JAMES Hanson nearly didn’t sign for City.

He was in two minds about taking the plunge – and the near-50 per cent pay cut from combining playing part-time with Guiseley and his day job at the Co-op in Idle.

“I look back and laugh about it now,” he said.

“I called my dad about it at the time, telling him they’ve got no money and wondering what should I do.

“He just said, ‘I don’t even know why you’re ringing me asking. Are you just going to play non-league for the rest of your life or at least have a chance of trying to make it?'

“I could never have imagined how it would pan out.”

Ninety-one goals from 335 City appearances – including two outings at Wembley in that unforgettable 2012-2013 season – more than justified dad Michael’s faith in him.

Lucky break after City tighten their belts

Only Bobby Campbell and Frank O’Rourke have scored more for the club – although Hanson fully expects Andy Cook to overtake him in the future.

Hanson’s remarkable journey began thanks to City tightening their belts in the summer of 2009 after an ambitious promotion punt in Stuart McCall’s second year in charge had fallen short.

“Mark Ellis coached me for two years at Guiseley and obviously saw I had a bit of potential from scoring goals at that level. He got in touch with Stuart.

“You need a bit of luck in football. Bradford were pulling the money back a little bit and maybe happy to take a chance on someone like me.

“Mark had tried to get me in six months before but they had a very good squad and were in and around the play-offs. But they missed out again and pulled the plug on the wage bill.

“I got a two-week trial and thankfully did okay there and Stuart then offered to sign me.

“Stuart was brilliant from the start – and was like that all the way through. Even when I was leaving the club when he’d come back and was managing me again.

“When I first signed, my dad told me to try and get 10-15 appearances and then go again the second year.

“The first couple of years weren’t great in terms of results and our performance in the league. But from a personal point of view, I still managed to get my goals so I was quite happy.”

Bradford Telegraph and Argus: Stuart McCall watches James Hanson sign his first contractStuart McCall watches James Hanson sign his first contract (Image: Newsquest)

Hanson’s first City goal in a wild 5-4 win at Cheltenham came thanks to a show of faith from McCall, who had dropped frontline strikers Peter Thorne and Michael Boulding after going the first four games of the season without scoring.

“It was a really weird start,” said Hanson. “I was playing out wide on the left because while I was tall, I wasn’t filled out.

“I played wide of a three at Guiseley and they continued to put me there.

“But then Stuart asked if I’d be happy playing down the middle. To be fair, I’d play anywhere but then it just went on from there.

“I got 13 goals that season and was injured for the last month and a half, so I might have gone on to get more. But it was a great first start as a pro.”

Weight woes made for difficult second season

With a year under his belt, Hanson decided to bulk up during the summer on his accord – with mixed results.

“Nick Allamby was massive for me when he came in but back then, we didn’t have anyone like that,” he added.

“I just went away in the gym and did it myself and ended up getting too big. I probably put on an extra 5-6kg in places that I didn’t need it.

“It was a bit of a struggle for the first three or four months to carry that weight. I ended up picking up silly injuries and never really hit the ground running.”

McCall’s departure saw Peter Taylor take charge for a year. But Hanson had no problem with the change in style to a more disciplinarian approach.

“I think he liked me. He always played me when I was fit and gave me a four-year deal.

“But the results weren’t very good and his style of football wasn’t great.

“I’ve never had a manager I disliked, to be honest, and always seemed to get on with them.”

Phil Parkinson changed everything at City

Things would change dramatically with the arrival of Phil Parkinson, although it took a while to get going as he rehashed a team that had bumbled around the wrong end of the division.

Hanson was one of the few survivors as Parkinson put his own inimitable stamp on the dressing room.

“Phil obviously inherited a pretty poor squad for what Bradford wanted. That first season was about just keeping us up while he decided who to keep.

“Then he got the chance the next summer to recruit who he wanted and you could see the difference straight away in pre-season. The quality just shot up.

“That improved me as well because you’re playing alongside better players every day. You want to be a part of that and not get left behind.

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“Nick Allamby got us so fit and we maintained that to play so many games. I played 59 games that season, which was unheard of, and the majority were the full 90 minutes.

“I did up my game and Phil definitely got the best out of me.

“I’d gone from a lower-level League Two striker to a top League One striker by the time he left. His influence on me was massive and I’ve got him to thank for everything.”

Diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis

But in 2014, Hanson got diagnosed with arthritis. To this day, he still takes injections every fortnight because of the side effects.

“Nick got me in such a physical condition that I look back and feel I could have played higher and had a longer career in the league.

“But with the arthritis, that’s when I started getting injured and taking longer to recover. That was the impact of the injections and it was never easy to carry on playing.

“I’ve been lucky that I never had any really bad injuries but all the niggles and stuff were due to that.

“I just remember going to bed on a night and I couldn’t lift my legs up. I had loads of inflammation around my hips and ended up losing 5kg in two weeks.

“Nobody could get to the bottom of it. Phil, me, Steve Parkin and Nick were asking questions to the physios and they didn’t have any answers.

“It was Vince (Cavaliere), our doctor who sadly passed away, that worked out I’d got psoriatic arthritis. It’s not a life-threatening thing but not ideal for a sportsman.

“Then it was about how we could manage it and calm it down so I could keep playing.

“Looking back, I feel I’ve done well to carry on and have the career that I’ve had. But there’s always that little bit of regret that if I hadn’t suffered that, I probably could have gone a bit higher.

“But you see poor Stephen (Darby) and what he is going through and I’m one of the lucky ones. I’ve just got something quite minor that I can get on with in life.”

Local boy made very good for Bantams

“I’m Bradford born and bred and have literally lived everyone’s dream.

“I played for my hometown club, scored goals and been involved in some massive moments.

“That 2012-2013 season was truly incredible. At every club I’ve been at since, they all ask me about it.

“I’m very proud of what I’ve done for Bradford and other clubs as well. But obviously the main one was here.

 

 

“I can’t wait to get back down there and show my kids the pictures on the wall.

“I’m proud to be on that list for most goals. Surely, Andy Cook will go to third but it might take some time then to drop down from fourth to fifth!

“Hopefully I’ll still be in the top 10 in 50 years.

“I would have laughed if someone had said that when I started off in 2009. I can look back and say it’s been a successful career.”

Villa Park was the pick of the goals

Hanson scored some huge goals in a City shirt – the header at Villa Park that got them to Wembley, scoring the opener in the play-off final against Northampton, the late winner against Leeds.

But how does the big man rank his top three?

“I’d probably sway towards Villa but when you’re a kid, all you ever dream about is playing at Wembley.

“For me to play there and score and us getting promoted was a special day.

“But it doesn’t come close to Aston Villa. Then scoring Wembley and after that Leeds, simply for the bragging rights because we hadn’t beaten them for so long.

“It wasn’t the best header but the way the game went that night, to score it in the last five minutes right in front the Kop was special.”

 

 

Message to the Hanson ‘knockers’ in the crowd

Not everyone, though, was a fan.

Throughout his seven-and-a-half years at Valley Parade, there were always critics that Hanson could never win over. That did frustrate him.

“Yeah, to be honest,” he said. “I’m thinking, what more could I have done?

“Maybe if I had taken penalties and got 150 goals they’d be happy!

“The first season there were still a lot of games left so I might have got 20 then. There were other years when I was on 14-15 and could have got a few more.

“But I don’t look back and regret anything. Obviously I’m aware that it’s a massive football club and not everyone’s going to like you.

“But I know that I did my best for them and I had a very successful time there.”

Cook will be worthy successor

Cook is the first City striker to pass the half-century goal mark since for City and Hanson has no doubts he will soon be breathing down his neck on the leader board. He will be cheering him all the way.

“I’ve played against him loads but not personally spoken to him. I’ve come across him quite a bit in my career.

“He started a bit slowly this season and I was waiting for him to bang the goals in. But he’s on a run now and his goal record speak for itself, it’s right up there with Nahki (Wells).

“He’s a brilliant player and hopefully I’ll be down in a couple of weeks. If he gets man of the match, I’ll see him up there.

“I hope he does pass me and once he does, I’ll be the first to congratulate him.”

Driving and spending quality time with the family

As the boots are hung up, there is still another Hanson on the football pitch – his 11-year-old daughter Lexie.

Dad is looking forward to finally getting the chance to watch her play on a Saturday morning. But he will not be coaching from the touchline.

“I’m not a pushy dad,” he laughed. “And if I try telling her something, she doesn’t take my advice anyway.

“She is mad into football and just enjoys playing. She’s got friends at school who play too, so I just leave her to it.

Bradford Telegraph and Argus: James Hanson and City teammates savour beating ChelseaJames Hanson and City teammates savour beating Chelsea (Image: Newsquest)

“She’s taller than her mum, so takes after me, and plays centre half.

“She’s still waiting for her first goal but it’s hard for them to cross it in at corners. She tells me she’s moving around in the box waiting.”

Getting his weekends back was a strong motivation for Hanson to call it a day. He intends to bring Lexie and two-year-old sister Talia to the Doncaster home game a week on Saturday.

“I got thinking about retiring about three months ago when I injured my knee. It was on the Sunday and I wanted to take the kids out but I was struggling to walk.

“I said to the missus then that I’d rather invest my time in them than football.

“For the last 20 years, my family have made sacrifices for me. With my kids growing up and the activities they’ve got on during the week and at weekends, it’s a lot for my missus to do on her own and I want to be there.

“People don’t realise the hard sacrifices you make with the family in football. Even playing non-league, I’ll leave the house at 10 and don’t come home until 7-8 at night.

“I made the decision to go to Wimbledon a few years which meant living away from Lexi and my partner so that was tough.

“There are a lot of sacrifices being made and now I think it’s about time to give a bit back to them and be around a lot more.”

Hanson is also preparing for a change in gear in employment – as an HGV lorry driver. He is sitting an intensive course of lessons later this month.

A job is already lined up with Bradford haulage firm Peckover Transport working Monday to Friday on routes as far as Birmingham.

“It’s something a bit different but it means I can enjoy my weekends off,” he said. “I don’t mind the driving but ideally I’d prefer it to be one drop a day.”