Hampton was born in Oldham and almost joined Manchester City on junior terms before his family moved to Bishop Auckland when he was ten years old. He joined Leeds United in September 1971, having played at international level with England Schools. He made his professional debut at the end of the 1972–73 season but struggled to get back into the side due to the form of Terry Cooper, Trevor Cherry and Frank Gray. Hampton spent the next three seasons in the reserves, making few appearances in the first team, but was an unused substitute in the 1975 European Cup Final. He finally had a run in the side in 1976–77, playing in 36 matches, but he was unable to hold on to his place and joined Stoke City in August 1980 for a fee of £175,000.