Mitch Hancox
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Mitchell John Hancox (born 9 November 1993) is an English professional
footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...
who plays as a
left-back In the sport of association football, a defender is an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Defenders fall into four main categ ...
or
central midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...
for club Spennymoor Town. He has played in the
Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional association football, football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in Association football around the world, the w ...
for
Birmingham City Birmingham City Football Club is a professional football club based in Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943. The team compete in the ...
,
Crawley Town Crawley Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Crawley, West Sussex, England. The team currently competes in , the fourth level of the English football league system. Founded in 1896 as Crawley Foo ...
and
Milton Keynes Dons Milton Keynes Dons Football Club, usually abbreviated to MK Dons, is a professional association football club based in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England. The team competes in EFL League Two, the fourth level of the English football leag ...
. Hancox began his career with hometown club Birmingham City, for whom he made his Football League debut in October 2012. In the 2015–16 season, he spent three months on loan to League Two club Crawley Town. Released by Birmingham at the end of that season, Hancox signed for
National League National League often refers to: *National League (baseball), one of the two baseball leagues constituting Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada *National League (division), the fifth division of the English football (soccer) system ...
club
Macclesfield Town Macclesfield Town Football Club was an association football club based in Macclesfield, Cheshire, England. Initially known as Macclesfield F.C., the club was formed in 1874 and from 1891 played home games at Moss Rose. It competed in the short ...
in August 2016. After two years, during which he helped Macclesfield win the
2017–18 National League The 2017–18 National League season, known as the Vanarama National League for sponsorship reasons, was the third season under English football's new title of National League, 14th season consisting of three divisions and the 39th season overall ...
title, he moved on to Milton Keynes Dons. Hancox joined his
Solihull Moors Solihull Moors Football Club is a professional association football club based in Solihull, England. The club currently competes in the National League, the fifth level of the English football league system, after achieving promotion from the Na ...
in May 2019, spent time on loan to another National League club, Harrogate Town at the end of that year, and was released in 2021. He then signed for
Hereford Hereford ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of the ceremonial county of Herefordshire, England. It is on the banks of the River Wye and lies east of the border with Wales, north-west of Gloucester and south-west of Worcester. With ...
, and joined York City on loan later that year, helping them to promotion to the National League. York signed him permanently in June 2022, loaned him to
Hartlepool United Hartlepool United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Hartlepool, County Durham, England. The team competes in the National League, the fifth level of the English football league system. They were founded in 190 ...
in 2023–24, and released him in March 2024. Hancox finished that season with
Altrincham Altrincham ( , locally ) is a market town in Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, south of the River Mersey. It is southwest of Manchester, southwest of Sale, Greater Manchester, Sale and east of Warrington. At the 2021 United Kingdom ce ...
and spent the first half of the next with
Chester Chester is a cathedral city in Cheshire, England, on the River Dee, Wales, River Dee, close to the England–Wales border. With a built-up area population of 92,760 in 2021, it is the most populous settlement in the borough of Cheshire West an ...
.


Early life

Hancox was born in
Solihull Solihull ( ) is a market town and the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull, in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. Solihull is situated on the River Blythe in the Arden, Warwickshire, Forest of Arden ar ...
, West Midlands. He has three older brothers; the eldest, Matthew, was seriously wounded in 2011 while serving in Afghanistan with the
Royal Marines The Royal Marines provide the United Kingdom's amphibious warfare, amphibious special operations capable commando force, one of the :Fighting Arms of the Royal Navy, five fighting arms of the Royal Navy, a Company (military unit), company str ...
. Hancox was recruited into Birmingham City's youth system at the age of eight after being noticed playing in a six-a-side competition. As a youngster, he was a Birmingham City supporter, and particularly admired full-backs
Jeff Kenna Jeffrey Jude Kenna (born 27 August 1970) is an Irish football manager and former professional footballer. He played as a defender from 1989 until 2009, notably in the Premier League for Southampton, Blackburn Rovers and Birmingham City. He was ...
and Martin Grainger and wing-back
Stan Lazaridis Stan Lazaridis (born 16 August 1972) is an Australian former soccer player. He was predominantly a left winger though he was known to perform at left-back. He notably played for Birmingham City and West Ham United and made 58 official appearan ...
. While still a 15-year-old Lyndon School student, he played for Birmingham's reserve team. He was picked out as "one of the bright spots of the evening from a home perspective" in a heavy defeat to
Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
in the
2009–10 Premier Reserve League The 2009–10 Premier Reserve League (officially known as the 2009–10 Barclays Barclays PLC (, occasionally ) is a British multinational universal bank, headquartered in London, England. Barclays operates as two divisions, Barclays UK and ...
, and described by then Academy manager
Terry Westley Terence Westley (born 18 September 1959) is an association football coach and manager (association football), manager. Until 2011 he was the Academy Director at Birmingham City F.C. Reserves and Academy, Birmingham City and in July 2014 he was ...
as "one of the few players to come out with any credit" from a defeat to Leamington in the
Birmingham Senior Cup The Birmingham Senior Cup is a regional Association football, football competition for Birmingham County FA club teams, organised by the Birmingham County Football Association. It began in 1876 and is the oldest County Football Association, count ...
. On leaving school, he began a two-year scholarship with Birmingham City in July 2010.


Career


Birmingham City

His first competitive involvement with Birmingham City's first team came when he was an unused substitute for the 2011–12 Europa League play-off round second leg against
Nacional Nacional, the Portuguese and Spanish word for "national", may refer to: Airlines * Nacional Transportes Aéreos, a Brazilian airline defunct in 2002 * Transportes Aéreos Nacional, a Brazilian airline defunct in 1961 Bank * Banco Nacional, a ...
. Hancox signed his first professional contract, of six months, in May 2012, and was given a first-team
squad number In team sports, the number, often referred to as the uniform number, squad number, jersey number, shirt number, sweater number, or similar (with such naming differences varying by sport and region) is the number worn on a player's uniform, to id ...
in August of that year. Hancox made his competitive debut in the 1–0 home defeat by
Huddersfield Town Huddersfield Town Association Football Club is a professional association football club based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England. They compete in , the third tier of English football league system, English football. Huddersfield Town we ...
in the
Championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this sys ...
on 6 October, as an 80th-minute substitute for the injured
Curtis Davies Curtis Eugene Davies (born 15 March 1985) is a former professional footballer who played as a centre-back. Born in England, he represented the Sierra Leone national team. Davies began his career at Luton Town, for whom he made his professiona ...
. He played at
left-back In the sport of association football, a defender is an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Defenders fall into four main categ ...
, allowing Paul Robinson to move to
centre-back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Defenders fall into four main categories: centre-backs, full-backs, sweepers ...
, and according to the ''
Birmingham Mail The ''Birmingham Mail'' (branded the ''Black Country Mail'' in the Black Country and ''Birmingham Live'' online) is a tabloid newspaper based in Birmingham, England, but distributed around Birmingham, the Black Country, and Solihull and parts ...
'', "can be pleased with his urgent and determined contribution in the last 10 minutes. He's only on a six-month contract but would sweat blood for his boyhood club." A few days later, he was given a six-month extension to his contract. When Robinson took over from
Steven Caldwell Steven Caldwell (born 12 September 1980) is a Scottish former footballer, coach, and executive. Playing as a defender, mostly as a centre back, Caldwell won 12 caps for the Scotland national team and has played over 300 league matches in his ...
as first-choice centre-back, Hancox was able to establish himself at left-back. He ended the season with 20 appearances, including 14 starts, and signed a new three-year contract. With David Murphy still recovering from injury, Hancox hoped to establish himself as first choice at left-back, but a bruised testicle sustained in training and the
loan In finance, a loan is the tender of money by one party to another with an agreement to pay it back. The recipient, or borrower, incurs a debt and is usually required to pay interest for the use of the money. The document evidencing the deb ...
signing of
Shane Ferguson Shane Kevin Ferguson (born 12 July 1991) is a Northern Irish professional footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, Am ...
obstructed his progress. His first appearance of the season was in mid-September, as a substitute with Birmingham already 3–0 down at
Burnley Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2021 population of 78,266. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River B ...
, followed by two League Cup ties, the second of which, at home to
Stoke City Stoke City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England. The team competes in the , the second level of the English football league system. Founded as Stoke Ramblers in 1863, the cl ...
, was 4–4
after extra time Overtime (OT) or extra time (ET) is an additional period of play to bring a game to a decision and avoid declaring the match a Tie (draw), tie or draw where the scores are the same. In some sports, this extra period is played only if the game is ...
. Hancox volunteered to take the first penalty in the
shootout A shootout, also called a firefight, gunfight, or gun battle, is a confrontation in which parties armed with firearms exchange gunfire. The term can be used to describe any such fight, though it is typically used in a non-military context or to ...
, but his powerful kick struck the top of the crossbar and went over; Birmingham went on to lose the shootout. A run of games in November was halted by a knee injury, and ankle damage put an end to another run in the new year. He returned for the last few matches of the season, with Birmingham in danger of
relegation Promotion and relegation is used by sports leagues as a process where teams can move up and down among divisions in a league system, based on their performance over a season. Leagues that use promotion and relegation systems are sometimes call ...
. Needing at least a point from the final fixture, away to
Bolton Wanderers Bolton Wanderers Football Club ( ) is a professional association football, football club based in Horwich, Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in EFL League One, League One, the third level of the Englis ...
and for other results to go in their favour, Hancox came on at half-time, and two minutes after Bolton took a two-goal lead, he crossed for
Nikola Žigić Nikola Žigić ( sr-cyr, Никола Жигић, ; born 25 September 1980) is a Serbian former professional footballer who played as a centre forward. Žigić was born in Bačka Topola, in what was then SFR Yugoslavia. He began playing footbal ...
to score with a header. Well into
stoppage time Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the ga ...
,
Paul Caddis Paul McLean Caddis (born 19 April 1988) is a Scottish Football coach (association football), football coach and former professional association football, footballer who is manager of National League North side Hereford F.C., Hereford. Caddis pla ...
scored the equaliser that kept Birmingham in the second tier. In the 2014 close season, Lee Clark signed left-back
Jonathan Grounds Jonathan Martin Grounds (born 2 February 1988) is an English football coach and former professional player who played as a left back or centre back. Grounds began his career with his local club, Middlesbrough, but never became a regular member ...
, who was almost ever-present under the management both of Clark and his successor
Gary Rowett Gary Rowett (born 6 March 1974) is an English professional football manager and former player who is head coach of club Oxford United. As a player, he was a defender, and played in the Premier League for Everton, Derby County, Leicester City ...
. Hancox played only one first-team match in 2014–15, in the
FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...
against
Blyth Spartans Blyth Spartans Association Football Club is an association football club based in Blyth, Northumberland. They are currently members of and play at Croft Park. They were founded in September 1899 by Fred Stoker, who was the club's first secre ...
, but he was a member of the 2015 Birmingham Senior Cup-winning team, consisting mainly of reserve-team players but also including first-teamers
Matt Green Matthew Green may refer to: *Matthew Green (British politician) (born 1970), British Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament for Ludlow and subsequently for Shropshire South *Matthew Green (Canadian politician) (born 1980) NDP Member of Parliament f ...
and Žigić, who was making his last appearance for the club.


Crawley Town (loan)

After just one League Cup appearance in 2015–16, Hancox joined League Two club
Crawley Town Crawley Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Crawley, West Sussex, England. The team currently competes in , the fourth level of the English football league system. Founded in 1896 as Crawley Foo ...
on a month's loan on 2 October 2015. He went straight into the starting eleven for the next day's visit to
Plymouth Argyle Plymouth Argyle Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Plymouth, Devon, England. The team currently competes in EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system. The club has played ...
, which Crawley lost 2–1 to a very late goal. In his second League Two match, at home to
Leyton Orient Leyton Orient Football Club, commonly referred to as Orient, is a professional association football club based in Leyton, Waltham Forest, London, England. The team compete in EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system. ...
, he scored his first senior goal. The score was 1–1 when Orient's goalkeeper
Alex Cisak Aleksander Cisak (born 19 May 1989) is a retired Association football, footballer who played as a Goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper. Born in Poland, he represented Australia at Australia national under-20 soccer team, under-20 level. ...
put the ball behind from Hancox's cross. Hancox himself took the corner, and when it was cleared he hit the loose ball past Cisak at his near post. He then made the pass that put
Rhys Murphy Rhys Philip Elliot Murphy (born 6 November 1990) is a professional footballer who plays as a striker for club Dorking Wanderers. He has played in the English Football League for Brentford, Preston North End, Dagenham & Redbridge, Oldham A ...
through on goal, Murphy was fouled for a penalty that put Crawley two goals ahead, and the team held on for a 3–2 win. After he started all seven of Crawley's matches during his first month with the club, his loan was extended for a second month, and then a third. He finished his loan spell with two goals from sixteen appearances in all competitions. Hancox played no more first-team football after returning to Birmingham. His last appearance for the club was as captain of the reserve team in the 2016 Birmingham Senior Cup final defeat to
National League North The National League North, officially known as Vanarama National League North for sponsorship reasons, is a professional Association football league in England. National League North is the second division of the National League (English footb ...
champions
Solihull Moors Solihull Moors Football Club is a professional association football club based in Solihull, England. The club currently competes in the National League, the fifth level of the English football league system, after achieving promotion from the Na ...
. Anxious for regular football, he was released when his contract expired at the end of the season; he had been with the club for fourteen years, and made 40 first-team appearances without scoring.


Macclesfield Town

Hancox signed for
National League National League often refers to: *National League (baseball), one of the two baseball leagues constituting Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada *National League (division), the fifth division of the English football (soccer) system ...
club
Macclesfield Town Macclesfield Town Football Club was an association football club based in Macclesfield, Cheshire, England. Initially known as Macclesfield F.C., the club was formed in 1874 and from 1891 played home games at Moss Rose. It competed in the short ...
on 4 August 2016. He made his debut two days later in the opening match of the season, a 2–1 win against
Torquay United Torquay United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Torquay, Devon, England. The team currently compete in the National League South, the sixth level of the English football league system. They have played their ho ...
, but in his third match, a 3–1 defeat of
Braintree Town Braintree Town Football Club is a professional football club based in Braintree, Essex, England. They are currently members of and play at Cressing Road. History The club was formed on 24 September 1898 as Manor Works, the works team of the ...
, he conceded a penalty and was sent off for two yellow cards. In December 2016, Hancox signed a new deal with Macclesfield to run until the end of the 2017–18 season. As well as at left-back, he also featured as a
holding midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. ...
for Macclesfield. He finished his first season with 38 National League appearances and 6 goals, which included a
hat-trick A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three. Origin The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three Wick ...
against
Boreham Wood Borehamwood (, historically also Boreham Wood) is a town in southern Hertfordshire, England, from Charing Cross. Borehamwood has a population of 36,322, and is within the London commuter belt. The town's film and TV studios are commonly known ...
in March 2017, and helped his team reach the 2017 FA Trophy final against
York City York City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of York, North Yorkshire, England. The team competes in the National League, the fifth level of the English football league system, as of the 2024–25 seas ...
. He was fouled for the free kick that led to
Rhys Browne Stephen Rhys Browne (born 16 November 1995) is a footballer who plays for club Barnet. Able to play as a winger or striker, he has been capped by the Antigua and Barbuda national football team. A former youth team player at Norwich City and ...
making the score 1–1, but Macclesfield finished on the losing side. Hancox scored his second hat-trick for Macclesfield on 1 January 2018 in a 4–1 win away to
FC Halifax Town FC Halifax Town is a professional association football club based in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England. They currently compete in the National League (division), National League, the fifth level of English football league system. They replac ...
. He finished the 2017–18 season with 7 goals in 39 appearances as Macclesfield were promoted to League Two as National League champions.


Milton Keynes Dons

Hancox rejected Macclesfield's offer of a new contract, and signed for newly-relegated League Two club
Milton Keynes Dons Milton Keynes Dons Football Club, usually abbreviated to MK Dons, is a professional association football club based in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England. The team competes in EFL League Two, the fourth level of the English football leag ...
on 21 June 2018 on a one-year contract. However, following limited first-team opportunities, Hancox was one of ten players released by the club at the end of the 2018–19 season.


Solihull Moors

Hancox signed for National League club Solihull Moors on 24 May 2019 on a two-year contract. He made nine league appearances in the first few weeks of the season, but only two were starts. After two months during which his only appearance was in the
Scottish Challenge Cup The Scottish Professional Football League Challenge Cup,Solihull Moors were one of eight non-Scottish participantshe joined another National League team, Harrogate Town on loan until 5 January 2020; striker Sam Jones made a similar move in the opposite direction. He made five National League appearances for Harrogate and a further ten for Solihull Moors before the season was curtailed because of the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
. In 2020–21 he was a regular in the matchday squad, and made 20 league appearances of which nine were as a starter, before being released when his contract expired at the end of the season.


Hereford and York City

Hancox signed for National League North club
Hereford Hereford ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of the ceremonial county of Herefordshire, England. It is on the banks of the River Wye and lies east of the border with Wales, north-west of Gloucester and south-west of Worcester. With ...
on 18 June 2021. Having begun the season as a regular in the side, his appearances became intermittent, and in late October Hancox went on a month's loan at another National North club, York City, managed by
Steve Watson Steven Craig Watson (born 1 April 1974) is an English football manager and former professional player who is manager of club Darlington. As a player, he was a right-back or midfielder. He played in the Premier League and Football League for N ...
, with whom he had worked at Birmingham and Macclesfield. His loan was extended initially until January 2022 and then for the rest of the season. Hereford manager Josh Gowling said his club had intended to bring Hancox back into the squad in January 2022 but could not do so for financial reasons. He was part of the York team that earned promotion to the National League, playing in their 2–0 win over
Boston United Boston United Football Club is a semi-professional association football club based in Boston, Lincolnshire, England. The club participates in the National League, the fifth level of the English football league system. The club is known as 'the ...
on 21 May in the National League North play-off final. Hancox was released by Hereford at the end of the season before signing for York permanently on 23 June on a one-year contract. He was a regular in the side during the 2022–23 season, and his contract was extended for two years in January 2023, but he fell out of favour in 2023–24. Hancox joined York City's divisional rivals,
Hartlepool United Hartlepool United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Hartlepool, County Durham, England. The team competes in the National League, the fifth level of the English football league system. They were founded in 190 ...
on 7 November on loan until January 2024. He made seven National League appearances, scoring once, before returning to York City, who cancelled his contract by mutual consent on 15 March 2024.


Later career

Later that day, Hancox joined another National League club,
Altrincham Altrincham ( , locally ) is a market town in Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, south of the River Mersey. It is southwest of Manchester, southwest of Sale, Greater Manchester, Sale and east of Warrington. At the 2021 United Kingdom ce ...
. In June 2024, Hancox signed a one-year deal with National League North club
Chester Chester is a cathedral city in Cheshire, England, on the River Dee, Wales, River Dee, close to the England–Wales border. With a built-up area population of 92,760 in 2021, it is the most populous settlement in the borough of Cheshire West an ...
. He made 17 appearances in all competitions in the first half of the season, but the travelling time from his home in the north-east of England had become a problem, so he left Chester in January 2025 to join divisional rivals Spennymoor Town.


Career statistics


Honours

Macclesfield Town *
National League National League often refers to: *National League (baseball), one of the two baseball leagues constituting Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada *National League (division), the fifth division of the English football (soccer) system ...
: 2017–18 *
FA Trophy The Football Association Challenge Trophy, also known as the Isuzu FA Trophy for sponsorship reasons, is a men's football knockout cup competition run by and named after The Football Association (the FA) and competed by mainly National League ...
runner-up: 2016–17 York City *
National League North The National League North, officially known as Vanarama National League North for sponsorship reasons, is a professional Association football league in England. National League North is the second division of the National League (English footb ...
play-offs:
2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...


References


External links


Profile
at the York City F.C. website * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hancox, Mitch 1993 births Living people Footballers from Solihull English men's footballers Men's association football defenders Men's association football midfielders Birmingham City F.C. players Crawley Town F.C. players Macclesfield Town F.C. players Milton Keynes Dons F.C. players Solihull Moors F.C. players Harrogate Town A.F.C. players Hereford F.C. players York City F.C. players Hartlepool United F.C. players Altrincham F.C. players Chester F.C. players Spennymoor Town F.C. players English Football League players National League (English football) players 21st-century English sportsmen