Joe Crozier (footballer)

Joe Crozier
Personal information
Full name Joseph Crozier[1]
Date of birth (1914-12-02)2 December 1914
Place of birth Coatbridge, Scotland
Date of death 27 July 1985(1985-07-27) (aged 70)[1]
Place of death Greenwich, England[1]
Playing position Goalkeeper
Youth career
Strathclyde
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1934–1937 East Fife
1937–1949 Brentford 200 (0)
1940–1941Airdrieonians (guest)
1941–1942Hibernian (guest)
1949–1951 Chelmsford City
Kidderminster Harriers
Ashford Town (Kent)
National team
1943–1944 Scotland (wartime) 3 (0)

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.


Joseph "Joe" Crozier (2 December 1914 – 27 July 1985) was a Scottish professional football goalkeeper who made 200 appearances in the Football League for Brentford. Having made the majority of his Brentford appearances in the club's only spell in the English top-flight, Crozier has been described as the club's best ever goalkeeper.[2] He represented Scotland at international level.

Playing career

Crozier began his career at junior team Strathclyde and moved to Scottish Division Two side East Fife in 1934.[3] He earned a £1,000 move to English top-flight side Brentford in 1937, replacing fellow Scottish goalkeeper Jim Mathieson. Crozier made 225 appearances for the Bees, either side of the Second World War.[2][4] As a testament to his longevity, Crozier made 114 of his 200 league appearances consecutively.[2] During the war, Crozier played on loan at Hibernian and Airdrieonians.[5] He departed Brentford in 1949 and saw out his career with spells at non-league sides Chelmsford City, Kidderminster Harriers and Ashford Town (Kent).[6]

International career

Crozier won three unofficial caps for Scotland in three wartime internationals versus England in 1943 and 1944.[7] He conceded 16 goals in three defeats. The final match at Hampden Park in April 1944 was witnessed by a wartime record 133,000 crowd.[8]

Personal life

After his retirement from football. Crozier became managing director of Cory Lighterage and a Freeman of the City of London.[2]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Barry Hugman's Footballers - Joe Crozier". hugmansfootballers.com. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Haynes, Graham (1998). A-Z Of Bees: Brentford Encyclopaedia. Yore Publications. ISBN 1 874427 57 7.
  3. "player8/joecrozier". neilbrown.newcastlefans.com. Retrieved 2014-08-06.
  4. "Brentford Football Club History". Brentfordfchistory.co.uk. Retrieved 2014-08-06.
  5. Gordon Smith - Tony Smith - Google Books. Books.google.co.uk. Retrieved 2014-08-06.
  6. Haynes, Graham; Coumbe, Frank (2006). Timeless Bees: Brentford F.C. Who's Who 1920-2006. Yore Publications. pp. 43, 44. ISBN 978-0955294914.
  7. "England - War-Time/Victory Internationals - Details". Rsssf.com. Retrieved 2014-08-06.
  8. TW8 Matchday: The Home Of Real Football - Official Brentford FC Matchday Programme versus Chesterfield 03/04/04. Charlton, London: The Yellow Printing Company. 2004. p. 32.


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