Players - Alf Hobson

Alf Hobson
Birthdate: 9 September 1913
Birthplace: Leamside, County Durham, England
Date of death: 21 February 2004
Other clubs: Ferryhill Athletic, Shildon Colliery, Chester (1938-46); Southport, Burnley (wartime guest), Liverpool (2), South Liverpool (1946-47)
Signed from: Shildon Colliery / After WWII
Signed for LFC: 09.04.1936 / 1945
Liverpool debut: 29.08.1936
Last appearance: 26.01.1946
Contract expiry: 24.10.1938 / 30.05.1946
Win ratio: 21.43% W:6 D:7 L:15
Wartime games/goals: 172 / 0
League games / goals: 26 / 0
Total games / goals: 28 / 0
League clean sheets: 4
Total clean sheets: 4

Player Profile

Alfred Hobson was Liverpool's goalkeeper at the start of the 1936/37 season and played in the first 26 games of that campaign before being replaced by Arthur Riley after the club's worst run of the season, seven matches during December and January during which only a single League point was won and Hobson had to pick the ball out of his net 17 times! His final game in this terrible run was a 3-0 defeat to Norwich where he conceded a disastrous goal. He kicked the ball upfield where Scott, who was in the centre circle, returned it straight back to him. As Hobson was struggling to recover the ball went through his legs and at a "snail-like pace" rolled over the line as poor Hobson could only watch on being stuck in the mud. South Africans Riley and Kemp shared the goalkeeping duties the next season, with Hobson playing just once, at Charlton in the middle of January 1938. Hobson played 171 games for Liverpool in wartime and returned to Liverpool's first team in an FA Cup fourth round tie at Burnden Park, Bolton eight years after making his last competitive appearance for Liverpool. Sadly it was not a happy experience for him or his colleagues as Liverpool were thrashed 5-0. FA Cup matches were played over two legs in the first season after the war and by the time Bolton visited Anfield just four days later, Fred Nickson was wearing the goalkeeper's jersey.

Hobson passed away on 21 February 2004 and was at that point the oldest surviving Liverpool player, 90 years of age. LFC.tv had made contact with Hobson's family up in the north-east and were in the process of arranging an interview when his daughter Susan informed them of their sad loss. Susan said her father had been eagerly looking forward to speaking to LFC.tv and that he was very proud of his connections with Liverpool Football Club: "There was only one Alf Hobson. He was a great man who followed Liverpool right to the end. He never forgot his days at Anfield and through all the years he'd proudly kept his club blazer with the Liver Bird emblem on it," she said. "He would always look out for Liverpool's result and he was delighted to know that someone from the club had been in touch just before he passed away. His funeral is on Friday and he'll be surrounded by red and white."
Appearances per season
Season League FA LC Europe Other Total
Totals 26 2 0 0 0 28
1936-1937 25 1 0 0 0 26
1937-1938 1 0 0 0 0 1
1945-1946 0 1 0 0 0 1
A more detailed look at the player's appearances
Apps Minutes Opponent
3 270 Charlton Athletic
2 180 Stoke City
2 180 Portsmouth
2 180 Bolton Wanderers
2 180 WBA
2 180 Grimsby Town
1 90 Middlesbrough
1 90 Derby
1 90 Arsenal
1 90 Birmingham City
1 90 Sheffield Wednesday
1 90 Brentford
1 90 Sunderland
1 90 Huddersfield Town
1 90 Manchester United
1 90 Leeds United
1 90 Norwich City
1 90 Preston North End
1 90 Chelsea
1 90 Everton
1 90 Wolves
Total Venue
17 Away
11 Home
Total Competition
26 League
2 FA Cup
Total W D L Win % Manager
28 6 7 15 21.4% George Kay
Clean sheets per season
Season League FA LC Europe Other Total
Totals 4 0 0 0 0 4
1936-1937 4 0 0 0 0 4
1937-1938 0 0 0 0 0 0
1945-1946 0 0 0 0 0 0
Wartime Appearances / Goals
Season Appearances Goals
1940-1941 10 0
1941-1942 37 0
1942-1943 40 0
1943-1944 40 0
1944-1945 37 0
1945-1946 8 0
Milestone Appearances
# Date Against Stadium Competition
1 29.08.1936 Stoke City Anfield League
Related Articles
‘Be my guest’ – George Kay keeping LFC afloat during World War II

“Well, that’s it, then!” said my mother. It is my earliest memory, and all I had to worry about was the horrified look on her face."

Press report

Press report on Norwich City 3 - Liverpool 0 on 16 January 1937 in FA Cup third Round

Other Clubs
Club Season Club rank League apps League goals Total apps Total goals
Ferryhill Athletic Northern League N/A N/A N/A N/A
Shildon Colliery N/A N/A N/A N/A
Chester City 1938-1939 England Third Division North 17 0 17 0
South Liverpool 1946-1947 Cheshire County League N/A N/A N/A N/A
Total 17 0 17 0