Hampson: Ernest (Ernie).

1917-1918 (Leeds City War-time Guest Player Details)

Outside Right

Born: Unknown: Unknown

Debut: v Grimsby Town (a): 03-11-1917

Height & Weight: Unknown

Not much is known about Ernie Hampson, other than he was the brother of John Hampson and played with Northampton Town. Therefore, he would probably have been known to Herbert Chapman from his time there. He was, because of being John Hampson’s brother, part of a few happenings in his first season guesting with the club. He played at Oakwell against Barnsley on 8th December 1917 which saw City with two sets of brothers, both by the name of Hampson, to make it four players of that name in the team. Goalkeeper Tommy Hampson and his brother Billy Hampson, at Right-Back, were reasonably consistent members of the team. John Hampson had been a City stalwart for several years and while he had started as a Centre-Half and built up his reputation as a resolute defender since arriving from Northampton Town, he had become much more of a utility player and was operating at Inside Right, as Clem Stephenson's stand-in, in this game. His brother, Ernie Hampson was helping City but as a guest and he had come into the side as a replacement for the Army player, Corporal Chard, in City's only change. He was called into the City side on 3rd November 1917 for a Midland Section game at Grimsby Town and asked to play in the troublesome outside-right position, the sixth player to fill the berth in ten games that season. After Corporal J Barrett played throughout the first five fixtures, the role had been filled by N Arkle, Stan Robinson, Jimmy Stephenson and Corporal Walter Grant in rapid succession. Nevertheless, City had won seven of their nine fixtures and were heading for a title success at the end of the season. Ernie Hampson had a decent game against Grimsby Town, with goalkeeper Sutcliffe saving from him in the first minute and a later shot being blocked by one of the Town defenders as City won 4-0. Brother Jack replaced Hampson at outside-right the following week, but he was back in the side at Barnsley on 8th December 1917, this time on the left wing, with Jack at inside- right. Centre-forward Jack Peart headed home Hampson's corner for City's third goal in a 4-3 victory. The second occurrence came in a day of unusual events on 2nd February 1918, the day Charlie Buchan played for his one and only game for Leeds City, with their opponents Nottingham Forest finding themselves a man short when they did the pre-match head count and so the Leeds City player, Ernie Hampson, was pressed into service for Forest and so became the only Leeds City player to take the field against them, while still playing for them. It was also the second time two sets of brothers were on the field in a Leeds City game, albeit one was playing for the opposition. City won 2-0. Hampson only played one more game for City that season, the 3-1 defeat of Bradford Park Avenue on 30th March 1918, in the Midland Subsiduary Tournament, but he was back at the start of the 1918-19 campaign, playing in the first four matches. He scored his only City goal in the third of those fixtures, at home to Birmingham on 21st September 1918, when he added the final goal in a 3-1 victory. There were two other Hampsons in the side that day, goalkeeper Tommy and full-back Billy, brothers but unrelated to Ernie Hampson, while Jack was unavailable through injury. Later in the season, a fifth Hampson, Walker, brother to Tommy and Billy, would get a run of three games. Ernie Hampson was never heard of again.