Jimmy Cookson
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | James Cookson[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 6 December 1904 | ||
| Place of birth | Manchester, England | ||
| Date of death | December 1970 (aged 65 or 66) | ||
| Place of death | Warminster, England | ||
| Playing position | 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) | |
|
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. | |||
James Cookson (6 December 1904 – December 1970), better known as Jimmy Cookson, 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
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.[2] He turned professional with Manchester City in August 1923,[3] but was unable to break into the first team and was sent to Southport on loan for a trial period in 1924.[2] He was transferred to Chesterfield in April 1925,[3] and converted to a centre forward.[2][4] He was the leading goalscorer in the Third Division North for the 1925–26 season with 44 goals,[5] and scored 85 overall in 74 league appearances.[1] In August 1927, he joined West Bromwich Albion for a £2,500 fee.[3] 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.[4] Later in 1931, Cookson was selected for the Football Association tour of Canada.[2][4]
He scored 103 league goals in 122 matches for Albion,[1] including six in a Second Division game against Blackpool in 1927.[4] Cookson was also the leading goalscorer in the Second Division for the 1927–28 season with 38 goals.[5] Cookson maintained his high goalscoring ratio after joining Second Division club Plymouth Argyle in 1933.[2] 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.[2][4] Cookson managed a further 10 goals in 17 matches to bring his overall tally to 38 goals in 48 games.[2][4] 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.[3]
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.[4] Cookson died in Warminster in December 1970.
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 Joyce, Michael (2004). Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939. Nottingham: SoccerData. p. 60. ISBN 1-899468-67-6.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Jimmy Cookson". GoS–DB. Greens on Screen. Retrieved 23 February 2012.
- 1 2 3 4 Matthews, Tony (2005). The Who's Who of West Bromwich Albion. Derby: Breedon Books. p. 54. ISBN 1-85983-474-4.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Knight, Brian (1989). Plymouth Argyle: A Complete Record 1903–1989. Derby: Breedon Books. p. 126. ISBN 0-907969-40-2.
- 1 2 Ross, James M. (15 July 2011). "English League Leading Goalscorers". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 23 February 2012.