Gordon Hodgson
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Gordon Hodgson (16 April 1904 – 14 June 1951) was a professional sportsman, born in Transvaal Colony, who is best known as a striker for
Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
and as a
fast bowler Fast bowling (also referred to as pace bowling) is one of two main approaches to bowling in the sport of cricket, the other being spin bowling. Practitioners of pace bowling are usually known as ''fast'' bowlers, ''quicks'', or ''pacemen''. T ...
for
Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...
. He won two international
caps Caps are flat headgear. Caps or CAPS may also refer to: Science and technology Computing * CESG Assisted Products Service, provided by the U.K. Government Communications Headquarters * Composite Application Platform Suite, by Java Caps, a Java ...
for
South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
and three 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 ...
. Hodgson signed for
Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
on 14 December 1925, going on to score 241 goals in 377 appearances for the
Anfield Anfield is a football stadium in Anfield, Liverpool, Merseyside, England, which has a seating capacity of 53,394, making it the seventh largest football stadium in England. It has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since their formation in 1892. ...
club. He transferred to
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 ...
on 8 January 1936 and scored 11 goals in 28 appearances for the Villans, before joining
Leeds United Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire in England. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of England's football league system, and plays its home matches at Elland Road S ...
in March 1937, scoring 53 goals in 85 appearances for the
Elland Road Elland Road is a football stadium in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, which has been the home of Premier League club Leeds United since the club's formation in 1919. The stadium is the 14th largest football stadium in England. The g ...
club. In total Hodgson scored 305 goals in 490 appearances for his three English clubs, 295 of which came in 467 games in 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 ...
with the other ten coming in the
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 ...
from 23 appearances. He was appointed
Port Vale Port Vale Football Club are a professional football club based in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, England, which compete in . Vale are the only English Football League club not to be named after a place; their name being a reference to the valley o ...
manager in 1946, a position he would hold until his death in 1951.


Football career


Club career


Liverpool

A burly six-footer from South Africa, Hodgson had a reputation early in his career as an unselfish
forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People * Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Sm ...
who excelled in link-up play but that didn't stop him going on to become one of
Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
and indeed 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 ...
's greatest-ever goalscorers. Not averse to charging through defenders if other avenues to goal were barred, although he was capable of subtlety when the situation demanded it, Hodgson was exceptionally strong on the ball and possessed a terrific shot with either foot, which allied to his height, heading ability, pace, close-control, enthusiasm and a noted talent for shooting when going at top-speed made him a real force in attack. Only
Roger Hunt Roger Hunt (20 July 1938 – 27 September 2021) was an English professional footballer who played as a forward. Eleven years with Liverpool, he was the club's record goalscorer with 286 goals until being overtaken by Ian Rush. Nonetheless, ...
(244) has scored more league goals for Liverpool but all of Hodgson's 233 league strikes came in the top-flight from 358 appearances, a fantastic goals-per-game ratio. In total Hodgson scored 295 goals in 467 games in the Football League, 288 of which came in the top-flight from 454 appearances, leaving him fourth in the all-time list of top-flight goalscorers in English football with only
Jimmy Greaves James Peter Greaves (20 February 1940 – 19 September 2021) was an English professional footballer who played as a forward. Greaves is regarded as one of England’s best ever players. He is England's fifth-highest international goalscorer ...
(357),
Steve Bloomer Stephen Bloomer (20 January 1874 – 16 April 1938) was an England international footballer and manager who played for Derby County – becoming their record goalscorer – and Middlesbrough. The anthem " Steve Bloomer's Watchin'" is played at ...
(317) and
Dixie Dean William Ralph "Dixie" Dean (22 January 1907 – 1 March 1980) was an English footballer who played as a centre forward. He is regarded as one of the greatest centre-forwards of all time and was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame in ...
(310) having scored more. Hodgson first came to Liverpool's attention in 1924 as one of the youngest members of the touring South African national team, who on 1 October beat Liverpool 5–2 at
Anfield Anfield is a football stadium in Anfield, Liverpool, Merseyside, England, which has a seating capacity of 53,394, making it the seventh largest football stadium in England. It has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since their formation in 1892. ...
. He joined Liverpool a year later on 14 December 1925, making his debut in a 1–1 draw against
Manchester City Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The tw ...
at
Maine Road Maine Road was a football stadium in Moss Side, Manchester, England, that was home to Manchester City F.C. from 1923 to 2003. It hosted FA Cup semi-finals, the Charity Shield, a League Cup final and England matches. Maine Road's highest atte ...
on 27 February 1926. He opened his goal scoring account eleven days later when he scored twice in a 3–3 draw against
Manchester United Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...
at
Old Trafford Old Trafford () is a football stadium in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, and the home of Manchester United. With a capacity of 74,310 it is the largest club football stadium (and second-largest football stadium overall after Wemb ...
on 10 March 1926. He scored the first of a still club record 17
hat-trick A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three. Origin The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three wic ...
s for Liverpool in a 5–1 win against
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 ...
at Anfield on 11 September 1926 in his seventeenth game. During his Anfield career Hodgson missed very few games in league or cup and scored prolifically throughout; therefore, it was a shame that his career coincided with a barren period for the club because his contribution to the Liverpool cause was massive. The 36 league goals Hodgson scored during the 1930–31 season beat
Sam Raybould Samuel Francis Raybould (11 June 1875 – 1949) was an English professional footballer. He played as a striker and is most renowned for his days playing for Liverpool. Life and playing career Raybould was born in Staveley, Derbyshire and playe ...
's total of 31 scored in 1902–03 and set a new club record that would last for more than thirty years, until it was beaten by Roger Hunt in 1961–62. Hodgson scored three hat-tricks that season at Anfield but perhaps it was the four goals he scored in an away match at Hillsborough that gave him the most satisfaction of all. He was top scorer in seven out of the nine full seasons he played for Liverpool. On completion of his ten years service he was honoured by the club with a benefit sum of £650. His popularity prompted an ingenious biscuit seller to name the home-made ginger nuts, that he sold in a quantity of five for a penny on matchdays at Anfield, in his honour: "Hodgson's Choice! Hodgson's Choice!" he would call. The 1935–36 season proved to be Hodgson's last at Anfield; his nine goals in 17 league appearances was yet again a decent return, but on 8 January 1936 he was allowed to move to
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 ...
for £4,000. In total Hodgson scored 241 goals in 377 appearances for Liverpool in all competitions, earning him a place in the Liverpool FC Hall of Fame and leaving him third in the all-time list of leading goalscorers for the Anfield club with only
Ian Rush Ian James Rush (born 20 October 1961) is a Welsh former professional footballer who played as a forward. At club level Rush played for Liverpool from 1980–1987 and 1988–1996. He is the club's all-time leading goalscorer, having scored a to ...
(346) and Roger Hunt (285) having scored more.


Aston Villa

Hodgson made his debut for Aston Villa in a 3–0 defeat against
Preston North End Preston North End Football Club, commonly referred to as Preston, North End or PNE, is a professional football club in Preston, Lancashire, England, who currently play in the EFL Championship, the second tier of the English football league syste ...
at
Deepdale Deepdale is a football stadium in the Deepdale area of Preston, England, the home of Preston North End. Deepdale is "widely recognised as being the oldest 'continuously used' football stadium in the world, though this is contested". History ...
on 18 January 1936. His first goal for Villa came in a 4–3 defeat against
Bolton Wanderers Bolton Wanderers Football Club () is a professional football club based in Horwich, Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in . The club played at Burnden Park for 102 years from 1895 after moving from their original home at Pike's ...
at
Burnden Park Burnden Park was the home of English football club Bolton Wanderers who played home games there between 1895 and 1997. As well as hosting the 1901 FA Cup Final replay, it was the scene in 1946 of one of the greatest disasters in English footba ...
on 15 February 1936. He was relegated with Aston Villa at the end of the 1935–36 season, his four goals in 15 league appearances not enough to help them beat the drop. His stay with Villa in 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 ...
was a short one. He left for
Leeds United Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire in England. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of England's football league system, and plays its home matches at Elland Road S ...
for £1,500 on 2 March 1937, after scoring seven goals in 13 appearances for Villa in the Second Division, including a hat-trick in a 5–1 win against
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 ...
at
Villa Park Villa Park is a football stadium in Aston, Birmingham, England, with a seating capacity of 42,682. It has been the home of Premier League side Aston Villa since 1897. The ground is less than a mile from both Witton and Aston railway stations ...
on 14 September 1936. In total Hodgson scored 11 goals in 28 appearances for Villa, all of which were in the league.


Leeds United

At Leeds United Hodgson showed that he still had what it took to score goals at the top level, scoring 6 goals in 13 league appearances in the second half of the 1936–37 season, including a goal on his debut in a 7–1 defeat against his old Merseyside rivals Everton 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 3 March 1937. Despite that defeat Hodgson's goals still proved enough to help Leeds avoid relegation. The following season, 1937–38, Leeds secured a top half finish thanks in no small part to Hodgson who scored 26 goals in 38 appearances in all competitions, including all four Leeds goals in a 4–4 draw against Everton at
Elland Road Elland Road is a football stadium in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, which has been the home of Premier League club Leeds United since the club's formation in 1919. The stadium is the 14th largest football stadium in England. The g ...
on 26 February 1938. His form was all the more remarkable considering the strain he'd been playing under as a result of the illness and subsequent death of his wife on 8 March 1938, leaving him a widower with two children. Hodgson continued to show admirable professionalism and was as prolific as ever during the 1938–39 season, scoring 21 goals in 34 appearances in all competitions, including a still Leeds club record five goals in their 8–2 thrashing of
Leicester City Leicester ( ) is a city, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands. The city lies on the River Soar and close to the eastern end of the National ...
at Elland Road on 1 October 1938. In total Hodgson scored 53 goals in 85 appearances for Leeds in all competitions, not including one appearance in the 1939–40 season which was abandoned after three games due to the outbreak of
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. He was top scorer for Leeds in both of his two full seasons at Elland Road. During the war Hodgson worked in a munitions factory whilst continuing to turn out for Leeds until 1941, making 34 war-time appearances for the Elland Road club, scoring 14 goals. He also guested for
Hartlepools United Hartlepool United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Hartlepool, County Durham, England. The team competes in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. They were founded in 1908 as Har ...
(one appearance, 1939–40) and
York City York City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of York, North Yorkshire, England. As of the 2022–23 season, the team compete in the National League, at the fifth tier of the English football league sys ...
(five appearances, two goals, 1939–40). After hanging up his boots he helped to coach the youth players at Leeds from 1942 to October 1946.Matthews, Tony (2006). Who's Who Of Liverpool. Mainstream Publishing. p.115.


International career

Hodgson played twice at full international level for his native
South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
, making his debut in a 2–1 win in a friendly 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 ...
at
Solitude Solitude is a state of seclusion or isolation, meaning lack of socialisation. Effects can be either positive or negative, depending on the situation. Short-term solitude is often valued as a time when one may work, think, or rest without distu ...
,
Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...
on 24 September 1924, in what was also South Africa's first ever full international match. His second and final international appearance for South Africa came against the
Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
in a 2–1 defeat in a friendly at het Nederlandsche Sportpark (het Oude Stadion),
Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...
on 2 November 1924. He also played and scored in a number of unofficial international matches for South Africa against British, Dutch, and Irish club sides during a 1924 tour, including appearances against
Wimbledon Wimbledon most often refers to: * Wimbledon, London, a district of southwest London * Wimbledon Championships, the oldest tennis tournament in the world and one of the four Grand Slam championships Wimbledon may also refer to: Places London * ...
and
Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
; which is where they first noticed his talent and subsequently signed him the following year. Hodgson was also
capped In sport, a cap is a player's appearance in a game at international level. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of rugby football and association football. In the ea ...
three times at full international level by
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 ...
, making his debut against Ireland, in a 5–1 win in a
British Home Championship The British Home Championship * sco, Hame Internaitional Kemp * gd, Farpais lìg eadar-nàiseanta * cy, Pencampwriaeth y Pedair Gwlad, name=lang (historically known as the British International Championship or simply the International Champio ...
, match at
Bramall Lane Bramall Lane is a association football, football stadium in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, which is the home of Sheffield United F.C., Sheffield United. The stadium was originally a cricket ground, built on a road named after the Bramal ...
,
Sheffield Sheffield is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is Historic counties o ...
on 20 October 1930. His only goal for England came in his second appearance in a 4–0 win against
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 ...
in a British Home Championship match at the
Racecourse Ground The Racecourse Ground ( cy, Y Cae Ras) is a football stadium in Wrexham, Wales. It is the home of Wrexham A.F.C. It is the world's oldest international football stadium that still hosts international matches, having hosted Wales' first home i ...
,
Wrexham Wrexham ( ; cy, Wrecsam; ) is a city and the administrative centre of Wrexham County Borough in Wales. It is located between the Welsh mountains and the lower Dee Valley, near the border with Cheshire in England. Historically in the count ...
on 22 November 1930. Hodgson's third and final international appearance for England came against
Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
in a 2–0 defeat in a British Home Championship match at
Hampden Park Hampden Park (Scottish Gaelic: ''Pàirc Hampden''), often referred to as Hampden, is a football stadium in the Mount Florida area of Glasgow, Scotland. The -capacity venue serves as the national stadium of football in Scotland. It is the no ...
,
Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
on 28 March 1931. He also represented England against the Rest in a 3–2 win in an international trial match at
Highbury Highbury is a district in North London and part of the London Borough of Islington in Greater London that was owned by Ranulf brother of Ilger and included all the areas north and east of Canonbury and Holloway Roads. The manor house was situ ...
,
London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
on 4 March 1931 and 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 ...
against the
Scottish League The Scottish Football League (SFL) was a league featuring professional and semi-professional football clubs mostly from Scotland.One club, Berwick Rangers, is based in the town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, which is located approximately 4 km sout ...
, scoring once in a 7–3 win in an Inter-League match at
White Hart Lane White Hart Lane was a Association football, football stadium in Tottenham, North London and the home of Tottenham Hotspur F.C., Tottenham Hotspur Football Club from 1899 to 2017. Its capacity varied over the years; when changed to all-seater i ...
, London on 5 November 1930.


Cricket career

As well as being an outstanding
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 ...
Hodgson was also a talented
cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...
er. He once took all 10 wickets in an innings for just 13 runs in an amateur match against Liverpool Police.Anderson, Jeff; Done, Stephen (2003).The Official Liverpool FC Illustrated Encyclopedia. Carlton Books. p.100. . Seeing his obvious potential,
Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...
soon signed him up to play for them. An extremely quick right-arm
fast bowler Fast bowling (also referred to as pace bowling) is one of two main approaches to bowling in the sport of cricket, the other being spin bowling. Practitioners of pace bowling are usually known as ''fast'' bowlers, ''quicks'', or ''pacemen''. T ...
and hard hitting lower order right-hand batsman, Hodgson played 56 first-class matches for the Red Rose county, from 1928 to 1933, scoring 244 runs at an average of 6.97 and taking 148 wickets at an average of 27.75. He also took 38 catches. His highest score in
first-class cricket First-class cricket, along with List A cricket and Twenty20 cricket, is one of the highest-standard forms of cricket. A first-class match is one of three or more days' scheduled duration between two sides of eleven players each and is officiall ...
was 20 for Lancashire against
India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
at
Aigburth Aigburth () is a suburb of Liverpool, England. Located to the south of the city, it is bordered by Dingle, Garston, Mossley Hill, and Toxteth. Etymology The name Aigburth comes from Old Norse ''eik'' and ''berg'', meaning ''oak-tree hill''. T ...
in 1932. His best bowling figures in first-class cricket were 6–77 for Lancashire against
Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, historic county in South East England, southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the Ceremonial counties of ...
at
Lord's Lord's Cricket Ground, commonly known as Lord's, is a cricket venue in St John's Wood, London. Named after its founder, Thomas Lord, it is owned by Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) and is the home of Middlesex County Cricket Club, the England and ...
in 1932. Hodgson twice helped Lancashire to win the
County Championship The County Championship (referred to as the LV= Insurance County Championship for sponsorship reasons) is the domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales and is organised by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). It bec ...
, in 1928 and 1930, although his football career clearly took priority, as he didn't play a single game of cricket in April or September (and only one Second XI match in August) throughout his time at
Old Trafford Old Trafford () is a football stadium in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, and the home of Manchester United. With a capacity of 74,310 it is the largest club football stadium (and second-largest football stadium overall after Wemb ...
.


Football management career

After the war Hodgson went into management, taking over the reins at
Third Division South The Third Division South of The Football League was a tier in the English football league system from 1921 to 1958. It ran in parallel with the Third Division North with clubs elected to the League or relegated from Division Two allocated to ...
outfit
Port Vale Port Vale Football Club are a professional football club based in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, England, which compete in . Vale are the only English Football League club not to be named after a place; their name being a reference to the valley o ...
in October 1946. He was manager when the Valiants moved from
the Old Recreation Ground The Old Recreation Ground was a football stadium located in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, England, and home to Port Vale F.C. from 1913 to 1950. It was the sixth ground the club used. Structure and facilities The stadium was in rather bad conditio ...
to their new home of
Vale Park Vale Park is a football stadium in Stoke-on-Trent, England. It has been the home ground of Port Vale F.C. since 1950. The ground has seen its capacity go up and down, its peak being 42,000 in 1954 against Blackpool, although a club record 49, ...
in 1950. Unfortunately most of the money the club raised went towards the new ground, leaving Hodgson unable to spend money in the transfer market.''What If There Had Been No Port In The Vale?: Startling Port Vale Stories!'' (Witan Books, 2011, ) This included the £12,000 he got for right-half
Bill McGarry William Harry McGarry (10 June 1927 – 15 March 2005) was an England international association footballer and manager who spent 40 years in the professional game. He had a reputation for toughness, both as a player and as a manager. A right- ...
, and the £20,000 he got from the sale of striker
Ronnie Allen Ronald Allen (15 January 1929 – 9 June 2001) was an English international football player and manager. He was a professional footballer for nineteen years, between 1946 and 1964, making 638 appearances in the Football League, and scoring 2 ...
. Hodgson managed Port Vale in 222 matches, winning 84, drawing 54 and losing 84. He was greatly respected both for his pre-war sporting career and also for encouraging young footballers in
North Staffordshire The federation of Stoke-on-Trent was the 1910 amalgamation of the six Staffordshire Potteries towns of Burslem, Tunstall, Stoke-upon-Trent, Hanley, Fenton and Longton into the single county borough of Stoke-on-Trent. An anomaly in the history ...
. He had a reputation for having the ability to spot talented players and was not afraid to blood them in the league, and was also a good motivator. Following the resignation of
Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
manager
George Kay George Kay (21 September 1891 – 18 April 1954) was an English football player and manager of Luton Town, Southampton and Liverpool. The highlight of his playing career was when he captained West Ham United in the first FA Cup final to be play ...
in January 1951 due to health reasons, Hodgson was among the hopefuls who were interviewed for the manager's job at
Anfield Anfield is a football stadium in Anfield, Liverpool, Merseyside, England, which has a seating capacity of 53,394, making it the seventh largest football stadium in England. It has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since their formation in 1892. ...
.
Don Welsh Donald Welsh (25 February 1911 – 2 February 1990) was an English football player and manager. As a player, he played at inside left for Charlton Athletic and for England, winning the FA Cup with Charlton in 1946–47. Playing career Welsh ...
was eventually appointed, while Hodgson was admitted to hospital a couple of months later but his "throat complaint" was deemed inoperable. He returned to his home in Burslem after a month in hospital and a few days later, with a promising managerial career still in its infancy, he died of cancer on 14 June 1951, at the age of just 47. Port Vale legend
Roy Sproson Roy Sproson (23 September 1930 – 24 January 1997) was an English footballer and football manager for Port Vale. A one-club man, he holds the all-time appearance record for Vale, making 837 starts (and 5 substitute appearances) for Vale ...
had Hodgson as his first boss: "Gordon Hodgson was a fair chap. He would give you a rollicking one minute and then it would be forgotten. Everybody liked him and his loss was so sad." His benefit match was held against Port Vale's local rivals
Stoke City Stoke City Football Club is a professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England, which competes in the . Founded as Stoke Ramblers in 1863, it changed its name to Stoke in 1878 and then to Stoke City in 1925 after Stoke ...
on 1 October 1951, Vale lost the game 2–1. £383 was raised for his dependants.


Career statistics


Club


International


Managerial


See also

*
List of English football first tier top scorers The top tier in English football today is the Premier League, replacing the Football League Division 1 for the 1992-1993 inaugural season. Since the 1888-89 season, the first year of top flight football, 109 different individual players have be ...
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List of England international footballers born outside England This is a list of England international footballers who were born outside England. For the purposes of international football the football world governing body, FIFA, considers England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to be distinct and indiv ...
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List of English cricket and football players This is a list of sportspeople who have played both first-class cricket and top level football in England. The list includes thirteen sportspeople who are dual internationals, having represented England's national team at both sports. Footballer ...


References


External links


Liverpool FC - Player Profile


{{DEFAULTSORT:Hodgson, Gordon 1904 births 1951 deaths Sportspeople from Johannesburg English cricketers Lancashire cricketers English footballers England international footballers Dual internationalists (football) White South African people South African soccer players South Africa international soccer players Association football forwards Aston Villa F.C. players York City F.C. wartime guest players Leeds United F.C. players Liverpool F.C. players English Football League players English Football League representative players English football managers Port Vale F.C. managers English Football League managers Association football coaches Leeds United F.C. non-playing staff Deaths from cancer in England South African emigrants to the United Kingdom