Jimmy Hampson

James (Jimmy) Hampson was born in Little Hulton on 23rd March, 1906. He played local football before joining Nelson in 1925. At the time the club was playing in the Third Division of the Football League. A centre-forward, Hampson scored 13 goals in 20 league games. This included hat-tricks in three consecutive games.

Hampson scored 42 goals in 64 games before the manager of Blackpool, signed him for £2,000 in October 1927. Later that month he scored on his debut against Notts County. He scored two more in the next game against Manchester City. By the end of the season he scored 31 goals in 32 games.

Hampson was in even better form in the 1928-29 season. On 10th November, 1928 he scored five goals in a 7-0 win over Reading. He ended up the season as the top scorer in the Second Division with 40 goals. Several teams in the First Division, including Arsenal and Derby County, attempted to sign him but Blackpool refused all offers for their star player.

In the 1929-30 season Hampson scored an amazing 45 goals in 41 games and helped his club win the Second Division championship. This gave Hampton the opportunity to show that he could score goals at the highest level. He passed the test by scoring 31 goals in 41 games. In the process, Hampson established the record for scoring the fastest century of goals (101 in 97 games).

Hampson won his first international cap for England against Northern Ireland on 20th October 1930. Hampson scored one of the goals in England's 5-1 victory. He kept his place for the next game against Wales. This time he scored two goals in the 4-0 win. Despite the goals he was dropped for the next game against Scotland.

Hampson's international opportunities were restricted because he had the misfortune to be playing at the same time as centre-forwards of the quality of Dixie Dean, George Camsell, Gordon Hodgson, Tom Waring and Fred Tilson.

Hampson's main problem was that he was playing in a team that was struggling to stay in the First Division. In the 1931-32 season Blackpool finished just one place above the relegation places. Even so, despite getting very few chances, he still scored 23 league goals in 42 games.

Hampson was recalled for the England game against Austria on 7th December 1932. He scored two of the goals in the 4-3 victory. Despite his record of five goals in three games he was dropped and never played for his country again.

In 1932-33 Blackpool were relegated finishing bottom of the First Division with Hampson scoring 18 league goals in 34 games. Once again the club refused offers from leading clubs in the country. For a time Hampson refused to sign for the 1933-34 season. Eventually, he relented and scored 13 goals in 21 games before being injured which kept him out of the side for the rest of the season.

The following season he scored 21 goals in 25 games. Blackpool signed Bobby Finan and together they scored they scored 44 goals between them in the 1936-37 season as they helped their club win promotion to the First Division.

On 10th January 1938 Jimmy Hampson went on a fishing trip with some friends. Their boat collided with a trawler and Hampson was drowned but his body was never recovered. He had the amazing record of scoring 248 goals in 361 games for Blackpool.