Jack Cock
Encyclopedia
John Gilbert "Jack" Cock DCM
MM
(14 November 1893 – 19 April 1966) was an English
footballer
who played for various English club sides as a striker
. He also had the distinction of being the first Cornishman
to play for the England national team
, a decorated World War I
soldier, and an actor. His younger brothers, Donald Cock
and Herbert Cock, also played professional football.
, he started his football career with amateur clubs West Kennington United, Forest Gate and Old Kingstonians. He played three Southern League Division Two matches in March 1914 as an amateur for Brentford
, scoring one goal, before signing professional forms with Yorkshire
side Huddersfield Town
later that year, though the First World War broke out shortly afterwards. He served in the British Army
during the conflict, rising to the rank of Sergeant-Major and earning the Distinguished Conduct Medal
and later the Military Medal
for gallantry. He was reported as 'missing, presumed dead' at one point during the war. During his breaks from military service, he turned out for London
sides Brentford
and Croydon Common
. Cock also played for England in the Victory International in 1919.
With the resumption of league football in 1919, he moved back to Huddersfield who, at the time, were in severe financial trouble. Cock was sold to David Calderhead
's Chelsea
for a record £2,500 in October that year. A skilful, nimble striker with a powerful shot, he had a fanatical dedication to fitness, often staying behind to train long after his team mates had gone home. He scored twice on his Chelsea debut against Bradford
and hit 22 more that season in 30 league games, a key factor in the club finishing third in the League
and reaching the FA Cup
semi-finals.
Cock's first season with the Stamford Bridge
club proved to be his most successful, and thereafter his goalscoring record was never as prolific, though he was still top scorer at the club in 1920–21 and 1921–22. After scoring one goal in 11 appearances in 1922–23, he was transferred to Everton
in February 1923. He ended his Chelsea career with a nonetheless impressive 53 goals from 110 games. Cock remained on Merseyside
for two years, before signing for Plymouth Argyle
in March 1925, where he scored 72 League goals in just 90 games, including a club record 32 goals in 39 League games in 1926–27. However, the club finished 2nd in the Third Division South
in each of his three seasons there and thus missed out on promotion. His playing career ended on a high note, though, when he moved to Millwall
and scored 92 goals in 135 appearances, helping the club win the Division Three South title in 1927–28. His 77 League goals there remained a club record until 1973.
Cock ended his first class playing career with 234 Football League
goals from 391 matches. He wound down playing for non-league sides such as Folkestone
and Walton and Hersham. He managed Millwall between 1944 and 1948, leading them to the War Cup South
final at Wembley in 1945, where they lost to his old side Chelsea. The club's playing squad was hit hard by the War
and they were relegated at the end of the 1947–48 season; he left the job shortly afterwards.
He made his England debut against Ireland in 1919, and opened the scoring after 30 seconds, which is currently the third-fastest timed England goal of all time. He won a second (and final) cap against Scotland
in 1920, again scoring.
Owing to his good looks and a tenor
voice, Cock appeared on the music hall
stage numerous times (during his playing days, he was known for singing before entering the pitch). He also starred in several films, including "The Winning Goal
" (1920
) and "The Great Game" (1930
). He later ran a pub
in New Cross
.
He continued to live in South London
and died in April 1966.
Distinguished Conduct Medal
The Distinguished Conduct Medal was an extremely high level award for bravery. It was a second level military decoration awarded to other ranks of the British Army and formerly also to non-commissioned personnel of other Commonwealth countries.The medal was instituted in 1854, during the Crimean...
MM
Military Medal
The Military Medal was a military decoration awarded to personnel of the British Army and other services, and formerly also to personnel of other Commonwealth countries, below commissioned rank, for bravery in battle on land....
(14 November 1893 – 19 April 1966) was an English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
footballer
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
who played for various English club sides as a striker
Striker
Forwards, also known as strikers, are the players on a team in association football who play nearest to the opposing team's goal, and are therefore principally responsible for scoring goals...
. He also had the distinction of being the first Cornishman
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
to play for the England national team
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
, a decorated World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
soldier, and an actor. His younger brothers, Donald Cock
Donald Cock
Donald James Cock was an English football player. He was the younger brother of England international Jack Cock....
and Herbert Cock, also played professional football.
Playing career
Born in HayleHayle
Hayle is a small town, civil parish and cargo port in west Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is situated at the mouth of the Hayle River and is approximately seven miles northeast of Penzance...
, he started his football career with amateur clubs West Kennington United, Forest Gate and Old Kingstonians. He played three Southern League Division Two matches in March 1914 as an amateur for Brentford
Brentford F.C.
Brentford Football Club are a professional English football club based in Brentford in the London Borough of Hounslow. They are currently playing in Football League One....
, scoring one goal, before signing professional forms with Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
side Huddersfield Town
Huddersfield Town F.C.
Huddersfield Town Football Club is an English football club formed in 1908 and based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire. They currently play in League One...
later that year, though the First World War broke out shortly afterwards. He served in the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
during the conflict, rising to the rank of Sergeant-Major and earning the Distinguished Conduct Medal
Distinguished Conduct Medal
The Distinguished Conduct Medal was an extremely high level award for bravery. It was a second level military decoration awarded to other ranks of the British Army and formerly also to non-commissioned personnel of other Commonwealth countries.The medal was instituted in 1854, during the Crimean...
and later the Military Medal
Military Medal
The Military Medal was a military decoration awarded to personnel of the British Army and other services, and formerly also to personnel of other Commonwealth countries, below commissioned rank, for bravery in battle on land....
for gallantry. He was reported as 'missing, presumed dead' at one point during the war. During his breaks from military service, he turned out for London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
sides Brentford
Brentford F.C.
Brentford Football Club are a professional English football club based in Brentford in the London Borough of Hounslow. They are currently playing in Football League One....
and Croydon Common
Croydon Common F.C.
Croydon Common Football Club were an amateur and then professional football club based in Croydon.-History:The team formed in 1897 as an amateur church team competing in local leagues. They turned professional in 1907, joining the Second Division of the Southern League...
. Cock also played for England in the Victory International in 1919.
With the resumption of league football in 1919, he moved back to Huddersfield who, at the time, were in severe financial trouble. Cock was sold to David Calderhead
David Calderhead
David Calderhead was a Scottish footballer who later became a manager, notably of Chelsea.-Playing career:...
's Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
for a record £2,500 in October that year. A skilful, nimble striker with a powerful shot, he had a fanatical dedication to fitness, often staying behind to train long after his team mates had gone home. He scored twice on his Chelsea debut against Bradford
Bradford Park Avenue A.F.C.
Bradford Association Football Club, previously also known as Bradford and since its reformation in the 1970s now referred to as Bradford Park Avenue, is a football club based in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England...
and hit 22 more that season in 30 league games, a key factor in the club finishing third in the League
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
and reaching the FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
semi-finals.
Cock's first season with the Stamford Bridge
Stamford Bridge (stadium)
Stamford Bridge is a football stadium in Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, West London, and is the home of Chelsea Football Club. The stadium is located within the Moore Park Estate also known as Walham Green and is often referred to as simply The Bridge...
club proved to be his most successful, and thereafter his goalscoring record was never as prolific, though he was still top scorer at the club in 1920–21 and 1921–22. After scoring one goal in 11 appearances in 1922–23, he was transferred to Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
in February 1923. He ended his Chelsea career with a nonetheless impressive 53 goals from 110 games. Cock remained on Merseyside
Merseyside
Merseyside is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 1,365,900. It encompasses the metropolitan area centred on both banks of the lower reaches of the Mersey Estuary, and comprises five metropolitan boroughs: Knowsley, St Helens, Sefton, Wirral, and the city of Liverpool...
for two years, before signing for Plymouth Argyle
Plymouth Argyle F.C.
Plymouth Argyle Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Plymouth, Devon, that plays in Football League Two.Since becoming professional in 1903, the club has won five Football League titles, five Southern League titles and one Western League title. The 2009–10 season was the...
in March 1925, where he scored 72 League goals in just 90 games, including a club record 32 goals in 39 League games in 1926–27. However, the club finished 2nd in the Third Division South
Football League Third Division South
The Football League Third Division South was a level of English professional football which ran in parallel to Third Division North from 1921 to 1958....
in each of his three seasons there and thus missed out on promotion. His playing career ended on a high note, though, when he moved to Millwall
Millwall F.C.
Millwall Football Club is an English professional football club based in South Bermondsey, south east London, that plays in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football. Founded as Millwall Rovers in 1885, the club has retained its name despite having last played in the...
and scored 92 goals in 135 appearances, helping the club win the Division Three South title in 1927–28. His 77 League goals there remained a club record until 1973.
Cock ended his first class playing career with 234 Football League
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
goals from 391 matches. He wound down playing for non-league sides such as Folkestone
Folkestone F.C.
Folkestone Football Club was the name of two English football clubs based in the town of Folkestone, Kent. It is unclear if the two clubs were in fact connected, but neither has any formal connection to Folkestone Invicta, who took over the Cheriton Road stadium after the demise of Folkestone F.C....
and Walton and Hersham. He managed Millwall between 1944 and 1948, leading them to the War Cup South
Football League War Cup
The Football League War Cup was an association football tournament held between 1939 and 1945 which aimed to fill the gaping hole left in English Football by the cancellation of the FA Cup.- Background:...
final at Wembley in 1945, where they lost to his old side Chelsea. The club's playing squad was hit hard by the War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and they were relegated at the end of the 1947–48 season; he left the job shortly afterwards.
He made his England debut against Ireland in 1919, and opened the scoring after 30 seconds, which is currently the third-fastest timed England goal of all time. He won a second (and final) cap against Scotland
Scotland national football team
The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...
in 1920, again scoring.
Owing to his good looks and a tenor
Tenor
The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
voice, Cock appeared on the music hall
Music hall
Music Hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment which was popular between 1850 and 1960. The term can refer to:# A particular form of variety entertainment involving a mixture of popular song, comedy and speciality acts...
stage numerous times (during his playing days, he was known for singing before entering the pitch). He also starred in several films, including "The Winning Goal
The Winning Goal
The Winning Goal is a 1920 British silent sports film directed by G.B. Samuelson and starring Harold Walden, Maudie Dunham and Tom Reynolds. It was based on the play The Game by Harold Brighouse. It was set in Lancashire against a backdrop of the fictional Association football team Blackton Rovers...
" (1920
1920 in film
The year 1920 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* November 27 - The Mark of Zorro, starring Douglas Fairbanks opens.-Top grossing films :-Films released in 1920:U.S.A. unless stated*The $1,000,000 Reward...
) and "The Great Game" (1930
1930 in film
-Events:* November 1: The Big Trail featuring a young John Wayne in his first starring role is released in both 35mm, and a very early form of 70mm film and was the first large scale big-budget film of the sound era costing over $2 million. The film was praised for its aesthetic quality and realism...
). He later ran a pub
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
in New Cross
New Cross
New Cross is a district and ward of the London Borough of Lewisham, England. It is situated 4 miles south-east of Charing Cross. The ward covered by London post town and the SE 14 postcode district. New Cross is near St Johns, Telegraph Hill, Nunhead, Peckham, Brockley, Deptford and Greenwich...
.
He continued to live in South London
South London
South London is the southern part of London, England, United Kingdom.According to the 2011 official Boundary Commission for England definition, South London includes the London boroughs of Bexley, Bromley, Croydon, Greenwich, Kingston, Lambeth, Lewisham, Merton, Southwark, Sutton and...
and died in April 1966.