Hampson John Image 2 Port Vale 1921

Description

Oswestry, Shropshire born centre half John Hampson joined Southern League Northampton Town from Oswestry Town in 1910 before joining Second Division Leeds City in the summer of 1913. He made his Football League debut for The Peacocks against Glossop in September 1913, and in his first season with Leeds he was quite prolific, despite playing all his games at centre half, scoring 8 goals in 36 League appearances, missing just two games. He played both sides of the First World War for Leeds City, during which he was one of Leeds’ most regular wartime players, however after the resumption of League football in 1919 they were soon expelled from The Football League 8 games into the 1919-20 season and Hampson achieved the second highest bid, £1,000 from First Division Aston Villa, in the October 1919 player auction that accompanied their dissolution, after 8 goals in 74 appearances.

He made his Aston Villa debut immediately thereafter against Preston North End but found opportunities limited at Villa Park, playing only 15 times in two seasons there, before joining Port Vale, the club that had replaced Leeds City, for £1,000 in June 1921. He was a first team regular during his three seasons at The Old Recreation Ground, making 101 appearances for Vale and scoring 9 times, before he joined non league Hanley Sports Club in the summer of 1924, already aged nearly 37.