Cecil Blakemore (8 December 1897 – September 1963) sometimes known as Cyril Blakemore, was an English professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...

who played as an

inside forward Forwards (also known as attackers) are outfield positions in an association football team who play the furthest up the pitch and are therefore most responsible for scoring goals as well as assisting them. As with any attacking player, the role ...

in the

Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...

, most notably for

Crystal Palace Crystal Palace may refer to: Places Canada * Crystal Palace Complex (Dieppe), a former amusement park now a shopping complex in Dieppe, New Brunswick * Crystal Palace Barracks, London, Ontario * Crystal Palace (Montreal), an exhibition building * ...

Brentford Brentford is a suburban town in West London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It lies at the confluence of the River Brent and the Thames, west of Charing Cross. Its economy has diverse company headquarters buildings whi ...

and

Norwich City Norwich City Football Club (also known as The Canaries or The Yellows) is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. The club competes in the EFL Championship following their relegation from the Premier League in the 20 ...

. He also played for

Bristol City Bristol City Football Club is a professional football club based in Bristol, England, which compete in the , the second tier of English football. They have played their home games at Ashton Gate since moving from St John's Lane in 1904. The ...

and

Swindon Town Swindon Town Football Club is a professional Association football, football club based in Swindon, Wiltshire, England. The team currently competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. The club has played home matches at ...

Career

Early years

, Blakemore began his career as an amateur in

non-League football Non-League football describes football leagues played outside the top leagues of a country. Usually, it describes leagues which are not fully professional. The term is primarily used for football in England, where it is specifically used to de ...

in his native

West Midlands West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some ...

, playing for Heath Villa,

Redditch Redditch is a town, and local government district, in north-east Worcestershire, England, approximately south of Birmingham. The district has a population of 85,000 as of 2019. In the 19th century, it became the international centre for the ...

Stourbridge Stourbridge is a market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley in the West Midlands, England, situated on the River Stour. Historically in Worcestershire, it was the centre of British glass making during the Industrial Revolution. The 20 ...

and Fairfield Villa. He had a spell with First Division club

Aston Villa Aston Villa Football Club is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club competes in the , the top tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1874, they have played at their home ground, Villa Park ...

during the 1921–22 season, but did not make a first team appearance.

Crystal Palace

Blakemore got his second chance at

League League or The League may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Leagues'' (band), an American rock band * ''The League'', an American sitcom broadcast on FX and FXX about fantasy football Sports * Sports league * Rugby league, full contact footba ...

football when he signed for

Second Division In sport, the Second Division, also called Division 2 or Division II is usually the second highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Following the rise of Premier League style compet ...

club

in December 1922. He had a slow start to life at

Selhurst Park Selhurst Park is a football stadium in Selhurst in the London Borough of Croydon which is the home ground of Premier League side Crystal Palace. The stadium was designed by Archibald Leitch and opened in 1924. It has hosted international footba ...

, making just 24 appearances during the 1922–23 and 1923–24 seasons, though he managed five goals in his 12 appearances during 1923–24. Blakemore broke into the team during the 1924–25 season, making 24 appearances and scoring 12 goals in a disastrous season which saw the Eagles relegated to the

Third Division South The Third Division South of The Football League was a tier in the English football league system from 1921 to 1958. It ran in parallel with the Third Division North with clubs elected to the League or relegated from Division Two allocated to on ...

. He was a near ever-present for two seasons in the Third Division South, scoring 36 goals as Palace pushed for promotion back to the Second Division. Blakemore departed Palace in May 1927, having made 141 appearances and scored 56 goals during five years with the club.

Bristol City

Blakemore moved back up to the Second Division to sign for

in May 1927. He failed to hold down a regular place in the team, but still managed 20 goals in 42 appearances before departing Ashton Gate in May 1929.

Brentford

Blakemore and Bristol City teammate Jackie Foster signed for Third Division South club

on 2 May 1929. He quickly established himself in the team, scoring 15 goals in 43 appearances during the 1929–30 season, a campaign in which the Bees set a record of 21 home wins. Blakemore made another 40 appearances the following year, scoring 13 goals, before leaving Brentford in May 1931. Blakemore scored 28 goals in 83 games during two seasons at

Griffin Park Griffin Park was a football ground in Brentford in the London Borough of Hounslow, England. It was the home ground of Brentford F.C. from its opening in September 1904 to August 2020. The ground is in a predominantly residential area and was ...

Norwich City

Blakemore moved to Third Division South club

in August 1931. He made 70 appearances over the course of two seasons, as the Canaries pushed for promotion to the Second Division.

Swindon Town

At age 35, Blakemore was brought in by manager

Ted Vizard Edward Vizard (7 June 1889 – 25 December 1973) was a Welsh international footballer who became a manager. He spent almost all his playing career at Bolton Wanderers. Playing career Born in Cogan, Wales Vizard joined Bolton Wanderers in Sep ...

to replace Third Division South club

's record goalscorer Harry Morris in June 1933. He scored eight goals in 27 appearances before being released at the end of the 1933–34 season.

Brierley Hill Alliance

Blakemore ended his career with a spell at Birmingham & District League club Brierley Hill Alliance.

Career statistics

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Blakemore, Cecil 1897 births Footballers from Stourbridge English men's footballers Stourbridge F.C. players Redditch United F.C. players Brentford F.C. players Crystal Palace F.C. players Bristol City F.C. players English Football League players Norwich City F.C. players Swindon Town F.C. players 1963 deaths Brierley Hill Alliance F.C. players Men's association football forwards