Former West Brom star Ken Hodgkisson

Former West Bromwich Albion and Walsall player Ken Hodgkisson has died aged 85.

He began his career with West Brom Hodg in the 1950s, before going on to make more than 350 appearances in a decade with Walsall.

A scheming inside-forward, he was a regular in the Walsall team which won back-to-back promotions in 1960 and 1961, jumping from the old English Fourth to the Second Division.

Hodgkisson also held the honour of being Walsall’s first-ever substitute, coming off the bench against Workington in 1965. His later career included spells at Dudley Town, where he also began a coaching career which saw him spend four years at Albion youth team boss between 1981 and 1985.

Former Walsall chief executive Roy Whalley remembers watching Hodgkisson from the terraces and described him as a “great ambassador for the game”.

He said: “Ken joined Walsall at around the time I began supporting them as a boy.

“He was exciting player, someone who could score as well as create and one of the stars of the team which won back-to-back promotions and is arguably the finest in the club’s history.

Born in West Bromwich, Hodgkisson made his Albion debut in a 1-1 draw against Villa in 1953 but was limited to just 21 appearances with his hometown club, chiefly due to the competition provided by international team-mates Ronnie Allen, Johnny Nicholls and Reg Ryan.

He joined Walsall for £1,600 in December 1955, spending 11 seasons in total at Fellows Park.