It was in 1924 that Gordon Hodgson caught the attention of Liverpool, who was one of the youngest members that came from the touring South African national team. The South African eventually beat Liverpool 5-2 at Anfield on October 1st.
Just a year later, Hodgson was signed by Liverpool on 14th December 1925. He made his debut against Manchester City on 27th February 1926 , in a match that ended 1-1. It took only 11 more days for the South African to open his account for the Reds, as he scored twice in a 3–3 draw against Manchester United at Old Trafford on 10th March 1926. On 11th September of the same year, Hodgson scored the first of what would be a still club-record 17 hat-tricks for Liverpool in a 5–1 win against Sheffield United.
Let us now look at the rest of his Liverpool career, and why he became an unlucky legendary figure of the club.
Right place at the wrong time
Gordon Hodgson was an epitome of consistency during his time with Liverpool, as he missed very few games in the league or cup and scored prolifically throughout his time with the club. The heartbreaking fact was that all his heroic efforts went in vain, as the former Liverpool striker excelled at a time when the Reds were struggling to win any honours.
The 1930–31 season was a memorable one for the player, as he scored a club-record 36 league goals, thus breaking Sam Raybould's previous record of 31 league goals in the 1902–03 campaign. Hodgson's record stood for more than thirty years, until it was beaten by Roger Hunt in 1961–62.
Hodgson was at his very best that season, which saw him score three hat-tricks and an outstanding 4 goal haul in an away match at Hillsborough. He was top scorer in seven out of the nine full seasons he played for Liverpool, which was a testament to how much the club relied on him. The legendary striker was even honoured by the club with a benefit sum of £650 for completing a decade with the Reds.
His popularity at the time had no bounds, which even resulted in an ingenious biscuit seller naming his home-made ginger nuts at Anfield as "Hodgson's Choice! Hodgson's Choice!"
The 1935–36 season proved to be Hodgson's last at Anfield, with the striker scoring 9 goals in 17 league appearances. After 11 years at the club, Hodgson bid farewell to Aston Villa on 8th January 1936. It was the end of an era at Anfield.
A glorious legacy even without silverware
When Hodgson was signed by Liverpool, he had a reputation of being an unselfish forward who excelled in link-up play. Despite those remarks, he went on to become one of greatest-ever goalscorers in both Liverpool and Football League history.
He was a player that could effectively shoot with either foot, and excelled when it came to several factors like heading ability, pace and close-control.
All these abilities ultimately made him a world-class forward, who managed to score 241 goals in 377 appearances for Liverpool in all competitions. This history feat saw him elected into Liverpool FC's legendary Hall of Fame. Hodgson's legendary goalscoring numbers see him placed third in Liverpool's all-time goalscorers list, only behind the likes of Ian Rush (346) and Roger Hunt (285).
Thus Hodgson left Anfield as an eternal hero, and with a glorious message that one does not need any titles to become an all-time great.
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