George Cook (footballer, born 1895)

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.

George Cook

Personal information
Full name	George William Cook[1]
Date of birth	(1895-02-27)27 February 1895
Place of birth	Evenwood, England
Date of death	31 December 1980(1980-12-31) (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

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.^[1]

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.^[2]

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 United and Rhyl.^[2]

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

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

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. Joyce, Michael (2012). Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939. Nottingham: Tony Brown. p. 64. ISBN 978-1905891610.
2. Goodwin, Bob (16 August 2017). The Spurs Alphabet. p. 98. ISBN 978-0-9540434-2-1.
3. Woolwinder (20 August 1923). "Prospects of the clubs in the First Division of the League. Huddersfield Town". Athletic News. Manchester. p. 5.
4. "Cook George "Billy" Rotherham United 1922". Vintage Footballers. Retrieved 23 December 2018.
5. Haynes, Graham; Coumbe, Frank (2006). Timeless Bees: Brentford F.C. Who's Who 1920–2006. Yore Publications. p. 39. ISBN 978-0955294914.
6. Haynes, Graham (1998). A-Z Of Bees: Brentford Encyclopaedia. Yore Publications. p. 35. ISBN 1-874427-57-7.
7. "Player Profile – Cook, Billy". Huddersfield Town AFC Archive. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
8. "billy cook – fact file". Archive.mehstg.com. Retrieved 18 August 2014.
9. "Cook, George William (Billy)". Aston Villa Player Database. Retrieved 18 August 2014.
10. "George Cook". 11v11.com. Retrieved 18 August 2014.
11. White, Eric, ed. (1989). 100 Years Of Brentford. Brentford FC. p. 371. ISBN 0951526200.