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Jimmy Cookson

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Jimmy Cookson
Personal information
Full name James Cookson[1]
Date of birth (1904-12-06)6 December 1904
Place of birth Manchester, England
Date of death 14 December 1970(1970-12-14) (aged 66)
Place of death Warminster, England
Height 5 ft 9+1⁄2 in (1.77 m)[2]
Position(s) Centre forward
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1923–1925 Manchester City 0 (0)
1925–1927 Chesterfield 74 (85)
1927–1933 West Bromwich Albion 122 (103)
1933–1936 Plymouth Argyle 46 (37)
1936–1938 Swindon Town 50 (31)
Total 292 (256)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

James Cookson (6 December 1904 – 14 December 1970) was an English footballer who played as a centre forward in the Football League for Manchester City, Chesterfield, West Bromwich Albion, Plymouth Argyle and Swindon Town.

Life and career

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Cookson was born in Manchester.[1] He began his career as a wing half with South Salford Lad's Club and then played for Clayton and Manchester North End.[3] He turned professional with Manchester City in August 1923,[4] but was unable to break into the first team and was sent to Southport on loan for a trial period in 1924.[3] He was transferred to Chesterfield in April 1925,[4] and converted to a centre forward.[3][5] He was the leading goalscorer in the Third Division North for the 1925–26 season with 44 goals,[6] and scored 85 overall in 74 league appearances.[1] In August 1927, he joined West Bromwich Albion for a £2,500 fee.[4] He continued to score goals at his new club and was a member of the 1930–31 squad that won the FA Cup and promotion to the First Division.[5] Later in 1931, Cookson was selected for the Football Association tour of Canada.[3][5]

He scored 103 league goals in 122 matches for Albion,[1] including six in a Second Division game against Blackpool in 1927.[5] Cookson was also the leading goalscorer in the Second Division for the 1927–28 season with 38 goals.[6] Cookson maintained his high goalscoring ratio after joining Second Division club Plymouth Argyle in 1933.[3] He scored 28 goals in his first season with Argyle, including 27 in 29 league appearances, but injuries restricted his playing time over the next two campaigns.[3][5] Cookson managed a further 10 goals in 17 matches to bring his overall tally to 38 goals in 48 games.[3][5] He moved to Swindon Town in 1936, where he played on for two more seasons, and scored 31 goals in 50 league appearances.[1] Cookson retired from the game in May 1938 to become a publican.[4]

Cookson's Football League record of 256 goals scored in 292 appearances is one of the best in the League's history. His great quality was a willingness to shoot, and shoot early, whenever a chance presented itself.[5] Cookson died in Warminster on 14 December 1970.

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e Joyce, Michael (2004). Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939. Nottingham: SoccerData. p. 60. ISBN 1-899468-67-6.
  2. ^ The Pilgrim (25 August 1924). "Ready for action: few changes in the First Division of the League. Manchester City". Athletic News. Manchester. p. 5.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g "Jimmy Cookson". GoS–DB. Greens on Screen. Retrieved 23 February 2012.
  4. ^ a b c d Matthews, Tony (2005). The Who's Who of West Bromwich Albion. Derby: Breedon Books. p. 54. ISBN 1-85983-474-4.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g Knight, Brian (1989). Plymouth Argyle: A Complete Record 1903–1989. Derby: Breedon Books. p. 126. ISBN 0-907969-40-2.
  6. ^ a b Ross, James M. (15 July 2011). "English League Leading Goalscorers". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Archived from the original on 2 June 2009. Retrieved 23 February 2012.
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