if i had to pick a top 3 it would be
1st hodgson
2nd johnno
3rd hesford
as for players like dave lyon paul ford they were good full backs and very reliable...any one go maine road on a freezing monday night against barrow..sure paul ford played in the halves..could be wrong ,memorys a bit vague

All the fullbacks mentioned have different attributes, so i suppose it depends what you're looking for. Personally, my priority in a fullback is to be a superb last line of defence. So it's johnson all day for me(to young to have seen whitehead or hesford play).

If I remember rightly it was a very late hit by an opposition forward, and you're right - he never was the same. A real shame, but I don't think he played all that many games for us at f/b.
I think he played more on the wing (could be wrong there).

Yes, most of his first team career was as a winger (Outside Jiffy for a spell in 93/94)... Was playing full back in the reserves, but was never seen as likely to oust Lee Penny, who was quite highly rated at that time.

Derek Finnegan was the best defensive full back I've seen at the Wire, steve hesford best under a high ball and Derek Whitehead a superb attacker with the best side step I've ever seen

Totally back up re. Derek Whitehead. He was brilliant at bringing the ball out after a kick. His side-step was magnificent. We signed him after he ran through the whole of our team playing for Oldham. Sometimes he wouldn't side-step ... and this seemed to work as well.

I once heard Colin Clarke say of Whitehead that you knew he was going to step you but still made you look a mug by sending you the wrong way

Absolutely brilliant attacking fullback, not so much by coming into the line, but by running the ball back after a kick. You just don't see his type of player anymore.

Billy Slater

I never get this thing about the fullbacks main job being the last line of defence. Fullbacks don't make that many tackles and when they are in a position of being last line of defence it means the line has been broken and more than likely there's a two on one so the fullback is not going to be able to do anything about that.

Last line of defence really only comes in when there's a breakaway where nobody has come in support of the attacker. When I was at school and uni that situation would happen quite often and a good fullback making a solid tackle would end an attack but in the pro game how often do you see that? Professional teams will usually have back up. Not saying its not a bonus if your fullback is a good tackler but I think its more important to be a solid tackler at centre.

In terms of defensive duties I think its more important for a fullback to be able to field a range of kicks, high, along the ground, bouncing, intersecting fullback and winger etc, and then return them well. The best way a fullback can help the team defensively is if he makes yards and takes the ball away from his line, especially if he can get out of his in goal or turn a kick fielded on the 5m mark to a tackle on the 25m mark.

I'd love a fullback in the Steve Hampson mould, that's about as dependable as you can get defensively, dealt with everything thrown at him.

Hampson was British men's trampolining champion I seem to remember which is why I think he always got so high jumping under the high ball.
Only remember him once dropping a high ball

I don't think I saw Whitehead play, can't remember when he stopped

Hesford, superb, but it's a TOTALLY different game, now. Pity for him, he had George Fairburn to contend with, internationally, or he'd have a bucketfull of GB caps

Johnson, again, superb. The most exciting FB I've seen in a Wire jersey

Lyon. Good. Reanable pace. Huge boot. Remember seeing him kick a goal v Stains from the half way line, and the ball was still rising when it went over the bar

Penny. Great, but had an allergy to passing the ball.

My memory seems to have erased Cardiss. Don't know why

Readon was a v good FB for us. Superb returner of a kick. Don't get the sniping he's received on here.

Grose. Good. For me, a little "over-loved" on these pages, like Nat Wood was/is.

Mathers. Bloody 'ell!!!! (Nah, that's harsh) he was good. But that's about it for me.To many love-ups for my liking

Hodgson. Superb.

Do I have a fav. No.

I'm STILL slightly jealous of Wigan (even after all these years). They had Steve Hampson. He WAS good. Seemed to have radar in his head, when it came to postitioning himself for downfield kicks. It seemed like he NEVER had to move more than 10 yards to receive a kick. Just a pity he had a body more fragile than Chris Bridge.

As an out-and-out full back, as opposed to a utility back like Davies or Harris, Johnson remains the best I've seen in a wires top; I don't deny some of my Wire memories are rose-tinted and hued with nostalgia but Johno was the real deal.

Nice to hear Penny get mentioned - he seems to have been tipp-exed out of some memories but he was a very, very good full back until a mars-bar diet caught up with him. I always thought Chris Rudd would have made a good FB, he may even have played a couple of times there for us, but alas he never quite hit the heights expected of him.

For other clubs the one who struck fear into me was Joe Lydon for Wigan, such an elusive runner. Not as telepathic defensively and astute in positional play as Hampson but much more dangerous going forward.

And don't get me started on that &£$^&^£% drop-goal in the Maine Road semi.

Please dont talk about joe lydon. He was a good centre poor fb and saying nothing else...I'll have a nightmare