Graham Atkinson (17 May 1943 – 5 January 2017) was an English

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 ...

. He was a stalwart at

Oxford United Oxford United Football Club is a professional football club in the city of Oxford, England. The team plays in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. The chairman is Grant Ferguson, the manager is Karl Robinson and th ...

in their initial years 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 ...

(1962–1974). His brother is

Ron Atkinson Ronald Frederick Atkinson (born 18 March 1939), commonly known as "Big Ron" or "Mr. Bojangles", is an English former football player and manager. In the 1990s and early 2000s, he was regarded as one of Britain's best-known football pundits. Nick ...

Playing career

Graham Atkinson joined Aston Villa's groundstaff at the age of 15 but, like his brother Ron, failed to make the first team. He was released for the occasional game for Headington United (the team later to become

) during 1959–60 and before reaching his 17th birthday (when he could have signed full-time for Aston Villa), he signed for the Southern Leaguers. He developed in the Reserves during his first season, but came to the fore at inside-right in the second of the two successive championship years (1961–62). Atkinson made history by scoring Oxford United's first goal in the Football League on 18 August 1962 at Barrow. He often found it difficult to score consistently and received criticism from sections of the home crowd. After being tried at right-half in the Reserves, he left in April 1963 for a loan spell at

Cambridge United Cambridge United Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Cambridge, England. They compete in EFL League one , the 3rd tier of the English football league system. The club is based at the Abbey Stadium on N ...

. He missed out on Oxford United's F.A. Cup glories of 1963–64, but after his return from loan, midway through the following term, he was a revelation. He was a far more complete striker and for four years was the mainstay of the goalscoring department. From 1968, Atkinson's vision and passing ability were used to excellent effect in the

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 ...

. The bulk of the 1972–73 season was lost to injury, but he came back as good as ever until he left at the end of the 1973–74 season to join Ron Atkinson at

Kettering Town Kettering Town Football Club is a football club based in Burton Latimer, Northamptonshire, England. They are currently members of and play at Latimer Park in Burton Latimer. Kettering were the first club to wear sponsorship on their shirts in ...

. He remains Oxford United's leading goalscorer, with 77 league goals, and 107 in all competitions.

Death

Atkinson died from cancer on 5 January 2017.

References

''Oxford United – A complete Record 1893–1989'' by Andy and Roger Howland {{DEFAULTSORT:Atkinson, Graham 1943 births 2017 deaths Footballers from Liverpool English footballers Association football forwards English Football League players Aston Villa F.C. players Oxford United F.C. players Deaths from cancer in England