Glove story

FOOTBALL autobiographies are two a penny, often ghosted on behalf of callow youths in search of another fast buck. Alan Hodgkinson is in his sixth decade as a goalkeeper and coach – an extraordinary career that pitted him against Ronnie Simpson, tamed the tearaway in Andy Goram and influenced the early development of Craig Gordon – yet all he has so far is a working title.

But what a title: From Pig's Bladder To Buckingham Palace encapsulates what Hodgkinson calls his "fantastic journey" from booting a crude substitute ball around as a boy in a South Yorkshire mining community in the 1940s to the award of an MBE in the recent New Year's Honours. Reflecting on service with both England and Scotland – he was warmly welcomed as an Englishman in the camp 21 years before Terry Butcher became George Burley's No.2 – he cannot resist adding the subtitle Via Wembley and Hampden.

There has been no time for books. Hodgkinson's work ethic was typified by his appearance on the practice pitch with Scotland's keepers in freezing Moscow, weeks after a quadruple heart bypass in 1995. In August, he will turn 72, or "39 plus VAT" as he puts it, and the landmark should find him still working full-time with Oxford United's keepers as they attempt to regain Football League status.

In the course of this passionate glove affair, "Hodgy" missed only 14 matches in 17 years for Sheffield United after a winning debut at just 18 when Simpson, later of Celtic's Lisbon Lions, was in Newcastle's goal. He was 20 and playing in the old Second Division when he won his first cap, against Scotland in 1957. Nowadays he is arguably best known for his specialised work under Andy Roxburgh and Craig Brown for Scotland, Walter Smith at Rangers and Alex Ferguson with Manchester United.

The list might have included subsequent Scotland managers but for a falling out with Berti Vogts, and when Scotland play Croatia on Wednesday, Hodgkinson will take a keen interest in the keeper(s) now under the supervision of Jim Stewart. A framed picture in his home shows him with a teenaged Gordon on a coaching course. However, he believes Sunderland's £9m buy from Hearts is still adjusting to the intensity of the Premier League.

"It's not the easiest place for a keeper," argues Hodgkinson. "An error of judgment is punished quicker than in any league in the world. Craig has undoubted potential but his decision-making isn't always 100%.

"International football is different again. When I worked for Scotland we played San Marino on Saturday, when I could have played, and Croatia in Zagreb on Wednesday. Maintaining concentration levels between the two is vital. That's been a problem for Paul Robinson and Scott Carson with England. Carson played in Austria and didn't have a shot to save. Suddenly he's facing Croatia and in the first few minutes – Bang! Goal!"

Hodgkinson helped in the formative years of another Edinburgh-born No.1, Allan McGregor, who could gain his second cap against the Croats. "He'd just joined Rangers from school and Dick Advocaat said, 'Bring him to work with the first team'. You always worry about that because at that age their bones aren't fully developed.

"Allan got in the way of a typical Jorg Albertz shot and suffered a broken scaphoid, a little wrist bone like a crisp. Goalies rarely recover from that but I worked on him after the physios finished with him. I'm delighted with the way he has come back."

McGregor's injury had echoes of when Hodgkinson saved a brutal Peter Lorimer free-kick for Sheffield United against Leeds. "I had to come off," he says, flexing the finger as if not finishing the game still rankles. "The doctor couldn't re-set the bone to sit on the knuckle until after the match. But I was back the next week."

Bravery has long been the trademark of his first profession. As Britain's original goalkeeping coach, Hodgkinson's mission has been to instil technique to complement the craziness; the coaching he never had.

"That day against Scotland at Wembley, it was me that was nervous and unprepared. From the kick-off, a pass to Stan Matthews was intercepted and Tommy Ring (of Clyde) scored before I'd touched it. I've watched the video and I should've saved it."

By full-time, though, Tommy Younger was the rueful one, England winning 2-1. Hodgkinson rated the late Hibernian man highly and recalls other high-level Scottish contemporaries, including Bill Brown (Tottenham), Tommy Lawrence (Liverpool), Adam Blacklaw (Burnley) and Lawrie Leslie (West Ham).

A change in the perception of net-minding skills north of the border started, Hodgkinson believes, in 1961 after England trounced Scotland 9-3 and Celtic's Frank Haffey suffered a traumatic afternoon. Stewart Kennedy, of Rangers, endured another calamitous day in a 5-1 rout by the auld enemy in '75, and TV cemented the "joke" image.

"Jimmy Greaves poked fun at mistakes by Scottish goalies on Saint & Greavsie. It was unfair. When I was offered the chance to become Scotland's goalkeeping coach in '86 I decided I'd like the challenge of improving that reputation."

Hodgkinson prepared Scotland keepers, at various levels, in around 200 internationals, and speaks admiringly of Campbell Money, Jim Will, Henry Smith, Alan Main, Mark Brown and Neil Sullivan. Pressed to nominate the best, however, he instantly cites Andy Goram.

"Joe Royle asked if I'd work with a lad at Oldham he said was sensational. Goram got injured, but I went to watch his comeback at Coventry reserves. Joe tapped me on the shoulder, saying 'This kid's brilliant, you'll see'. He conceded eight goals – seven and a half were his fault – and Joe was saying, 'He's not normally like this, honestly'.

"The next season I went to work with him on a spare day. We were doing a repetition exercise when suddenly his face dropped and he kicked the ball a long way in a huff. I told him to fetch it, running there and back. Either that or go back to the dressing-room. He knew then I was in charge and we worked well together after that.

"Goram had raw talent, plus amazing presence for a smaller keeper. Once we worked on his technique – positioning, decision-making, handling – he became very hard to beat. Certain keepers got more caps, but I rate him the best Scotland have had. Now he's coaching at Clyde and calls me his guru! He rang me and said, 'How on earth are you kicking footballs at your age?' My keeper at Oxford, Billy Turley, reckons I'm the best half-volleyer in the world. I told Andy I look after my body and said, 'Why, what's up?' He said, 'Oh, Hodgy, my knees and legs are sore'."

As a player, the highlight of Hodgkinson's career was fulfilling a boyhood promise to his parents that he would play for England. Since becoming a coach, a plan devised to feed his family after losing his job as Gillingham's assistant manager, two World Cups and two European Championships provide the fondest memories.

The opening fixture of France 98, against Brazil in Paris, saw the one-time players' union activist don a kilt in solidarity with the Scotland squad after the SFA insisted on suits. "You should have seen their faces when we all appeared wearing the full regalia! The only guy that didn't wear one was Craig Brown, who said his knees were too knobbly."

After the finals the Scots went to Buckingham Palace to meet the Queen. "She said to me, 'But you're not a Scotchman'. I said, 'No ma'am, I'm English'. She asked who I supported when the countries met. 'Whoever's paying my wages, ma'am,' I replied. 'That's a good answer', she said."

The parting with Scotland came after Vogts informed the media that Hodgkinson had led Rab Douglas to think he was to replace Sullivan in the second half of a 5-0 defeat by France in 2002 (he stayed on the bench, missing the birth of his child while in Paris). "Vogts told him that, not me. I wrote to him to say it was a disgrace. He never replied."

Bitterness gives way to bonhomie as Hodgkinson recalls the "wonderful coaches and managers" he encountered during his Scottish sojourn. "There was always sneering about the 'Largs mafia'. It was supposedly their fault Scotland didn't do better. Yet it was hard-working people like Walter Smith, Alex Smith, Jocky Scott, Dick Campbell and Ronnie Lowrie who raised standards. I was humbled to work with them.

"Many of them, such as Walter, Craig, Andy Goram and (SFA physio) Hugh Allan, wrote congratulating me on my MBE, which I regard as an honour for the goalkeeping industry. But I never had any acknowledgement from the SFA. It must be in the post."

Posts of a different kind will remain central to Hodgkinson's life for the foreseeable future; the memoir will have to wait.

"Longevity is enjoying what you do," he says. "The day I can't beat my goalies from 25 yards, I'll pack in. For now, I'll carry on as enthusiastically as I did as a teenager."