Bill Hopkins (footballer, born 1888)

William Hopkins (11 November 1888 – 26 January 1938), also commonly known as Pop or Bill Hopkins, was an English professional footballer who made 183 appearances in the Football League playing as a centre half for Sunderland, Leeds City, South Shields, Hartlepools United and Durham City. After his playing career, he worked as a trainer with several Football League clubs.

Bill Hopkins
Personal information
Full name William Hopkins[1]
Date of birth (1888-11-11)11 November 1888[1]
Place of birth Esh Winning, England
Date of death 26 January 1938(1938-01-26) (aged 49)[1]
Place of death Blackpool, England
Position(s) Centre half
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1904–1907 Esh Winning Rangers
1907–1910 Crook Town
1910–1911 Esh Winning Rangers
1911–1912 Stanley United
1912–1919 Sunderland 10 (0)
1919 Leeds City 7 (0)
1919–1921 South Shields 61 (2)
1921–1923 Hartlepools United 53 (1)
1923–1925 Durham City 52 (3)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Life and career

Hopkins was born in 1888 in Esh Winning, County Durham,[1] the son of Frederick William Hopkins, a coal miner, and his wife, Margaret. The 1911 Census shows the 22-year-old Hopkins living with his parents and three younger sisters in Esh Winning and working as a colliery blacksmith.[2] He played football for his local team, Esh Winning Rangers, from around 1904 until signing for Crook Town of the Northern League in 1907.[1][3] The following year, he had trials with several Football League clubs which came to nothing, and he returned to Esh Winning Rangers.[1] In 1911 he returned to Northern League football with Stanley United, and his performances over the season earned him a contract with First Division club Sunderland.[4]

Hopkins had played as a centre forward for Stanley, but at Sunderland he was tried at centre half for the reserves and found well suited to that position. He made his first-team debut on 13 September 1913 away to Liverpool in the centre of a half-back line reshuffled because of an injury to wing half Harry Low, and, according to the Athletic News, he "played a very prominent part in the [3–1] victory which was achieved."[5] He kept his place for the next two matches, both wins, and made three more appearances in the second half of the season.[6] Hopkins played in four more league matches in 1914–15 – all wins – before competitive football was suspended for the duration of the First World War.[6]

When League football resumed, Hopkins signed for Leeds City for a £50 fee.[1] He had played in seven of the first eight 1919–20 Second Division fixtures when, in mid-October 1919, a committee of inquiry into allegations that the club had made illegal payments to its players during the war ruled that its officials' failure to co-operate with that inquiry was "so serious that the expulsion from the League can be the only fitting punishment." Along with the club's physical assets, the players were auctioned off to the highest bidder. Hopkins went to another Second Division club, South Shields, for £600.[7] Hopkins played regularly at centre half as South Shields finished in ninth place in their first season in the Football League and was retained for the next. He scored his first league goal in October 1920,[6] in a match that South Shields, the only unbeaten team in the Football League, lost 5–4 to a Rotherham County side whose centre forward had been "subdued ... to impotence" by Hopkins in the reverse fixture the previous week.[8][9] He missed the last month of the season with injury, and was not retained.[10][11]

In June 1921, Hartlepools United of the newly formed Football League Third Division North paid a "substantial" transfer fee for Hopkins.[12] He was appointed captain,[13] played at centre half in the club's first Football League fixture, a 2–0 win away to Wrexham, and continued as a regular selection.[14] He missed a few weeks with influenza in early 1922,[15] and despite a rumour that he was about to leave the club,[13] he was ever-present for the rest of the season.[14][16] Hopkins played regularly for the first half of the 1922–23 season before losing his place to Walker Hampson,[17] and he was listed for transfer at a fee of £50. However, when another Third Division club, Durham City approached Hartlepools United, the directors agreed to let Hopkins leave on a free transfer.[18] A pre-season profile suggested that the Durham club, whose financial situation meant their playing staff was about 80% amateur, were signing "the right sort" of professional player, which included the "experienced and clever" Hopkins.[19] He missed only four league matches during the 1923–24 season, and scored three goals.[20] He was appointed player-coach for 1924–25, and although he lost his place as first-team centre half to Joe Robson, he continued to contribute as coach and reserve-team player until the end of the season, at which point, at the age of nearly 37, he retired from playing.[1]

Hopkins was appointed as assistant trainer at Sheffield Wednesday in July 1927.[21] After three-and-a-half years with Wednesday, he joined Second Division club Charlton Athletic as trainer before leaving them after six months to take up the vacancy as trainer to First Division Grimsby Town.[22][23] Grimsby were relegated in his first season, and in October 1932, he was released to accept the offer of a return to Charlton Athletic; Grimsby replaced him with Herbert Woods, who had trained the team when they were promoted three years earlier.[24]

After a few months with Port Vale as assistant trainer,[25] Hopkins took over from George Holley as trainer to Barnsley in July 1936.[26] In January 1938, while preparing the Barnsley players for an FA Cup match against Manchester United, he collapsed in the steam room at the team's hotel in Blackpool. He was admitted to the Victoria Hospital,[27] where he died five days later.[28] He and his wife, Amelia née Ellis, had two sons.[28][29]

Career statistics
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League FA Cup Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Sunderland 1991–92[30] First Division000000
1913–14[31] First Division600060
1914–15[32] First Division400040
Total 10000100
Leeds City 1919–20[7] Second Division70—70
South Shields 1919–20[6] Second Division26020280
1920–21[6] Second Division35220372
Total 61220652
Hartlepools United 1921–22[14] Third Division North33010340
1922–23[14] Third Division North20120221
Total 53130561
Durham City 1923–24[20] Third Division North38331414
1924–25[33] Third Division North14021161
Total 52352575
Total 18361221958

References

General

  • Dykes, Garth (2010). Durham City FC in the Football League. Nottingham: SoccerData. ISBN 978-1-905891-42-9.

Specific

  1. Dykes 2010, p. 37.
  2. "William Hopkins". Census Returns of England and Wales, 1911. RG14/29907 – via Ancestry Library Edition.
  3. "Scraps". Durham County Advertiser. 13 September 1907. p. 6. Hopkins, of Esh, made a creditable debut for Crook at Stockton.
  4. "Association items". Yorkshire Post. 7 May 1912. p. 5.
  5. "Sunderland's new half-back". Athletic News. Manchester. 15 September 1913. p. 1.
  6. "Player search: Hopkins, W (Bill)". English National Football Archive. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
  7. "Leeds City Players Details: No.121: Hopkins, William (Tot)". Leeds United F.C. History. Tony Hill. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
    "The History of Leeds City Football Club". Leeds United F.C. History. Tony Hill. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  8. 'Verax' (28 September 1920). "Sports and pastimes. Comments on play and players". Shields Daily News. p. 2.
  9. "South Shields' first defeat". Sheffield Daily Telegraph. 4 October 1920. p. 7.
  10. "Derby's stiff task". Daily Herald. London. 9 April 1921. p. 8.
  11. "Shields' retained list". Sunderland Daily Echo. 14 May 1921. p. 5.
  12. "Football". Sunderland Daily Echo. 4 June 1921. p. 5.
  13. "Hartlepools United. The Hopkins rumour". Northern Daily Mail. West Hartlepool. 15 February 1922. p. 6. There are rumours in circulation that Pop Hopkins, the United captain and centre half, is to leave the club. Inquiries have been made this afternoon, and it is ascertained that as far the directors know there is no foundation for the rumour.
  14. "Tot Hopkins". In The Mad Crowd. John Phillips. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
  15. "Hartlepools United. Hopkins still unfit". Northern Daily Mail. West Hartlepool. 2 February 1922. p. 5.
  16. "1921/22 Results". In The Mad Crowd. John Phillips. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
  17. "Leddy leaving Chesterfield". Sheffield Independent. 11 May 1923. p. 6.
  18. "Sporting items". Daily Mail. Hull. 27 July 1923. p. 2.
  19. "North and south. Famous men at Durham". Derby Daily Telegraph. 25 August 1923. p. 4.
  20. Dykes (2010), p. 73.
  21. "Football. Former Sunderland player to assist Wednesday". Sheffield Daily Telegraph. 26 July 1927. p. 9.
  22. "New trainer for Charlton". Daily Herald. London. 25 November 1930. p. 15.
  23. "'Pop' Hopkins's new post". Northern Daily Mail. West Hartlepool. 12 June 1931. p. 9.
  24. "Sporting notes". Leeds Mercury. 21 October 1932. p. 9.
  25. "Managerial changes at Port Vale". Evening Sentinel. Stoke-on-Trent. 28 September 1935. p. 1.
  26. "Barnsley's change of trainers". Yorkshire Post. 18 July 1936. p. 22.
  27. "Barnsley trainer collapses". Daily Independent. Sheffield. 22 January 1938. p. 7.
  28. "Death of Pop Hopkins". Sunderland Echo. 26 January 1938. p. 10.
  29. "William Hopkins". England and Wales Marriage Registration Index, 1837–2005 – via FamilySearch.org.
  30. "1912–13: Football League Division 1". The Statcat. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  31. "1913–14: Football League Division 1". The Statcat. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  32. "1914–15: Football League Division 1". The Statcat. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  33. Dykes (2010), p. 74.
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