Hanson Alf Image 4 Liverpool 1937

Description

Bootle born left winger Alf Hanson began his football career with Bootle Joint Ordnance Corps in 1930 and signed for Liverpool in November 1931. Left-winger Hanson represented Liverpool for six seasons during the 1930’s. After one season in Everton’s A-team and reserves in 1930-31 he first appeared in Liverpool’s reserve line-up in 1931-32 before finally making his first-team bow in the middle of the 1932-33 season, making his Football League debut at Aston Villa in January 1933.  “A slip of a lad he was not entirely a one-footed player but it was that left boot which put fear into the hearts of goalkeepers when they saw Alf prancing down the wing,” wrote the Liverpool Echo.

He featured regularly for Liverpool save for an injury-hit 1935-36 season and was ever present in 1936-37 and the club’s top scorer in 1937-38 with 15 goals. Liverpool received a club transfer record of £7,500 when Hanson joined Chelsea in July 1938 after 52 goals in 177 appearances. He played 46 games scoring nine goals for The Pensioners, but his professional career was effectively over with the outbreak of World War Two. Alf featured for Liverpool in 16 wartime games where he did his best to hide his real christian name, Adolph. Hanson was player-manager of a few teams after the War; South Liverpool in 1945, Shelbourne in 1946 and Ellesmere Port Town in 1948.

His younger brother Stan Hanson kept goal for Bolton Wanderers for many years.