Biography
Central defensive colossus Jack Hobbs joined the Tigers in February 2011 on loan from Leicester City and instantly signalled his intent within minutes of entering the pitch for his debut at Derby County, rattling a hapless Ram with a bone-jarring challenge that propelled the opponent across several postcodes. Hobbs’ powerful presence helped City to stabilise their defence and in June 2011 he signed a permanent deal on a three year contract.
Jack was a first team fixture for the 2011/12 season and scored his only City goal in February 2012 against Bristol City. He suffered a serious knee injury at the end of March 2012 that kept him on the sidelines for six months and on his return Jack enjoyed a spell in Steve Bruce’s promotion chasing side – but as the season grew to its thrilling denouement Hobbs was a peripheral figure. With City elevated to the Premier League for the 2013/14 season Hobbs was not in Bruce’s plans and he spent the first half of the season on loan at Championship side Nottingham Forest where he scored one goal in 27 appearances. In January 2014 he was recalled by the Tigers but a week later he returned to the City Ground on a permanent transfer.
Jack Hobbs was born in Portsmouth but grew up in both Northamptonshire and Spalding in Lincolnshire. He joined League Two side Lincoln City’s youth setup as a teenager and made his senior debut for the Imps in January 2005 against Bristol Rovers, at the time he was the club’s youngest debutant at 16 years and 149 days old. That was his only senior appearance for Lincoln City as larger clubs immediately circled for his signature.
In August 2005, on his 17th birthday, he joined Premier League side Liverpool. It took two years before Hobbs returned to senior football, making his Reds debut in September 2007 in the Premier League against Reading. He stayed around the Reds’ first team for three months and took his tally to 5 senior appearances when he started a December 2007 League Cup tie against Chelsea. In late January 2008 Hobbs returned temporarily to Lincolnshire and joined Championship side Scunthorpe United on a two month loan, making 9 appearances and scoring his first senior goal in February 2008 against Stoke City.
In June 2008 Hobbs sought more first team action and joined League One side Leicester City on a season long loan. He missed only two League games as the Foxes won the League One title at the end of the 2008/09 season. Elevated to the Championship, Leicester City signed Hobbs on a permanent deal in April 2009 and he remained a first choice centre back as the Foxes reached the end of season play-offs only to lose narrowly to Cardiff City at the semi-final stage. Hobbs remained an important part of the Leicester first team in the 2010/11 season and when he left the club in February 2011 to join Hull City he had made a total of 128 senior appearances and scored one goal.
Hobbs joined Nottingham Forest for a fee approaching £1 million in January 2014, signing a four and half year contract, but he added only two more first team appearances as an ankle fracture in March 2014 ended his season early. He remained at Forest for the next four seasons to see out his contract, but was regularly dogged by injuries and was able to compile only sporadic periods of first team football. When he left the City Ground at the end of the 2017/18 season he had added 59 appearances to the 27 he made while on loan from the Tigers.
In July 2018 Jack moved to Championship rivals Bolton Wanderers where he was able to hold down a more regular first team place, but the Trotters were relegated to League One at the end of the 2018/19 season and Hobbs was used sparingly during the 2019/20 League One campaign. He left Bolton and hung up his boots in the 2020 close season having scored twice in 39 appearances.
In September 2021 Hobbs returned to his Lincolnshire roots and joined his first club Lincoln City as an academy coach.
In May 2007 Hobbs made three appearances for the England under-19 side against Russia, the Netherlands and the Czech Republic.
Details
Nationality: England
Date/Place of Birth: 18 August 1988, Portsmouth
Hull City First Game: 22 February 2011, Derby County A (Championship), 22 years, 188 days old
Hull City Final Game: 19 April 2013, Bristol City H (Championship), 24 years, 244 days old
Clubs
Lincoln City (2004-2005), Liverpool (2005-2009), Scunthorpe United (2008, loan), Leicester City (2008-2009, loan), Leicester City (2009-2011), Hull City (2011, loan), Hull City (2011-2014), Nottingham Forest (2013-2014, loan), Nottingham Forest (2014-2018), Bolton Wanderers (2018-2020)
Hull City Record
Career: 78 apps, 1 goals
Jack Hobbs| Season | LGE App | LGE Gls | FAC App | FAC Gls | FLC App | FLC Gls | EUR App | EUR Gls | OTH App | OTH Gls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010/11 | 9 (4) | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2011/12 | 40 (0) | 1 | 2 (0) | 0 | 1 (0) | 0 | – | – | – | – |
| 2012/13 | 20 (2) | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2013/14 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |