George William Cook (27 February 1895 – 31 December 1980), sometimes known as Billy Cook,[4] was an English professional footballer, best remembered for his spells as an inside left in the Football League with Huddersfield Town and Aston Villa.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | George William Cook[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 27 February 1895 | ||
| Place of birth | Evenwood, England | ||
| Date of death | 31 December 1980 (aged 85)[2] | ||
| Place of death | Colwyn Bay, Wales | ||
| Height | 5 ft 7+1⁄2 in (1.71 m)[3] | ||
| Position(s) | Inside left | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1912–1914 | Evenwood Juniors | ||
| 1914–1916 | Trindle Juniors | ||
| Royal Artillery | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1919–1922 | Bishop Auckland | ||
| 1922–1923 | Rotherham County | 42 | (8) |
| 1923–1927 | Huddersfield Town | 87 | (35) |
| 1927–1929 | Aston Villa | 57 | (35) |
| 1929–1931 | Tottenham Hotspur | 63 | (22) |
| 1931–1932 | Brentford | 14 | (3) |
| 1932–1934 | Colwyn Bay United | ||
| 1934–1935 | Rhyl | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Career
editEarly years
editCook 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.[1]
Huddersfield Town
editCook 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
editCook 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
editCook 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.[2]
Brentford
editCook 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
editCook ended his career in non-League football with spells at Birmingham & District League clubs Colwyn Bay United and Rhyl.[2]
Honours
editBishop Auckland
- FA Amateur Cup (1): 1920–21, 1921–22[6]
Huddersfield Town
Career statistics
edit| 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
edit- ^ a b Joyce, Michael (2012). Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939. Nottingham: Tony Brown. p. 64. ISBN 978-1905891610.
- ^ a b c Goodwin, Bob (16 August 2017). The Spurs Alphabet. p. 98. ISBN 978-0-9540434-2-1.
- ^ Woolwinder (20 August 1923). "Prospects of the clubs in the First Division of the League. Huddersfield Town". Athletic News. Manchester. p. 5.
- ^ a b "Cook George "Billy" Rotherham United 1922". Vintage Footballers. Retrieved 23 December 2018.
- ^ a b Haynes, Graham; Coumbe, Frank (2006). Timeless Bees: Brentford F.C. Who's Who 1920–2006. Yore Publications. p. 39. ISBN 978-0955294914.
- ^ a b c d e f Haynes, Graham (1998). A-Z Of Bees: Brentford Encyclopaedia. Yore Publications. p. 35. ISBN 1-874427-57-7.
- ^ a b c d e "Player Profile – Cook, Billy". Huddersfield Town AFC Archive. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
- ^ a b "billy cook – fact file". Archive.mehstg.com. Retrieved 18 August 2014.
- ^ "Cook, George William (Billy)". Aston Villa Player Database. Retrieved 18 August 2014.
- ^ a b c d e f "George Cook". 11v11.com. Retrieved 18 August 2014.
- ^ a b c White, Eric, ed. (1989). 100 Years Of Brentford. Brentford FC. p. 371. ISBN 0951526200.