Alf Hanson
Encyclopedia
Adolph Jonathan "Alf" Hanson (born Adolf Hansen, 27 July 1912, died October 1993), son of a Norwegian mariner, was a football
player for Liverpool
and Chelsea
, South Liverpool
, Shelbourne
, Ellesmere Port Town
and Tranmere Rovers
.
, Sefton, Merseyside
, England
, Hanson played for Bootle
before he signed for George Patterson
's Liverpool in November 1931, he didn't make his debut until the 21 January 1933 in a 1st Division
match at Villa Park, in wasn't the most auspicious of debut's for Hanson as Liverpool were humbled by a 5-2 scoreline, Alf scored his first goal 11 days later in his second appearance in a red shirt, the date was the 1 February and it was in a league game at Anfield
, Middlesbrough
were the visitors and took the spoils with a 3–1 victory.
Hanson took his time making a name for himself at Liverpool but eventually broke into the first team, it took him just 4 games to forever cement his name into Anfield folklore, he scored his first hat-trick, however, it was the opponents for the day that were the reason for his fame, they were derby
rivals Everton
, the whole game was one to remember for the red half of Liverpool
as the Reds won the game 7-4, it was all the more bitter for Everton who had given Alf an outing in an A team fixture but never took up the option of signing him.
Hanson, a ship's plumber by trade, knew where the goal was, considering he was an Outside Left, scoring a goal every 3.4 matches, not bad when a Striker
is happy if he can score 1 in every 3. He eventually ended up with 52 in 177 appearances in the famous red shirt. Although Alf had an eye for goal he's main talent was the ability to send over pinpoint crosses for one of Liverpool's famous centre forward's Gordon Hodgson
.
Alf's brother Stan was the goalkeeper for Bolton
when the two sides met at Anfield on the 23 April 1938, the two brothers were made their teams respective captain
's with Alf coming out on top in a 2-1 victory for Liverpool
with goals in the fourth and seventh minutes from Jack Balmer
and Phil Taylor respectively.
A columnist from the famous Liverpool Echo
newspaper once wrote of Hanson "A slip of a lad he was not entirely a one-footed player but it was that left boot which put fear into the hearts of goalkeepers when they saw Alf prancing down the wing."
Alf left Liverpool in the summer of 1938 for the sum of £7,500 although he did 'guest' for Liverpool again in a wartime match. Other clubs he guested for during World War II
included Wrexham
, Chester
, Manchester City
, Bolton Wanderers
, Crewe Alexandra
, Rochdale
, Tranmere Rovers
and Southport
. Hanson eventually entered into managerment taking on the role of Player/Manager for South Liverpool, Shelbourne and Ellemere Port Town.
Alf's only England
appearance came in a wartime international on the 8 February 1941 against Scotland
whilst he was contracted to Chelsea, the game was at St James Park
and ended in a 3–2 win to the Scots, Hanson did, however, play regularly for the England's Baseball
team.
Alf Hanson died in 1993 aged 81.
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
player for Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
and Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
, South Liverpool
South Liverpool F.C.
South Liverpool F.C. are a football club from Liverpool, England. They are currently in the West Cheshire Amateur Football League and play their home matches at Jericho Lane. The club's colours are white shirts, black shorts and red socks.-First incarnation:...
, Shelbourne
Shelbourne F.C.
Shelbourne Football Club is an Irish professional football club based in the Drumcondra area of Dublin, currently playing in the League of Ireland Premier Division....
, Ellesmere Port Town
Ellesmere Port Town F.C.
Ellesmere Port Town F.C. were an English football club from the town of Ellesmere Port, The Wirral.-History:The club was originally formed in 1924 as Ellesmere Port F.C. and joined the Cheshire County League. After three season, in which they finished bottom twice, the club folded. They reformed as...
and Tranmere Rovers
Tranmere Rovers F.C.
Tranmere Rovers Football Club are an English team based in Birkenhead, Wirral. The club currently compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system...
.
Life and playing career
Born BootleBootle
Bootle is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England, and a 'Post town' in the L postcode area. Formally known as Bootle-cum-Linacre, the town is 4 miles to the north of Liverpool city centre, and has a total resident population of 77,640.Historically part of...
, Sefton, Merseyside
Merseyside
Merseyside is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 1,365,900. It encompasses the metropolitan area centred on both banks of the lower reaches of the Mersey Estuary, and comprises five metropolitan boroughs: Knowsley, St Helens, Sefton, Wirral, and the city of Liverpool...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, Hanson played for Bootle
Bootle F.C.
Bootle Football Club is an English football club based in Bootle, Merseyside. The club are currently members of the North West Counties League Premier Division and play at New Bucks Park.-Previous clubs in Bootle:...
before he signed for George Patterson
George Patterson (football)
George Patterson was a football manager and secretary who was involved with Liverpool F.C. for much of the first half of the 20th century. After a playing career spent mostly with Marine F.C., Patterson joined Liverpool in 1908, as assistant to Tom Watson. After a spell as club secretary, he was...
's Liverpool in November 1931, he didn't make his debut until the 21 January 1933 in a 1st Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
match at Villa Park, in wasn't the most auspicious of debut's for Hanson as Liverpool were humbled by a 5-2 scoreline, Alf scored his first goal 11 days later in his second appearance in a red shirt, the date was the 1 February and it was in a league game at Anfield
Anfield
Anfield is an association football stadium in the district of Anfield, Liverpool, England, with a seating capacity of 45,522. It has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since their formation in 1892 and was originally the home of Everton F.C. from 1884 to 1892, before they moved to Goodison Park...
, Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough F.C.
Middlesbrough Football Club , also known as Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Football League Championship. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August 1995, their third ground since turning professional in 1889...
were the visitors and took the spoils with a 3–1 victory.
Hanson took his time making a name for himself at Liverpool but eventually broke into the first team, it took him just 4 games to forever cement his name into Anfield folklore, he scored his first hat-trick, however, it was the opponents for the day that were the reason for his fame, they were derby
Merseyside derby
The Merseyside derby is the name given to any football match contested between Everton and Liverpool football clubs, the two most successful clubs from the city of Liverpool in England...
rivals Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
, the whole game was one to remember for the red half of Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
as the Reds won the game 7-4, it was all the more bitter for Everton who had given Alf an outing in an A team fixture but never took up the option of signing him.
Hanson, a ship's plumber by trade, knew where the goal was, considering he was an Outside Left, scoring a goal every 3.4 matches, not bad when a Striker
Striker
Forwards, also known as strikers, are the players on a team in association football who play nearest to the opposing team's goal, and are therefore principally responsible for scoring goals...
is happy if he can score 1 in every 3. He eventually ended up with 52 in 177 appearances in the famous red shirt. Although Alf had an eye for goal he's main talent was the ability to send over pinpoint crosses for one of Liverpool's famous centre forward's Gordon Hodgson
Gordon Hodgson
Gordon Hodgson was a South African-born English sportsman, being best known for as a striker for Liverpool and also a first-class cricketer for Lancashire, he also excelled at baseball....
.
Alf's brother Stan was the goalkeeper for Bolton
Bolton Wanderers F.C.
Bolton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the area of Horwich in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester. They began their current spell in the Premier League in 2001....
when the two sides met at Anfield on the 23 April 1938, the two brothers were made their teams respective captain
Captain (sports)
In team sports, a captain is a title given to a member of the team. The title is frequently honorary, but in some cases the captain may have significant responsibility for strategy and teamwork while the game is in progress on the field...
's with Alf coming out on top in a 2-1 victory for Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
with goals in the fourth and seventh minutes from Jack Balmer
Jack Balmer
Jack Balmer was a footballer who played Centre Forward, for Liverpool Football Club.-Life and playing career:...
and Phil Taylor respectively.
A columnist from the famous Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
The Liverpool Echo is a newspaper published by Trinity Mirror in Liverpool, Merseyside, England. It is published Monday to Saturday, and is Liverpool's evening newspaper while its sister paper, the Liverpool Daily Post, is the morning paper...
newspaper once wrote of Hanson "A slip of a lad he was not entirely a one-footed player but it was that left boot which put fear into the hearts of goalkeepers when they saw Alf prancing down the wing."
Alf left Liverpool in the summer of 1938 for the sum of £7,500 although he did 'guest' for Liverpool again in a wartime match. Other clubs he guested for during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
included Wrexham
Wrexham A.F.C.
Wrexham Football Club are a professional football team based in Wrexham, north-east Wales, who play in the English football pyramid.Founded in 1872, they are one of the oldest surviving football clubs in Britain and the oldest professional club in Wales...
, Chester
Chester City F.C.
Chester City Football Club was an English football team from Chester. The club was founded as Chester F.C., and joined the Football League in 1931, spending most of their time in the lower divisions. They changed their name to Chester City in 1983. Chester won their first league title in 2004, the...
, Manchester City
Manchester City F.C.
Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...
, Bolton Wanderers
Bolton Wanderers F.C.
Bolton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the area of Horwich in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester. They began their current spell in the Premier League in 2001....
, Crewe Alexandra
Crewe Alexandra F.C.
Crewe Alexandra Football Club is an English professional football club based in Crewe, Cheshire. Nicknamed The Railwaymen due to the town's links with the rail industry, they currently play in Football League Two, the fourth tier of English football, and are based at the Alexandra Stadium.The club...
, Rochdale
Rochdale A.F.C.
Rochdale Association Football Club is an English professional football club based in Rochdale, Greater Manchester. They play their home matches at Spotland Stadium. Formed in 1907, they were accepted into the Football League in 1921...
, Tranmere Rovers
Tranmere Rovers F.C.
Tranmere Rovers Football Club are an English team based in Birkenhead, Wirral. The club currently compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system...
and Southport
Southport F.C.
Southport Football Club are an English football club, based in Southport, Merseyside. They are currently in the Conference National, and play their home matches at Haig Avenue, which has a capacity of 6,008...
. Hanson eventually entered into managerment taking on the role of Player/Manager for South Liverpool, Shelbourne and Ellemere Port Town.
Alf's only England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
appearance came in a wartime international on the 8 February 1941 against Scotland
Scotland national football team
The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...
whilst he was contracted to Chelsea, the game was at St James Park
St James Park
St James Park is a football stadium in Exeter and is the home of Exeter City F.C. The stadium is served by the St James Park railway station which is right next to the ground...
and ended in a 3–2 win to the Scots, Hanson did, however, play regularly for the England's Baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
team.
Alf Hanson died in 1993 aged 81.
Career details
- Liverpool F.C (1931–1938) - 177 appearances, 50 goals
- Chelsea F.C (1938–1946) - 45 appearances, 9 goals
- Shelbourne F.C. (1946–1947) - 13 appearances, 12 goals
- England (1941) 1 wartime cap