Alan Hodgkinson
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Date of birth | 16 August 1936 | ||
Place of birth |
Laughton Common , England | ||
Date of death | 8 December 2015 | (aged 79)||
Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | ||
Position(s) | Goalkeeper | ||
Youth career | |||
Worksop Town | |||
1953–1954 | Sheffield United | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
1954–1971 | Sheffield United | 576 | (0) |
International career | |||
1957–1960 | England | 5 | (0) |
*Club domestic league appearances and goals |
Alan Hodgkinson MBE (16 August 1936 – 8 December 2015) was an English professional football goalkeeper and goalkeeping coach.
Playing career
Hodgkinson signed for Sheffield United from Worksop Town on 1 August 1953, and made 675 first-team appearances (576 in the league) for the Blades between 1953 and 1971, his first being a friendly game against Clyde on 6 April 1954.
Hodgkinson made his league début in
Hodgkinson was also an England International at full and under-23 levels, making his debut for both during the 1956–57 season. His first full England cap came against Scotland in 1957 and he also played against Denmark, and Republic of Ireland (twice in World Cup qualifying games). He was in England's squad for the 1958 World Cup in Sweden but did not feature in any of their games. Two years after his final cap, he returned to the England squad for the 1962 World Cup in Chile as backup to Ron Springett, but once again was not selected for any of the matches.
Coaching career
Hodgkinson moved on to professional coaching and worked at numerous clubs, including
He is credited as being the world's first full-time goalkeeping coach; goalkeepers were required to train with outfield players before Hodgkinson's arrival into coaching.[3]
Managerial career
Hodgkinson spent six years as assistant manager of
He was appointed
Personal life
Growing up in Laughton Common, Hodgkinson attended Dinnington Secondary Modern School.[6] After retiring, Hodgkinson wrote an autobiography entitled Alan Hodgkinson Between The Sticks, which was released on 9 May 2013.
He died on 8 December 2015 at the age of 79.[7] His funeral service took place on 23 December 2015 in Dunchurch, Warwickshire, where he had lived for the previous 30 years.[8]
References
- ^ a b "Oxford United coach Alan Hodgkinson retires". BBC Sport. 30 August 2012. Retrieved 31 August 2012.
- ^ "Scottish FA pays tribute to Alan Hodgkinson". www.scottishfa.co.uk. Scottish Football Association. 8 December 2015. Retrieved 8 December 2015.
- ^ Ponting, Ivan (12 December 2015). "Alan Hodgkinson: England footballer who set himself up as his sport's first full-time professional goalkeeping coach". Independent. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
- ^ Liptrott, Alan (29 December 2007). "Former Gills Assistant Manager recognised in Queen's New Year Honours List". GillsConnect. Retrieved 2 January 2008. [dead link]
- ^ "No. 58557". The London Gazette (Supplement). 29 December 2007.
- ^ "England Goalkeepers - Alan Hodgkinson". www.englandfootballonline.com. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
- ^ "Sheffield United: Bramall Lane legend passes away". The Star. Archived from the original on 9 December 2015. Retrieved 8 December 2015.
- ^ Turner, Andy (18 December 2015). "Alan Hodgkinson - ultimate pro and a lovely man". CoventryLive. Reach. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
External links
- Alan Hodgkinson profile at goalkeepersaredifferent.com