MF: Danny Schofield
Schofield joined Huddersfield Town from Brodsworth Welfare in 1998 and spent a decade with the Terriers, scoring 39 goals in 248 league appearances. He moved to Yeovil in 2008, then played for Millwall and Rotherham, with loans at Accrington Stanley and Stockport County. His later playing career took him into non-league football with FC Halifax Town, Bradford Park Avenue and Mickleover Sports, before coaching work and managerial spells at Huddersfield and Doncaster Rovers.
Ah, the summer of 2008, a time of the Magnificent Seven, of hope and belief. It was short-lived, but for a few days, I genuinely thought we might sign Schofield. He was an attacking midfielder who had spent ten years with Huddersfield, class on the ball and just as likely to create a goal as score one. When Peter Jackson began to talk up the players he was meeting, I thought it might be Schofield. He had worked with Jackson; he was a great player and surely a shoo-in for a role with City. Instead, he went to Yeovil, and we got David Graham.
Cheers, Jacko.
MF: Lee Hodges
Hodges came through the youth ranks at Arsenal and West Ham, making three league appearances for the Hammers while gaining experience through several loan spells. He joined Scunthorpe United in 1999 and scored 20 goals in 113 league appearances during three seasons at Glanford Park. After leaving the Iron, he played for Rochdale and Bristol Rovers before moving into non-league football with clubs including Thurrock, Billericay Town and AFC Hornchurch.
If some bloke down the road has a big TV, you might think you want one, but you don’t WANT one in quite the same way as when your neighbour shows his off to you. I wonder if that’s why there have been players I’ve liked, but several I’ve REALLY liked have been from local rivals. Lee Hodges falls into that category. He was what my dad terms ‘a footballer’, not just someone who played the game, but someone who treated it like an art. He passed and moved, never lumped it forward, and had the sort of technique that could bamboozle the best defenders in the land. He came from West Ham, but my experience of him was purely whilst he was wearing another claret and blue, that of Scunthorpe United.
Oddly, he never really did much after leaving Scunthorpe.
MF: George Boyd
Boyd emerged at Stevenage Borough before moving to Peterborough United in 2007, scoring 64 league goals during his first spell with Posh. He later played for Hull City and Burnley, reaching the Premier League with both, and earned two senior Scotland caps. Sheffield Wednesday, a second spell at Peterborough and Salford City followed, before he returned to non-league football with Wythenshawe Town.
This might be a bit of a cheat, but I desperately wanted Boyd when I understood Keith did. The rumour is that Keith wanted to sign Boyd, Craig Mackail-Smith and Aaron McLean from the Conference, but was priced out. He went to Peterborough, signed them and never looked back. Boyd wasn’t much when he went back to Peterborough, but in his day, he was in the same mould as Jorge Grant and Peter Gain in my eyes: a player with the sort of skills to unlock doors at any level of football, given the chance.
MF: Paul Groves
Groves progressed from non-league football with Belper Town and Burton Albion to Leicester City, joining Lincoln on loan in 1989 and scoring once in eight league appearances. He then established himself at Blackpool before joining Grimsby in 1992. Across two spells with the Mariners, separated by a move to West Bromwich Albion, he made 454 league appearances and scored 71 goals, later becoming their player-manager. His playing career finished with spells at Scunthorpe, York City and Stafford Rangers.
Maybe Groves shouldn’t be on here because we did actually have him for a short while. What I loved about him was his work ethic, attitude and application. He was the sort of player who led a team, a fighter who didn’t brawl but was cunning, clever and composed. His time at Grimsby hurt me because we’d seen him first-hand; then he eventually ended up there and showed us what we’d been missing for a decade across two spells.
Comments Welcome!