City at Maine Road on 27 February 1926. He opened his goal scoring account eleven days later when he scored twice in a 3–3 draw against Manchester United at Old Trafford on 10 March 1926. He scored the first of a still club record 17 hat-tricks for Liverpool in a 5–1 win against Sheffield United at Anfield on 11 September 1926 in his seventeenth game. During his Anfield career Hodgson missed very few games in league or cup and scored prolifically throughout; therefore, it was a shame that his career coincided with a barren period for the club because his contribution to the Liverpool cause was massive. The 36 league goals Hodgson scored during the 1930–31 season beat Sam Raybould's total of 31 scored in 1902–03 and set a new club record that would last for more than thirty years, until it was beaten by Roger Hunt in 1961–62. Hodgson scored three hat-tricks that season at Anfield but perhaps it was the four goals he scored in an away match at Hillsborough that gave him the most satisfaction of all. He was top scorer in seven out of the nine full seasons he played for Liverpool. On completion of his ten years service he was honoured by the club with a benefit sum of £650. His popularity prompted an ingenious biscuit seller to name the home-made ginger nuts, that he sold in a quantity of five for a penny on matchdays at Anfield, in his honour: "Hodgson's Choice! Hodgson's Choice!" he would call. The 1935–36 season proved to be Hodgson's last at Anfield; his nine goals in 17 league appearances was yet again a decent return, but on 8 January 1936 he was allowed to move to Aston Villa for £4,000. In total Hodgson scored 241 goals in 377 appearances for Liverpool in all competitions, earning him a place in the Liverpool FC Hall of Fame and leaving him third in the all-time list of leading goalscorers for the Anfield club with only Ian Rush (346) and Roger Hunt (285) having scored more. Aston Villa Hodgson made his debut for Aston Villa in a 3–0 defeat against Preston North End at Deepdale on 18 January 1936. His first goal for Villa came in a 4–3 defeat against Bolton Wanderers at Burnden Park on 15 February 1936. He was relegated with Aston Villa at the end of the 1935–36 season, his