Hodgkiss was born in Stafford, Staffordshire. He made his first team debut in the FA Cup third round match against Reading on 17 January 2006 at the Madejski Stadium. His Premier League debut came on 7 May 2006, coming on for Steve Watson on the last match day of the season, at Goodison Park against Everton. In August 2007 Hodgkiss signed a new two-year deal at Albion. His full league debut was in a 2–1 win away at Leicester City on 8 December 2007.