Michael Edward Hopkinson (born 24 February 1942) is an English former

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 ...

who played at full-back for

Derby County Derby County Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Derby, Derbyshire, England. In 2022, it was announced that DCFC was acquired by Clowes Developments (UK) Ltd, a Derbyshire-based property group. Founded in 1884 ...

, Mansfield Town, Port Vale,

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 North, at the sixth tier of the English football league system. The club is know ...

, and

Belper Town Belper Town Football Club is a football club based in Belper, Derbyshire, England. They are currently members of the and play at Christchurch Meadow. The club are nicknamed the "Nailers" due to the town's nail-making industry. History The club ...

. He had a 12-year career in the

Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...

, making 174 league appearances.

Career

Hopkinson began his career with

, who finished the 1959–60 season in 18th place in the Second Division under the stewardship of Harry Storer. The "Rams" finished 12th in 1960–61 and 16th in 1961–62, before new boss Tim Ward took them to 18th in 1962–63, 13th in 1963–64, ninth in 1964–65, eighth in 1965–66, and 17th in 1966–67. He left Derby after new

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities ...

Brian Clough Brian Howard Clough ( ; 21 March 1935 – 20 September 2004) was an English football player and manager, primarily known for his successes as a manager with Derby County and Nottingham Forest. He is one of four managers to have won the Engli ...

led County to 18th place in 1967–68. He scored four goals in 115 league appearances during his time at the

Baseball Ground The Baseball Ground (sometimes referred to as the BBG) was a stadium in Derby, England. It was first used for baseball as the home of Derby Baseball Club from 1890 until 1898 and then for football as the home of Derby County from 1895 until 199 ...

. Hopkinson then transferred to Tommy Eggleston's Mansfield Town, who finished 15th in the

Third Division In sport, the Third Division, also called Division 3, Division Three, or Division III, is often the third-highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Association football *Belgian Thir ...

in 1968–69 and then sixth in 1969–70. He scored one goal in 46 league games at Field Mill. He signed with Gordon Lee's Port Vale in July 1970. He played 13 Third Division games in the 1970–71 season. He left

Vale Park Vale Park is a football stadium in Stoke-on-Trent, England. It has been the home ground of Port Vale F.C. since 1950. The ground has seen its capacity go up and down, its peak being 42,000 in 1954 against Blackpool, although a club record 49, ...

on a free transfer in May 1971 and moved on to

(as player-

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

and later as manager), before becoming the coach and assistant manager at

Burton Albion Burton Albion Football Club is a professional association football club in the town of Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, England. The team compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. The club moved its home gro ...

Career statistics

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hopkinson, Mick People from Amber Valley Footballers from Derbyshire English men's footballers Men's association football fullbacks Derby County F.C. players Mansfield Town F.C. players Port Vale F.C. players Boston United F.C. players Belper Town F.C. players English Football League players Northern Premier League players English football managers Association football coaches Burton Albion F.C. non-playing staff 1942 births Living people