George Cook | |
|---|---|
| Personal details | |
| Born |
27 February 1895 Evenwood, England |
| Died |
31 December 1980 (aged 85)[1] Colwyn Bay, Wales |
George William Cook (27 February 1895 – 31 December 1980), sometimes known as Billy Cook,[4] was an English professional , best remembered for his spells as an inside left in the Football League with Huddersfield Town and Aston Villa .
Career[]
Early years[]
Cook began his career with spells as a youth at Evenwood Juniors and Trindle Juniors and played for the Royal Artillery during the First World War.[5] He joined Northern League club Bishop Auckland in 1919 and won the FA Amateur Cup in 1920–21 and 1921–22.[4][6] A move to Second Division club Rotherham County followed in 1922.[2]
Huddersfield Town[]
Cook joined First Division club Huddersfield Town in 1923.[6] He was a part of the most successful period in the club's history, winning the First Division championship in the 1923–24, 1924–25 and 1925–26 seasons.[6] He scored 35 goals in 91 appearances before departing the Terriers in February 1927.[7][8]
Aston Villa[]
Cook signed for First Division club Aston Villa in February 1927.[9] While he failed to win any silverware, Cook was in prolific goalscoring form, scoring 40 goals in 61 matches before departing at the end of the 1928–29 season.[10]
Tottenham Hotspur[]
Cook dropped down to join Second Division club Tottenham Hotspur during the 1929 off-season.[8] Now aged 34, he scored 30 goals in 73 appearances before his release in April 1931.[1]
Brentford[]
Cook moved across London to sign for Third Division South club Brentford during the 1931 off-season.[6] He began his time at Griffin Park well, scoring on his second appearance in a 1–1 draw with Thames .[11] In a mediocre season for the club, he failed to find the net again until 30 April 1932, when he scored two goals in a 4–2 win over Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic.[11] With the arrival of forwards Jack Holliday and Billy Scott, Cook departed Brentford at the end of the 1931–32 season.[5]
Colwyn Bay United[]
Cook ended his career in non-League football with spells at Birmingham & District League clubs Colwyn Bay and Rhyl .[1]
Honours[]
Bishop Auckland
- FA Amateur Cup (1): 1920–21, 1921–22[6]
Huddersfield Town
- Football League First Division (3): 1923–24, 1924–25, 1925–26[6]
Career statistics[]
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Huddersfield Town | 1923–24[7] | First Division | 25 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 26 | 9 |
| 1924–25[7] | 25 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 26 | 9 | ||
| 1925–26[7] | 29 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 30 | 14 | ||
| 1926–27[7] | 8 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 3 | ||
| Total | 87 | 35 | 4 | 0 | 91 | 35 | ||
| Aston Villa | 1926–27[10] | First Division | 13 | 9 | ― | 13 | 9 | |
| 1927–28[10] | 35 | 23 | 3 | 4 | 38 | 27 | ||
| 1928–29[10] | 9 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 4 | ||
| Total | 57 | 35 | 4 | 5 | 61 | 40 | ||
| Tottenham Hotspur | 1929–30[10] | First Division | 32 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 34 | 10 |
| 1930–31[10] | 31 | 13 | 2 | 1 | 33 | 14 | ||
| Total | 63 | 22 | 4 | 2 | 67 | 24 | ||
| Brentford | 1931–32[11] | Third Division South | 14 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 15 | 3 |
| Career total | 221 | 95 | 13 | 7 | 234 | 102 | ||
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Goodwin, Bob (16 August 2017) (in en). The Spurs Alphabet. p. 98. ISBN 978-0-9540434-2-1.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Joyce, Michael (2012). Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939. Nottingham: Tony Brown. p. 64. ISBN 978-1905891610.
- ↑ Woolwinder (20 August 1923). "Prospects of the clubs in the First Division of the League. Huddersfield Town". Athletic News. Manchester. p. 5.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Cook George "Billy" Rotherham United 1922" (in en-GB). http://vintagefootballers.com/product/cook-billy-image-1-rotherham-1922/.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Haynes, Graham; Coumbe, Frank (2006). Timeless Bees: Brentford F.C. Who's Who 1920–2006. Yore Publications. p. 39. ISBN 978-0955294914.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 Haynes, Graham (1998). A-Z Of Bees: Brentford Encyclopaedia. Yore Publications. p. 35. ISBN 1-874427-57-7.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 "Player Profile – Cook, Billy". https://htafcarchive.com/players/playerdetails.php?Player=165.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 "billy cook – fact file". Archive.mehstg.com. http://archive.mehstg.com/fact_cook_billy.htm.
- ↑ "Cook, George William (Billy)". Aston Villa Player Database. http://www.astonvillaplayerdatabase.com/284.html.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 10.5 "George Cook". 11v11.com. http://www.11v11.com/players/george-cook-44319/.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 White, Eric, ed (1989). 100 Years Of Brentford. Brentford FC. p. 371. ISBN 0951526200.
The original article can be found at George Cook (footballer, born 1895) and the edit history here.