NewsLiverpool's Greatest - No.31: Gordon Hodgson
Years: 1926-1935
Appearances: 377
Goals: 241
Nearly a century since his last game, still only three players have scored more goals for Liverpool than Gordon Hodgson.
The South African striker was on the mark 241 times in his decade at the club, with Ian Rush, Roger Hunt and Mohamed Salah the trio who have managed to amass a greater total.
The Reds were alerted to Hodgson’s precocious talents when he lined up against them for a touring South African side in October 1924.
A little over a year later, he became a Liverpool player and began to take his scoring exploits to new heights.
Hodgson still holds the club record for most hat-tricks, and it took him just 17 outings to bag the first of his 17 trebles, which included a pair of four-goal hauls.
His reputation as a magnificent marksman saw him author a feature in a newspaper titled The Art of Shooting.
“It must not be thought that hard shooting is always the most effective,” argued the man from Johannesburg in that 1930 piece. “As a matter of fact, the exact opposite is needed if a goal is to be scored.
“It is not always advisable to try to break the back of the net, for a placed shot would likely enough have a much more satisfactory return.”
Unfortunately for Hodgson, his time at Liverpool coincided with a barren period in terms of silverware. He did everything he could to deliver success, however, by averaging 25 goals across nine full seasons.
Hodgson enjoyed an historic campaign in 1930-31 with 36 strikes from his 41 appearances – a Reds record for a player in a single season that held for three decades until Hunt came and beat it.
A natural athlete, Hodgson also represented Lancashire in cricket with distinction – particularly as a bowler – and played baseball too.
After almost 400 appearances, he left Anfield for Aston Villa in early 1936 with incredible statistics that only a select few have managed to better.
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