Sam Hardy

Chesterfield

In 1903, Chesterfield manager Jack Hoskin beat Derby County to sign Hardy, doing so under a lamp post in Newbold. Hardy, something of a shrewd character, would not sign the forms until Hoskin promised to pay him 18 shillings when the original offer was five shillings. Hardy soon gained himself a reputation for being unfazeable and it wasn't long before he started attracting the attention of the top clubs in the country.

Liverpool

Liverpool manager Tom Watson had witnessed him play against his side in a Second Division fixture at Anfield, on 7 January 1905. Although Liverpool won the match 6–1, Watson remembered that if it hadn't been for the performance of Hardy that day, Liverpool could well have gone on to record their biggest-ever win. After 77 appearances, in which Hardy kept 30 clean-sheets, Watson approached both Chesterfield and Hardy and signed him in May 1905. As part of the bargain, Liverpool offered Chesterfield a friendly match to be played at Chesterfield. The transfer offer was originally £300. But the friendly never took place, and so Liverpool raised their offer and bought Sam Hardy for £340. When he came to Liverpool, Ned Doig was their goalkeeper. Hardy made his first team debut in the ninth game of the 1905–06 season, on 21 October 1905 at Anfield. The match was against Nottingham Forest. Hardy played that day because Ned Doig was suffering from rheumatism. Liverpool won the game 4–1 and Sam Hardy established himself as…

Hardy was a relative of Nottingham Forest manager Stan Hardy. His son Jack Hardy, grandson Sam, nephew Edgar and cousins Ernest and Harry all became footballers. He served as an ordinary seaman in the Royal Navy during the First World War.

Newbold White Star

Byron Cup: 1901–02 Liverpool

Football League First Division: 1905–06 Aston Villa

FA Cup: 1912–13, 1919–20 Nottingham Forest

Football League Second Division: 1921–22