Gordon Hobson

Hobson during his 2nd Imps spell

Hobson arrived in 1977 at Sincil Bank from non league Manchester Villa at the tender age of 20. He originally arrived as a diminuitive winger standing 5'9 and slightly built. When he first appeared for the Imps there was some doubt his lightweight frame would be up to the vigours of professional football. The doubters were swiftly proved wrong. In April 1978 he made his first appearance for City as they bowed out of Division Three, but the cloud carried a silver lining as Hobson netted against Cambridge the day he made his bow. He scored once more before relegation but began to find his feet the following year in Division Four. His energetic displays won him many fans at the Bank, as he was never one to shirk a run and whenever he arrived on the ball he had the ability to make things happen. Despite only scoring 6 times from 27 outings in his first full season he continued to impress the fans.

The promotion season of 1980/81 saw Hobson form a formidable partnership with another Imps legend, Mick Harford. Harford hit 10 from Hobsons service before departing in December 1980, but Hobson stayed and ended the season with a total of 21 including four in an 8-0 rout of Northampton Town. In that succesful season he missed just two games at the outset, and remained ever present as the Imps challenged for the title.

Hobson hit 35 further goals in three season for the Imps in Division Three before a £35,000 move to Grimsby Town. The following year City began their catastrophic slide towards non league oblivion while Hobson enjoyed spells first at Grimsby then Division One side Southampton.

September 1988 saw the Imps paired against Southampton in the League

Hobson playing top flight football with the Saints

Cup, and fans relished the chance to see their hero once again. Eleven days before the game they got their wish as Colin Murphy laid out £60,000 for the wingers services which Southampton duly accepted. Hobson was an Imp again, just in time to face Southampton. Despite being knocked out of the trophy City had the prize they really wanted. Hobson went on to score 15 times for the Imps in their first season back in the league, and added a further 8 league strikes the following season. August 1990 saw him finally call time on his Imps career when he was released by misguided manager Allan Clarke.

In his Imps career Hobson scored 96 times in league and cup from 321 starts. As Hobson plied his trade as a winger his goal tallly was more than impressive, but his ability to create space and make goals yeilded far more results than his 1 goals every 3 games ratio suggests. In recent years Gareth Ainsworth managed to captivate City fans, but two generations of City fans were won over by a longer lasting wing wizard. Like Ainsworth Hobson always valued his fans and the City proved at a league game in November 1989 when he presented a signed ball to life long Imps fan Geoff Hutchinson. Hobson always made time for fans and will forever be remembered as a true Lincoln City legend.