Alf Hanson

Alf Hanson
Personal information
Date of birth	27 July 1912
Place of birth	Bootle, England
Date of death	October 1993 (age 81)
Place of death	St Helens, Lancashire, England
Position(s)	Outside left
Youth career
	Bootle JOC
Senior career*
Years	Team
1931–1938	Liverpool
1938–1939	Chelsea
1941–1942	Gloucester City
1946–1947	Shelbourne
1947–1948	South Liverpool
1949–1950	Ellesmere Port Town
Managerial career
1946–1947	Shelbourne
1947–1948	South Liverpool
1949–1950	Ellesmere Port Town
	*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Adolph Jonathan "Alf" Hanson (27 July 1912 – October 1993) was a football player for Liverpool, Chelsea, South Liverpool, Shelbourne, Ellesmere Port Town and Tranmere Rovers.

Life and playing career

Born Bootle, Lancashire, Hanson played for Bootle before he signed for George Patterson's Liverpool in November 1931, he did not make his debut until 21 January 1933 in a 1st Division match at Villa Park. Liverpool lost the match 5–2. Hanson scored his first goal 11 days later in his second appearance in a red shirt on 1 February 1933 in a league game at Anfield. Middlesbrough were the visitors and won the match 3–1. Later that season Hanson scored a hat-trick in a 7–4 derby win against rivals Everton.^{[citation needed]}

Hanson, a ship's plumber by trade, eventually ended up with 52 goals in 177 appearances for Liverpool. Although he had an eye for goal his main talent^{[according to whom?]} was the ability to send over pinpoint crosses for one of Liverpool's centre forwards Gordon Hodgson.^{[citation needed]}

Alf Hanson's brother Stan was the goalkeeper for Bolton Wanderers when the two sides met at Anfield on 23 April 1938, the two brothers were made their teams respective captains 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.^{[citation needed]}

A columnist from the 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."^{[citation needed]}

Hanson 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.^[1] Hanson eventually entered into management taking on the role of player/manager for South Liverpool, Shelbourne and Ellemere Port Town.

His one season at Shelbourne he finished as joint top scorer in the League of Ireland.^[2]

Hanson's only England appearance came in a wartime international on 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 Scotland. Hanson did, however, play regularly for the England baseball team.^{[citation needed]}

Alf Hanson died in 1993 aged 81.

Honours

Individual

League of Ireland Top Scorer: 1946–47^[2]

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, 11 goals
England (1941) 1 wartime cap

References

^ Gareth M Davies and Peter Jones (1999). The Racecourse Robins. Davies and Jones. p. 368. ISBN 0-9524950-1-5.
^ ^a ^b "Ireland - List of Topscorers". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 6 April 2012. Retrieved 6 July 2016.

External links

[1] Gareth M Davies and Peter Jones (1999). The Racecourse Robins. Davies and Jones. p. 368. ISBN 0-9524950-1-5.

[rsssftop-2] "Ireland - List of Topscorers". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 6 April 2012. Retrieved 6 July 2016.

[1]

[2]