Harold Crockford

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Harold Crockford
Crockford while with Exeter City in 1922.
Personal information
Full name Harold Arthur Crockford[1]
Date of birth (1893-09-25)25 September 1893[1]
Place of birth Derby, England[1]
Date of death 15 December 1983(1983-12-15) (aged 90)[1]
Place of death Tunbridge Wells, England[1]
Height 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)[2]
Position(s) Centre forward, inside forward
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
Chatham
1916 → Brentford (guest) 3 (0)
0000–1917 Vicar of Wakefield
1919–1922 Fulham 26 (9)
1922–1923 Exeter City 30 (17)
1923 Port Vale 6 (2)
1923–1925 Chesterfield 52 (28)
1925 Gillingham 7 (1)
1925 Accrington Stanley 11 (5)
1925–1926 Walsall 24 (17)
1926–1927 Darlington 18 (8)
1927–1928 Norwich City 2 (0)
1928–1929 Bedford Town 31 (28)
1929 Tunbridge Wells Rangers
Total 176+ (87+)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Harold Arthur Crockford (25 September 1893 – 15 December 1983) was an English professional footballer who played as a forward in the Football League for Fulham, Exeter City, Port Vale, Chesterfield, Gillingham, Accrington Stanley, Walsall, Darlington and Norwich City.

Career[edit]

Before and during the First World War, Crockford played for Chatham, Vicar of Wakefield and as a guest for Watford, Clapton Orient, Brentford and Southampton.[3][4][5] Crockford joined Fulham in 1919 and scored 9 goals in 26 appearances during the 1919–20 and 1920–21 Second Division seasons,[3] though he once missed the team bus for an away match at bury in April 1920.[3] Crockford transferred to Exeter City during the 1922 off-season and scored 17 goals in 30 Third Division South appearances to finish as the club's top-scorer.[3] He scored hat-tricks in matches against Reading and Newport County.[3]

Crockford transferred to Port Vale in May 1923.[1] He scored on his debut on 25 August, in a 2–1 victory over Crystal Palace at the Nest and scored again two days later in a 2–0 win over Sheffield Wednesday at The Old Recreation Ground.[1] However, Vale lost the next four Second Division matches of the 1923–24 season and he left by mutual consent the next month due to his poor form, to be replaced by Tom Butler.[1] Crockford moved on to play for Chesterfield, where he scored on his debut in a 4–0 win over Southport on 6 October 1923.[6] He later played for Gillingham, Accrington Stanley, Walsall, Darlington, Norwich City, Bedford Town and Tunbridge Wells Rangers between 1925 and 1929.[1][7][8][9]

Personal life[edit]

Crockford served in the Royal Field Artillery during the First World War.[5] After retiring as a player, he worked as a turf accountant near Stamford Bridge.[5]

Career statistics[edit]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League FA Cup Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Fulham 1919–20[10] Second Division 11 7 0 0 — 11 7
1920–21[10] Second Division 15 2 0 0 — 15 2
Total 26 9 0 0 — 26 9
Exeter City 1922–23[11] Third Division South 30 17 1 0 — 31 17
Port Vale 1923–24[1] Second Division 6 2 — — 6 2
Chesterfield 1923–24[12] Third Division North 33 19 2 0 3[a] 2 38 21
1924–25[13] Third Division North 19 9 2 2 — 21 11
Total 52 28 4 2 3 2 59 32
Gillingham 1924–25[14] Third Division South 7 1 — — 7 1
Accrington Stanley 1925–26[11] Third Division North 11 5 — — 11 5
Walsall 1925–26[11] Second Division 24 17 1 0 — 25 17
Darlington 1926–27[11] Second Division 18 8 2 0 — 20 8
Norwich City 1927–28[11] Third Division South 2 0 0 0 — 2 0
Career total 176 87 8 2 3 2 187 91
  1. ^ 2 appearances and 2 goals in Derbyshire Senior Cup, 1 appearance in Chesterfield Hospital Senior Cup

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Kent, Jeff (1996). Port Vale Personalities. Witan Books. p. 71. ISBN 0-9529152-0-0.
  2. ^ "The lure of promotion. Port Vale". Athletic News. Manchester. 13 August 1923. p. 6.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Crockford, Harold". grecianarchive.exeter.ac.uk. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
  4. ^ White, Eric, ed. (1989). 100 Years Of Brentford. Brentford FC. p. 364. ISBN 0951526200.
  5. ^ a b c "Harold Crockford". Sky is Blue - The Chesterfield FC history resource. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
  6. ^ "Debut scorers". Google Docs. Retrieved 13 February 2023.
  7. ^ Joyce, Michael (2012). Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939. Nottingham: Tony Brown. p. 70. ISBN 978-1905891610.
  8. ^ "Player list 1908-38X.xlsx". docs.google.com. Retrieved 10 October 2017.
  9. ^ "Crockford Harold Exeter City 1922". Vintage Footballers. Retrieved 28 December 2018.
  10. ^ a b "Harold Crockford". Fulhamweb. Retrieved 10 October 2017.
  11. ^ a b c d e Harold Crockford at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)
  12. ^ "Line-ups – 1923–24". Sky is Blue – Chesterfield FC history & statistics. Retrieved 10 October 2017.
  13. ^ "Line-ups – 1924–25". Sky is Blue – Chesterfield FC history & statistics. Retrieved 10 October 2017.
  14. ^ "Gillingham FC Career Details – Harold Crockford". Retrieved 10 October 2017.
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