James Hanson played in a League Cup final, netted the opening goal in a Wembley play-off final and boasts two Football League promotions on his CV, including the memorable year when Chris Wilder’s Sheffield United racked up 100 points.
These notable achievements, however, could not protect the 33-year-old from a recent rude awakening after choosing to extend his career in non-League with Farsley Celtic in the sixth tier National League North.
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“We were playing Colne away in a friendly and the pitch was like a cow field. Uphill with big lumps on it — it was a bit of a reality check,” laughs the striker who sits third in Bradford City’s list of all-time goalscorers.
“There were only about 100 people there watching and yet we were still getting grief from all these Lancastrians.”
Joining sixth tier Farsley, reformed 11 years ago after the old Celtic went bust, has taken Hanson full circle. He was playing part-time with Guiseley in the Northern Premier League when the offer to turn professional with hometown club Bradford came along during the summer of 2009.
There was plenty to weigh up for the then 21-year-old — not least how the £250 per week wage being offered by the League Two outfit represented a pay cut on what he was earning from Guiseley plus his evening job stacking shelves at the local Co-op supermarket.
Happily, Hanson took the plunge to embark on a full-time career that went on to include stints at Bury, AFC Wimbledon and Grimsby Town. Now, though, it is back to where it all began in non-League. And he could not be happier.
“There were offers to play higher up,” explains the 6ft 4in Yorkshireman, released by Huddersfield Town’s academy as a 15-year-old for being too small. “Including in League Two. But it would have involved more travelling.
“In the last few years, I haven’t managed to play as many games as I would have liked and the travelling was a factor. I wanted something a lot closer to home so I could spend more time with the family. Farsley are five minutes from my house.
“I didn’t want to be away from home two or three nights per week. That wouldn’t be fair on the family. I’ve probably only got a couple of years left and I want to enjoy them.”
In an age when many pros would rather call it a day than move down the pyramid, such an attitude is refreshing. Nevertheless, The Athletic does wonder if there were any doubts about moving to a level where home games are likely to see the crowd measured in the hundreds rather than the 25,000 plus seen at Bramall Lane during his year in the Steel City.
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“None at all,” says Hanson, who played in front of a full Wembley for the 2013 Carabao Cup final between Bradford and Swansea City. “I’ve played non-League before and I know how much I enjoyed it at Guiseley.
“Plus, this is a decent squad and we have a chance, even in a league with five or six full-time clubs.”
“I can’t say anything but good things about Sheffield United and Chris Wilder. A great club but there is one thing that still annoys me about my time. I should have scored more goals.”
Hanson’s solitary strike in United colours came on his debut, the second goal in a 4-0 thrashing of Wimbledon. However, while the striker may beat himself up about not finding the net more often in his 15 appearances, there is no doubt he fulfilled the role envisaged by Wilder.
“I am happy I played my part,” adds Hanson, described as “the best target man in League One” by the then United manager on moving to the Lane from Valley Parade in January 2017 for an initial £150,000.
“I was brought in with one job in mind and that was to help the club get up from League One. The gaffer wanted me to bring something different. Allow the team to change tactics, if things weren’t working out.”
Never was this more evident than on that April afternoon when United clinched promotion at Northampton Town.
Trailing by a goal, Wilder turned to Hanson eight minutes into the second half. The switch to Plan B did the trick with the substitute’s flick-on from a long throw down the right flank releasing Billy Sharp in the 88th minute to help set up the winner, the United captain crossing for John Fleck to finish and confirm United’s six-year stay in League One was over.
“Chris brought me on to play down the middle against Northampton, with Leon (Clarke) and Billy either side,” he says. “We went a bit more direct and turned the game on its head to win 2-1.
Wilder and Hanson embrace after Sheffield United’s promotion was secured from League One in 2017 (Photo: Pete Norton/Getty Images)“We knew even before that game we were going up. But it is still important to get over the line. Typical Chris after that, he said we had to win the final four games to get to 100 points.
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“There was no let-up from him at all, even if we did celebrate quite heavily after Northampton. In the end, we got there and that was when the celebrations really got started.”
As Simon Moore made clear when speaking to The Athletic this summer, United’s promotion party turned into a punishing affair. “By the end of the (Las) Vegas trip, I really was sick of drinking!” admitted Coventry City’s new goalkeeper.
“I can definitely see why he says that,” Hanson laughs. “The celebrations went on so long. From the final game of the season against Chesterfield, we had three nights on the spin before Vegas.
“With them being eight hours behind, the day we flew turned into a 36-hour slog. We gave it a good go but, by the third or fourth day, we were all ready for home. Maybe we should have had a day off in between. But I’m not sure the gaffer would have let us.”
Six months after those draining celebrations, Hanson was loaned out to League One Bury. He had played just 15 minutes in the second tier as a substitute in United’s 5-4 defeat to Slavisa Jokanovic’s Fulham.
“I got an injury in pre-season,” he says. “Without that, I might have had a chance. But, by the time I was fit, the team was top of the Championship and Leon was on fire.”
Hanson’s timing may have been out with regards to the injury that kept him out as Championship football returned to the Lane. But there is little doubt he developed a happy knack for delivering at just the right moment during seven-and-a-half seasons with previous club Bradford.
Most City fans will recall the bullet header against Aston Villa that made history by taking the bottom tier club to the League Cup final in 2013. What some maybe do not remember, though, is how that decider in a 4-3 aggregate triumph ended a near eight-week drought in front of goal for the striker.
That cup run had also only been made possible by Hanson’s extra-time winner way back in August against Notts County.
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Three months after that 5-0 defeat by Swansea in the final, Hanson broke the deadlock against Northampton in a play-off final won by Bradford.
And then there was the late winner against Leeds United a couple of seasons later that gave Bradford bragging rights over their neighbours for the first time in 28 years. Just for that alone, Hanson deserves never to have to buy a drink in his home city again.
“I was very fortunate,” says the striker signed from Guiseley for £7,500, plus the promise of a pre-season friendly. “One person would probably be happy with any of what I consider my five highlights at Bradford.
“They were all unbelievable and I seemed to be involved in every big moment, apart from maybe Chelsea (when Bradford knocked Jose Mourinho’s table-topping team out of the FA Cup in 2015).
“I wasn’t too happy about playing on the left-wing that day. But I had to do a job for the team, as we’d got wind that (Andreas) Christensen was playing at right-back. He was a young kid back then so we thought if we put diagonal balls into him and play for me to win in the air then we’d have a chance.
“Which is exactly how it worked, especially in the second half.”
Hanson may not have scored on that unforgettable afternoon at Stamford Bridge but his performance certainly did not go unnoticed.
“Billy Knott had been at Chelsea as a kid and knew John Terry,” he explains after a bit of prompting. “He texted Billy after the game and said something like, ‘Your left-winger is good for his size and put a real shift in, made it really hard for us to stop him’.”
Only Bobby Campbell and Frank O’Rourke have scored more goals in a Bradford shirt than the 91 bagged by Hanson. Despite this, the striker still sometimes found himself the brunt of criticism from supporters.
He didn’t score enough goals, the critics cried. His height meant City went too direct. Then, later on, he was living on past glories.
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Bradford’s slump in fortunes since his departure for Bramall Lane suggests otherwise, especially as only Charlie Wyke in 2017-18 has eclipsed the 11 goals scored by Hanson in what proved to be his last full season at Valley Parade.
“Maybe fans get sick of someone who has been at the same club such a long time,” he says. “I honestly don’t know. There is a big fanbase at Bradford with 20,000.
“Maybe only 100 don’t like you but they can be noisy when saying their piece. Either way, I learned over the years not to worry about stuff like that. I never let it affect me.”
The upcoming Conference North campaign is now Hanson’s focus with Farsley facing a long trip to Hereford this weekend. He does, though, admit to having one eye on what happens after his playing career is over.
🤩 James Hanson is a Celt 🟢⚪🟢⚪#CeltArmy pic.twitter.com/aGenZxZUJ0
— Farsley Celtic (@FarsleyCelticFC) July 13, 2021
“Football doesn’t last forever so you need a plan,” says the striker, 34 in November. “I’m booked in for my theory test as a HGV driver in a few weeks. I don’t mind driving, which might sound daft when I’ve just signed for Farsley to cut down on my travelling. But that was more to do with how hard the training and driving were together. Lorry drivers being in demand these days is one of the things in my thinking as well.
“I am also doing my UEFA B (licence) in September. (Former Bradford winger) Mark Ellis has invited me to go up to RIASA (Richmond International Academic and Soccer Academy) and do some voluntary coaching until I get my badges. Then, after that, I can try get on the payroll.
“Before that, though, playing remains my focus. I just want to keep scoring goals, no matter what the level. If I can stay fit, ideally I want at least 20 goals in this league.”
(Top photo: AMA/Corbis via Getty Images)
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