William Kenneth Hodgkisson (12 March 1933 – 10 May 2018) was 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 played as an

inside 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 ...

. He began his career with

West Bromwich Albion West Bromwich Albion Football Club () is an English professional football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. The club was formed in 1878 and has pla ...

, making his professional debut in 1953 before being sold to

Walsall Walsall (, or ; locally ) is a market town and administrative centre in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands County, England. Historic counties of England, Historically part of Staffordshire, it is located north-west of Birmingham, east ...

in 1956. He went on to make over 350 appearances for the club during an eleven-year spell, winning promotion on two occasions. He later played non-league football with

Worcester City Worcester City Football Club is an English football club based in Worcester, Worcestershire. The club play in the Midland Football League, the ninth tier of English football. Established in 1902, the club play at Claines Lane. Worcester City's ...

and Dudley Town, where he also spent three years as manager.

Career

Born in

West Bromwich West Bromwich ( ) is a market town in the borough of Sandwell, West Midlands, England. Historically part of Staffordshire, it is north-west of Birmingham. West Bromwich is part of the area known as the Black Country, in terms of geography, ...

, Hodgkisson attended George Salter Academy. He began his career with his hometown club

as an amateur, signing his first professional contract in April 1950. He made his senior debut three years later, in April 1953 during a match 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 scored three times in five appearances at the end of the season. However, he struggled to establish himself in the first team, making twenty league appearances during six years at the club. In December 1955, he joined

for a fee of £1,600. He quickly formed a forward partnership with Tony Richards and the pair were instrumental in helping the club win the

Fourth Division Fourth or the fourth may refer to: * the ordinal form of the number 4 * ''Fourth'' (album), by Soft Machine, 1971 * Fourth (angle), an ancient astronomical subdivision * Fourth (music), a musical interval * ''The Fourth'' (1972 film), a Sovie ...

title during the 1959–60 season and achieve a second promotion to 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 ...

the following year. In August 1965, Hodgkisson became the first Walsall player to be used as a substitute when he came on during a match against

Workington Workington is a coastal town and civil parish at the mouth of the River Derwent on the west coast in the Allerdale borough of Cumbria, England. The town was historically in Cumberland. At the 2011 census it had a population of 25,207. Loca ...

. Having made over 350 appearances in all competitions during eleven years, he left the club in 1966 to join

. He joined Dudley Town the following year, taking over as manager of the side in 1968 before leaving in 1971. In 1975, Hodgkisson returned to West Bromwich Albion as a coach. He was appointed youth team manager in 1981, remaining in the role until 1985. He later worked as a scout for

Derby County Derby County Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Derby, Derbyshire, England. In 2022, it was announced that DCFC was acquired by Clowes Developments (UK) Ltd, a Derbyshire-based property group. Founded in 1884 ...

Death

Hodgkisson died on 10 May 2018 at the age of 85 and was survived by a wife and three daughters.

Honours

Walsall *

Football League Fourth Division The Football League Fourth Division was the fourth-highest division in the English football league system from the 1958–59 season until the creation of the Premier League prior to the 1992–93 season. Whilst the division disappeared in name ...

: 1959–60

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hodgkisson, Ken 1933 births 2018 deaths English men's footballers Footballers from West Bromwich Men's association football midfielders English Football League players West Bromwich Albion F.C. players Walsall F.C. players Worcester City F.C. players English football managers West Bromwich Albion F.C. non-playing staff Derby County F.C. non-playing staff