Geoff Hickson

Geoff Hickson
Personal information
Full name George Geoffrey Hickson[1]
Date of birth (1939-09-26) 26 September 1939[1]
Place of birth Crewe, England[1]
Playing position Goalkeeper
Youth career
1955 Coventry City
1956 Liverpool
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1956–1958 Blackburn Rovers 0 (0)
1959–1961 Stoke City 11 (0)
1962–1968 Crewe Alexandra 105 (0)
1968 → Port Vale (loan) 17 (0)
1968 Southport 3 (0)
1969 → Shrewsbury Town (loan) 0 (0)
1969 Cape Town City
Total 136 (0)

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.


George Geoffrey "Geoff" Hickson (born 26 September 1939) is an English former football goalkeeper who played in the Football League for Crewe Alexandra, Port Vale, Southport and Stoke City.[1] He won promotion out of the Fourth Division with Crewe in 1962–63. He is one of six post-war players to have played for both the Potteries clubs as well as Crewe Alexandra.

Playing career

Hickson was born in Crewe and played as an amateur for Coventry City, Liverpool and Blackburn Rovers, before signing a professional contract at Stoke City in 1959.[1] Long time regular Bill Robertson sustained an injury in the 1959–60 season, and Hickson was drafted in to provide cover.[1] He played ten Second Division matches in December through to March but was dropped after conceding five away at Liverpool and Tommy Younger took his place for the remainder of the season.[1] He played just once more for Stoke, on the final day of the 1960–61 season in a 3–1 win over Liverpool at the Victoria Ground.[1] He joined his hometown club Crewe Alexandra in 1962, and played 43 of the club's 46 Fourth Division games as promotion was achieved in 1962–63. He then featured 30 times in the 1963–64 season, as Jimmy McGuigan's "Railwaymen" were relegated straight back out of the Third Division. He lost his place at Gresty Road under new boss Ernie Tagg, and featured just nine times in the 1966–67 campaign and was completely absent in the 1965–66 and 1967–68 campaigns. He was loaned to Fourth Division side Port Vale in August 1968, as manager Gordon Lee needed cover for the injured Stuart Sharratt.[2] Described as a "part-time, pipe-smoking civil servant", he featured for the "Valiants" in the next twenty matches, but was recalled by Crewe in November that year.[2] He later played for Southport, and played three Third Division games for the "Sandgrounders". He also had a loan spell with Shrewsbury Town, but did not take to the field at Gay Meadow. He later emigrated to South Africa to play for Cape Town City.

Career statistics

Club Season Division League FA Cup League Cup Total
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Stoke City 1959–60 Second Division 1000000100
1960–61 Second Division 10000010
1961–62 Second Division 00000000
Total 1100000110
Crewe Alexandra 1962–63 Fourth Division 4303000460
1963–64 Third Division 2702010300
1964–65 Fourth Division 2601000270
1965–66 Fourth Division 00000000
1966–67 Fourth Division 90000090
1967–68 Fourth Division 00000000
Total 105060101120
Port Vale (loan) 1968–69 Fourth Division 1700000170
Southport 1968–69 Third Division 30000030
Career Total 136060101430

Honours

Crewe Alexandra

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Matthews, Tony (1994). The Encyclopaedia of Stoke City. Lion Press. ISBN 0-9524151-0-0.
  2. 1 2 Kent, Jeff (1996). Port Vale Personalities. Witan Books. p. 135. ISBN 0-9529152-0-0.
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