Biography

Striker Alfred Arthur Eric Ackerman, known simply as Alf or sometimes “Ack Ack”, first joined Hull City in August 1950. This was a time when Hull City had a reputation for unconventional moves in the transfer market – a few months after Ackerman’s signing, City acquired disgraced former England defender Neil Franklin after he chose an unsanctioned money-making spell in Columbia over representing his county in 1950 World Cup finals. Ackerman was himself an atypical signing, he hailed from Pretoria in South Africa and while he had built his reputation for fearsome goalscoring performances at Pretoria Municipals in the South African leagues, then cut his teeth in the northern hemisphere at Scottish Division A side Clyde, it was still uncommon for English league sides to draw upon players from outside the British Isles.
It was a cracking move though. City had flirted with promotion to Division One in the preceding 1949/50 season before a major drop in form during a goal-shy springtime winless streak saw the club drop down into mid-table, so new forward options were required. Ackerman quickly fitted into the attacking ethos propagated by player manager Raich Carter and he bagged 21 goals in his first season. He potted nine goals in his first 11 starts, rattling a hattrick past Queens Park Rangers in November 1950 and bookended his first season with goals in City’s first league game (a brace in a 3-3 draw at West Ham United) and last league game (a 5-3 clumping of Luton Town at Boothferry Park).
Despite his successes, Ackerman was allowed to join Norwich City in July 1951, a drop down to Division Three South football, with manager Carter preferring to select the equally productive frontman Syd Gerrie. For two seasons the Canaries fought at the upper end of the table but twice missed out on promotion to Division Two. After an initial quiet 1951/52 season at Carrow Road Ackerman was top scorer in the 1952/53 season, contributing 22 goals. Another five goals in the early weeks of the 1953/54 season took his Norwich City tally to 35 goals in 70 starts.
The Tigers re-signed Alf Ackerman in October 1953 and with Bob Jackson now at the helm, Alf was immediately restored to the first team. City were rewarded by a second debut goal in a 2-0 win over Plymouth Argyle. By the end of the season Ackerman had scored 19 goals, 17 in the league and 2 in the FA Cup, peaking with a four goal haul in a December 1953 8-0 shellacking of Oldham Athletic. Ackerman remained with City for the 1954/55 season and was again productive, bagging 11 goals. A March 1955 home fixture against Swansea Town was Alf’s last game for the Tigers and he characteristically scored twice in a 4-3 win.
Ackerman moved to Division Two rivals and relegation strugglers Derby County in March 1955, he scored two goals in the final match of the season against Hull City but this was not enough to avoid the Rams’ relegation to Division Three North. Alf was used intermittently by Derby in the 1954/55 season as the Rams narrowly missed out of an immediate promotion back to the second tier, he netted fifteen goals including four against Accrington Stanley in April 1956. He began the 1956/57 season as Derby’s first choice inside right and took his tally to 21 goals in just 36 appearances by October 1956.
Ackerman joined Division Three North side Carlisle United in November 1956, at Brunton Park he rediscovered his taste for heavy goalscoring, scoring 74 goals in 107 senior appearances. Alf netted six hattricks in 26 months playing for the Cumbrians: in December 1956 against Mansfield Town (4); in a January 1957 FA Cup tie against Division One side Birmingham City that ended in a 3-3 draw; in October 1957 against Southport ; in January 1958 against Accrington Stanley; in February 1958 against Gateshead; and in March 1958 against Wrexham. Despite these scoring exploits Carlisle twice finished in the lower half of the table and started the 1958/59 season in the newly-formed Division Four. In January 1959 the 30 year old Ackerman moved to Division Four rivals Millwall, his final league club, where he played for two and a half seasons, scoring 37 goals in 84 appearances.
In July 1961 Ackerman was appointed player manager at Southern League side Dartford, a post he held for five years until June 1966 when a bottom four league finish led to relegation and his departure from the Darts at the end of his contract – during his time at Dartford Alf also ran a newsagent shop.
In November 1968, after a spell out of the game, Ackerman was appointed manager of another Southern League side Gravesend & Northfleet, a local rival of Dartford. He managed The Reds for five years, overseeing the emerging playing career of future England manager Roy Hodgson and achieving promotion to the Southern League Premier Division in May 1971. He resigned from his post at Gravesend & Northfleet in February 1974 and returned to his native South Africa, residing in Dunnotar, a suburb of Johannesburg, until his death in July 1988 at the age of 59.
Details
Nationality: South Africa
Date/Place of Birth: 5 January 1929, Pretoria (South Africa)
Hull City First Game: 19 August 1950, West Ham United A (Division Two), 21 years, 226 days old
Hull City Final Game: 12 March 1955, Swansea Town H (Division Two), 26 years, 66 days old
Clubs
Pretoria Municipals, Clyde (1947-1950), Hull City (1950-1951), Norwich City (1951-1953), Hull City (1953-1955), Derby County (1955-1956), Carlisle United (1956-1959), Millwall (1959-1961), Dartford (1961-1966)
Hull City Record
Career: 103 apps, 51 goals
Alf AckermanSeason | LGE App | LGE Gls | FAC App | FAC Gls | FLC App | FLC Gls | EUR App | EUR Gls | OTH App | OTH Gls |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1950/51 | 34 | 21 | 3 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
1953/54 | 29 | 17 | 7 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
1954/55 | 29 | 11 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
I remember alf Ackerman when he had newsagent shop in Freeman rd gravesend as a paper boy then they had the half penny as a paper boy then on 67 pence & a half penny a week reporter day thursday was a hard day delivery to st Margaret’s to beltania drive riverview 🤣🤣👍
I was a paper boy for alf ackerman I remember the half pence well we were payed 67 and half pence a week . My round was st Margaret’s st hildas st frances cerne road and a hse in beltano riverview, laugh it was a heavy round on Thursday reporter day🤣🤣