2018. He was transfer-listed by Sheffield United at the end of the 2017–18 season.


AFC Wimbledon

On 26 June 2018, Hanson left Sheffield United by mutual consent, and joined
AFC Wimbledon AFC Wimbledon is an English professional Association football, football club, based in London Borough of Merton, Merton, London, that plays in the EFL League Two, after being relegated from the EFL League One following the 2021–22 EFL Leagu ...
. Hanson struggled with minor injuries during the 2018–19 season. Wimbledon's last game of the season was away at Hanson's former club Bradford City. In June 2019 he was linked with a possible return to Bradford City, but the link was denied by City manager
Gary Bowyer Gary David Bowyer (born 22 June 1971) is an English professional football coach and former player who is the manager of Scottish club Dundee. As a player, he made 52 league appearances for Hereford United, Nottingham Forest and Rotherham Uni ...
.


Grimsby Town

In June 2019 he signed for
Grimsby Town Grimsby Town Football Club is a professional football club based in Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire, England, that in the 2022–23 season will compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system, following the victory in ...
, on a two-year contract. He scored 5 goals and made 3 assists in August 2019, which saw him awarded the
EFL League Two Player of the Month The EFL League Two Player of the Month is an association football award that recognises the player adjudged the best for each month of the season in EFL League Two, the fourth tier of English football. Originally named the Football League Two Pl ...
for the month. On 12 May 2021 it was announced that he would leave Grimsby at the end of the season, following the expiry of his contract.


Non-league

On 13 July 2021, Hanson signed with
National League North The National League North, formerly Conference North, is a division of the National League in England, immediately below the National League division. Along with the National League South, it is at the second level of the National League Sy ...
side Farsley Celtic, having rejected interest from a number of League Two and National League clubs, to return to part-time football. On 14 January 2022, Hanson signed for
Boston United Boston United Football Club is a semi-professional association football club based in Boston, Lincolnshire, England. The club participates in the National League North, at the sixth tier of the English football league system. The club is known ...
until end of the 2021–22 season. He was not retained at the end of the season. On 12 June 2022, Hanson signed for
Worksop Town Worksop Town Football Club is an English football club based in Worksop, Nottinghamshire. As of the 2021–22 season the team plays in the . They are nicknamed ''The Tigers'' and play their home games at Sandy Lane in Worksop. History First clu ...
ahead of the 2022–23 season.


Coaching career

Hanson began coaching at the RIASA Academy in September 2021.


Personal life

Hanson attended
Beckfoot School Beckfoot School is a coeducational secondary school and sixth form with academy status, in Bingley, West Yorkshire, England. The school has previously gained Technology College status, specialist school status in the Arts, Artsmark Gold and ...
in
Bingley Bingley is a market town and civil parish in the metropolitan borough of the City of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, on the River Aire and the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, which had a population of 18,294 at the 2011 Census. Bingley railwa ...
from 1999 to 2004. Hanson and his girlfriend Jodie had their first child, a daughter named Lexie, in November 2012. Lexie was blessed the day after her father scored in the League Two Playoff Final at Wembley. Jodie is a teacher who remained in the north when Hanson moved to London to play for Wimbledon.


Career statistics


Honours

Guiseley *
Northern Premier League Chairman's Cup The Northern Premier League is an English football league that was founded in 1968. It has four divisions: the Premier Division (which stands at level 7 of the English football league system), Division One East, Division One West and Division ...
: 2006–07 *
Northern Premier League Challenge Cup The Northern Premier League is an English football league that was founded in 1968. It has four divisions: the Premier Division (which stands at level 7 of the English football league system), Division One East, Division One West and Division ...
: 2008–09 Bradford City *
Football League Two play-offs The EFL League Two play-offs are a series of play-off matches contested by the association football teams finishing from fourth to seventh in EFL League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. They are part of the annual Engli ...
:
2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...
*
Football League Cup The EFL Cup (referred to historically, and colloquially, as the League Cup), currently known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual knockout competition and major trophy in men's domestic football in England. Organised by the ...
runner-up:
2012–13 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...
Sheffield United *
EFL League One The English Football League One (often referred to as League One for short or Sky Bet League One for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League One from 2004 until 2016) is the second-highest division of the English Football Leag ...
: 2016–17 Individual *
EFL League Two Player of the Month The EFL League Two Player of the Month is an association football award that recognises the player adjudged the best for each month of the season in EFL League Two, the fourth tier of English football. Originally named the Football League Two Pl ...
: August 2019.


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hanson, James 1987 births Living people Footballers from Bradford English men's footballers Men's association football forwards Huddersfield Town A.F.C. players Bradford City A.F.C. players Eccleshill United F.C. players Guiseley A.F.C. players Sheffield United F.C. players Bury F.C. players AFC Wimbledon players Grimsby Town F.C. players Farsley Celtic F.C. players Boston United F.C. players Worksop Town F.C. players Northern Premier League players English Football League players Association football coaches