Richard Hodgson

Winger Richard Hodgson joined the club at the end of October and has become a fixture on the left of midfield, contributing pinpoint crosses for his team-mates as well as chipping in with two goals already.

Born in Sunderland, Richard joined Nottingham Forest as a 16-year-old, but although he was there for four years and was recognised at England Under-18 level, he did not break into the first team and left to join Scunthorpe on a non-contract basis in March 2000.

After playing one game for them, he signed for Darlington the following season and was there for three seasons, making over 100 appearances and attracting attention from bigger clubs.

Richard takes up the story, explaining, "I turned down a new contract for Darlington because I thought I was going to be signing for Walsall, but then I tore my groin at the end of the season and I was injured for four or five months.

"I was out of contract and obviously I couldn't pass a medical so my ex-manager at Darlington, Tommy Taylor, took me down to Farnborough where he was manager.

"He said I could get myself fit there and once I was fit he would let me go back to a league club, but after nine or ten games Tommy left and the chairman there wouldn't let me leave, so when a few league clubs came in for me I couldn't leave. I stayed at Farnborough for almost the full season, and then on transfer deadline day I signed for Stevenage."

However, a difference of opinion about Richard's role in the team saw him fall out of favour with his new manager: "After pre-season I realised I wasn't going to be figuring in his plans because I didn't really suit his style of play. I'm more of an attacking midfielder and he didn't like that style of player, so I didn't really get on with him and I was trying to get out of my contract at Stevenage for a while.

"Eventually the chairman let me leave and I signed for Crawley on the Tuesday night, and then I signed for Cambridge on the Thursday morning," he recalls.

"I had a clause in my contract stating that I could go to a league club for free, but didn't realise it was going to become an option so soon. Crawley were great and they said they wouldn't stand in my way if a League club came in, but they obviously didn't expect it to happen so soon - I didn't even train with them or play a game for them and I signed for Cambridge two days later."

Richard freely admits that the experience of playing part-time football at Farnborough and working for the chairman to supplement his earnings means he appreciates life as a professional footballer even more.

"At Farnborough it was the first time I had been part-time since I started playing football professionally, so having to do deliveries for my chairman during the week was a bit of an eye-opener!" he reveals.

"We were training two nights a week at Farnborough and the rest of the week I was doing deliveries around the M25, which was something I wasn't used to and I don't really want to do again! It makes me more determined to stay in the League and do well, and not to go back to that level again.

"Not that the level of football wasn't good, because it wasn't really much different from the third division," adds the 25-year-old, "but a lot of the clubs can't afford to go full-time so I was doing these deliveries and sometimes the van would break down and I would be stuck on the M25 until 11 o'clock on a Friday night and I had a match the next morning.

"That's the type of thing that would never happen when you're playing full-time. You take certain things for granted when you're full-time and now I've played for Farnborough I definitely appreciate them a lot more.

"I'd been wanting to get back into League football, but when a few things fell through last season when I was at Farnborough you start to think the opportunity might have passed you by again. So I've got to thank Herve and Dale for giving me the opportunity to come to Cambridge and I've been enjoying it.

"Obviously the results haven't been great - we've been playing good football but we haven't been able to finish teams off and the whole team has been guilty of missing chances while other teams have been punishing us."

Richard got off the mark with a headed goal against leaders Scunthorpe on 7th December, and he admits, "I think that was the first headed goal I've scored in my life! The lads were taking the Mickey because it was only about a yard off the floor and they were saying that was the only way I would ever win a header.

"It was good to get off the mark because I'd hit the post and the bar a couple of times, but it would have been even better to have won the game.

"I've always chipped in with a few goals from midfield," adds the personable Wearsider.

"The main part of my game is creating goals and I've set up a few since I've got here, but I also like to chip in and I've started to score a few more in the last couple of seasons. At Farnborough I was playing more centrally and I think you get a few more opportunities to have a strike at goal from there, whereas when you're out wide you tend to be more of a provider than a finisher.

"Last season I scored thirteen and I've set myself the target of trying to get a few goals. I would like to get into double figures, but as long as the team stays up that's the most important thing and hopefully I can chip in with a few goals."

He also hopes to continue setting up chances for his team-mates and adds, "I've always tended to take the free kicks and set pieces wherever I've been. It's always been one of my strong points and the Stevenage manager told the local papers it was one of the main reasons he signed me - a goalscoring midfielder and someone who was good from set pieces - but as it turned out I never actually played because I'd fallen out with him!

"So I try to put the corners and the set pieces into the right places for the lads to put them in the back of the net, and hopefully we can get a few goals from them this season too."

Another noticeable feature of Richard's play has been his partnership on the left flank with Stuart Bimson and he agrees that they have struck up a good understanding.

"I get on well with Bimmo on and off the pitch, and he's very verbal when he's playing so he helps you out and keeps you in position. He likes to get forward and it's a natural balance on that side with two left-footers there, so I think we're working well together. We make sure we're both doing our jobs for the team to keep that side of the pitch strong and hopefully that can help the team as a whole."

Concluding with his personal hopes for the rest of this season, Richard says, "I've signed until the end of the season and hopefully I can do well, help the team stay up, and get a contract to stay here for longer.

"I've moved down here with my partner and we've bought a house near Northampton, so we're not too far away and we're settled in the area, so I'm looking to earn a contract at Cambridge - that's definitely my goal for this season.

"Hopefully we can kick off from here and pick up two or three wins and get climbing up that table, and then in the second half of the season we can forget about the bad start."

Andrea Thrussell

In The Hot Seat

Richard answers some questions from supporters:

Adam Orpwood asks:
Before Herve Renard came in for you how confident where you of getting back into the league?

I think you always have to be confident that someone's going to spot you. When I was at Farnborough last season I had three or four League teams who tried to sign me - I had teams in the First Division interested in signing me and Kidderminster and Bristol Rovers tried to sign me - but the chairman wouldn't let me leave because he had pinned Farnborough's hopes of not getting relegated on me.

So I've always been confident that I would get back into the Football League but when I went to Stevenage and things didn't go well there I started to get a bit worried that I was in the Conference and not getting a game - not because of footballing reasons, it was personal reasons with the manager - and you start to think you've been forgotten about, but I knew if I played well for Crawley then I was confident that someone would pick me up eventually and get me back in the league.

Cambridge coming in for me so soon after leaving Stevenage was a bonus and I'm so grateful to Herve and to Dale Brooks for giving me the opportunity.

Adam also asks:
What sort of manager do you think the club needs now or do you think Herve could have done the job in keeping us up?

Herve liked to play good football, which is nice to play in. Our biggest problem when Herve was here was putting the ball in the back of the net. I was only here for a month or so with him and I enjoyed his coaching, but we weren't getting the results.

People tend to think that a new manager coming in will give everyone an automatic uplift - the lads who weren't getting a game before will try even harder to get in and there's more competition for places - and all the other teams around the bottom have sacked their managers already, so I think something had to happen but I'm disappointed for Herve.

Obviously I don't know what kind of manager is going to come in but Ricky (Duncan) has been caretaker manager and all the lads know him and respect him, the training has been excellent, and he's got good ideas too. I think the main thing for any manager is to have the respect of the players but you just have to hope that the club appoints the right person and it works for the club.

DaveS asks:
How different is league football to non-league football?

There isn't a big difference in standard between the Conference and the third division. Some teams in the bottom half of the Conference are poor but there are quite a few teams around the top half who could hold their own in the League. You only have to look at what Yeovil and Doncaster did after getting promoted from the Conference a couple of seasons ago - Doncaster were champions in this division last season and Yeovil are up there again this season - so I don't think the difference is that big.

The big difference is there are six or seven part-time teams who would struggle if they made the step up but I think a lot of the full-time teams who hold their own.

Brett asks:
In the new football game Football Manager 2005, your hair cut is awesome - what made you change it?

(laughs) I presume that's the long hair cut I had before I came to Cambridge! I had my hair really long for the last 18 months but I used to get all sorts of abuse from away fans, calling me "gyppo" and asking where my caravan was, and I used to have to wear a hair-band or stick it in a ponytail when I was playing.

So when I left Stevenage I thought I would have a fresh start and get my hair cut, and when I went on trial with teams I would look a bit more respectable with a nice short hair cut rather than this long 'gyppo' hair cut as they called it, so that's why I got it cut.

And some general questions from the message board at cambridgeunited.com:

Who's the best player you've played with and against?

Probably the best and the most famous player I've played with would be Michael Owen, when I was in the England Under-18 squad when I was at Forest. At the start of the season I was in the England Under-18 squad with him and by the summer he was scoring that goal in the World Cup against Argentina.

The best player I've played against would be Stan Collymore when I was at Forest again. I played against him in training and at that time he was absolutely unbelievable.

What are your ambitions after football?

Hopefully I'll have made enough money to never have to work again! All I've ever thought about is playing football so I haven't really thought about what I'll do when I retire, but I'd like to stay in the game in some way. Obviously you've got to see how your career goes first but I'm going to try and get my coaching badges soon.

What was the last CD you bought?

The Razorlight album.

Do you agree with penalty shoot-outs? If not, what would you put in its place?

I quite like the penalty shoot-out, but I remember watching some in the American league and they run from the halfway line instead of shooting from the spot, and I think that actually shows a bit more skill and more reflection on the player rather than just running up to the spot and spanking it.

Are you any good at penalties?

I took the penalties for Farnborough last season and I scored all three so I've got a 100% record, although I haven't taken a penalty here. Cambridge haven't had a penalty this season and I think there would be a few people fighting to take it, but I would definitely step up if I was given the opportunity.

Any pre-match superstitions?

I'll have a shave on the morning of a match. I think the last time I had a shave on the morning of a match we beat Rushden, then I didn't do it for a while but on the morning we played Bury I shaved and we drew, so I'll try that one. I have a couple more but I don't think I'll tell you about them!

What's the best goal you've ever scored?

Probably when I was at Darlington and we played Oxford, I got the ball from the halfway line and took on a player and then spanked it in from about 45 yards. It was my last season there and it was one of the goals of the season in the third division so that was definitely the best goal I've scored. (You can see this superb goal in the archives on U's World)

What's the highlight of your career so far?

I'd say signing for Cambridge! (laughs) I'm obviously hoping there are more highlights to come, although getting in the England Under-18 squad when I was younger was a highlight, and hopefully I've got more to come.

What's the best piece of advice you've ever been given?

Keep your feet on the ground and don't get too big for your boots if things are going well for you, and if things are going bad don't let it knock your confidence too much.

*A shorter version of this interview appeared in the programme for the match against Boston on 1st January, 2005.

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