Frederick James Arthur Cox
DFC (1 November 1920 – 7 August 1973) was an English
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
player and manager. Playing as a
winger, he scored 25 goals from 182 appearances 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 ...
either side of the Second World War,
and was on the winning side for
Arsenal
An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
in the
1950 FA Cup Final
The 1950 FA Cup Final was the 69th final of the FA Cup. It took place on 29 April 1950 at Wembley Stadium and was contested between Arsenal and Liverpool.
Arsenal won the match 2–0 to win the FA Cup for the third time, with both goals scored b ...
. He then spent 14 years as a manager at Football League level.
During the war, he served as a
fighter pilot in the
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...
, and was awarded the
Distinguished Flying Cross.
Life and career
Cox was born in
Reading, Berkshire
Reading ( ) is a town and borough in Berkshire, Southeast England, southeast England. Located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the rivers River Thames, Thames and River Kennet, Kennet, the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 mot ...
.
[ He played for St George's Lads Club before joining ]Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as Tottenham () or Spurs, is a professional association football, football club based in Tottenham, London, England. It competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English footba ...
as a youngster. Cox took his first steps in senior football with Spurs' nursery club, the Kent-based Northfleet United
Northfleet United Football Club was a football club based in Northfleet, Kent.
Around 1890 organised team football was being played in the town and in 1892 the Northfleet F.C. club was founded. It flourished for a few years in the mid-1890s u ...
, in 1936, before turning professional with Tottenham in August 1938.[ A tricky and talented winger who usually played on the right, he made his first-team debut in a ]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 ...
match against Swansea Town in November 1938, scoring Spurs' goal in a 1–1 draw. However, soon after he broke into the first team, the Second World War broke out and all competitive football was suspended.
Cox served as a fighter pilot in the Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...
, and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. In his spare time he made guest appearances for his hometown club, Reading
Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of Letter (alphabet), letters, symbols, etc., especially by Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch.
For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process invo ...
, and for Swindon Town
Swindon Town Football Club is a professional 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 the County Ground sin ...
.
After the war, Cox returned to Spurs for another three seasons, taking his totals to 18 goals from 105 appearances in 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 ...
and FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...
. He then moved to their north London rivals, Arsenal
An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
, for £12,000 in September 1949.
Cox made his Arsenal debut straight away, on 7 September 1949 against West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion Football Club () is an English professional football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. The club was formed in 1878 and has pl ...
, and became an immediate regular in the side.[ His efforts were most evident in the FA Cup. In the semi-final, against ]Chelsea
Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to:
Places Australia
* Chelsea, Victoria
Canada
* Chelsea, Nova Scotia
* Chelsea, Quebec
United Kingdom
* Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames
** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...
, Cox scored the first goal in a 2–2 draw, and went on to score the only goal in Arsenal's 1–0 victory in the replay.[ In the final, against ]Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
, he laid on a cross for Reg Lewis to score the only goal of the match, winning the Cup for Arsenal.[ Two years later, Arsenal again played Chelsea in the FA Cup semi-finals, and again Cox proved crucialhe scored Arsenal's goal in a 1–1 draw, and in the replay he scored twice and set up a third as Arsenal ran out 3–0 winners.] However, the 1952 final was not to be a repeat of two years earlier; against Newcastle United
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, that plays in the Premier League – the top flight of English football. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End ...
, an injury-ravaged Arsenal side played most of the match with ten men after Walley Barnes
Walley Barnes (16 January 1920 – 4 September 1975) was a Welsh footballer and broadcaster. Whilst playing as a defender he featured for Southampton and Arsenal and captained the Welsh national side.
Early career
He was born in Brecon to Engli ...
was stretchered off, and lost 1–0.
Despite his cup exploits, Cox was never an ever-present in the Arsenal side; he first faced competition from Ian McPherson Ian MacPherson, Macpherson or McPherson may refer to:
* Ian Macpherson, 1st Baron Strathcarron (1880–1937), British lawyer and politician
* Ian Macpherson (novelist) (1905–1944), Scottish novelist
* Ian McPherson (footballer) (1920–1983), Sco ...
for the right-wing spot, and then from the talented youngster Arthur Milton
Clement Arthur Milton (10 March 1928 – 25 April 2007)
...
. After only appearing in nine matches in the 1952–53 season, in which Arsenal won the First Division title,[ he sought pastures new and was transferred to West Bromwich Albion as player-coach. In all he played 94 matches for Arsenal in League and Cup, scoring 16 goals.][
Cox only played four matches for West Brom,][ and at the end of the 1953–54 season was appointed as team coach by manager ]Vic Buckingham
Victor Frederick Buckingham (23 October 1915 – 26 January 1995) was an English football player and manager.
He played for the then second division side Tottenham Hotspur. As manager he won the 1953–54 FA Cup with West Bromwich Albion and f ...
. In 1956 he moved on to 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 ...
club Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic to become manager. Bournemouth fared reasonably steadily in the league, and pulled off a giant-killing feat in beating Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club (), commonly known as Wolves, is a professional football club based in Wolverhampton, England, which compete in the . The club has played at Molineux Stadium since moving from Dudley Road in 1889. The club's ...
and Spurs in the 1956–57 FA Cup to reach the sixth round, in which they lost to Manchester United
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...
. In 1958 he moved along the coast to become Portsmouth
Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council.
Portsmouth is the most dens ...
's manager; here he was less successful as Portsmouth were relegated from the First Division in his first season, and Cox was sacked in February 1961. He is commonly regarded as being Portsmouth's worst ever manager, and during his tenure the club steeply declined from the top half of the First Division to relegation to the Third Division. [
After a spell out of football while he established his newsagents' business, Cox took up the reins at Fourth Division Gillingham in 1962. He had an immediate impact, taking a side that had finished 20th the previous season up to 5th place, missing out on promotion on ]goal average
A goal is an idea of the future or desired result that a person or a group of people envision, plan and commit to achieve. People endeavour to reach goals within a finite time by setting deadlines.
A goal is roughly similar to a purpose or ai ...
.[ Cox's Gillingham team became renowned for their defensive discipline and unadventurous style, and the following season, 1963–64, they finished top and won promotion to the Third Division.][ The next season they started well and looked set to win a second successive promotion before slumping late on and finishing seventh. Cox resigned just before Christmas 1965 and rejoined his old club Bournemouth, who were also in the Third Division.][ After finishing as high as fourth in 1968–69, Bournemouth were relegated in 1969–70 after Gillingham won on the last day of the season, condemning the Cherries to the drop instead. Cox was sacked that summer and never worked in football again.]
Cox died in Bournemouth
Bournemouth () is a coastal resort town in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council area of Dorset, England. At the 2011 census, the town had a population of 183,491, making it the largest town in Dorset. It is situated on the Southern ...
in 1973 at the age of 52.[
]
Honours
As player
Arsenal[
* ]FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...
: 1949–50
* FA Cup runner-up: 1951–52
As manager
Gillingham
* Football League Fourth Division: 1963–64
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cox, Freddie
1920 births
1973 deaths
Royal Air Force pilots of World War II
Military personnel from Reading, Berkshire
Sportspeople from Reading, Berkshire
English footballers
Association football outside forwards
Tottenham Hotspur F.C. players
Northfleet United F.C. players
Arsenal F.C. players
West Bromwich Albion F.C. players
English Football League players
English football managers
AFC Bournemouth managers
Portsmouth F.C. managers
Gillingham F.C. managers
English Football League managers
West Bromwich Albion F.C. non-playing staff
Reading F.C. wartime guest players
Swindon Town F.C. wartime guest players
British World War II pilots
Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)
Royal Air Force officers
FA Cup Final players
Footballers from Berkshire