Joe Cockroft

Infobox Football biography
playername = Joe Cockroft


fullname =
dateofbirth = 20 June 1911
cityofbirth = Barnsley
countryofbirth = England
dateofdeath = February 1994 (aged 82)
cityofdeath = King's Lynn
countryofdeath = England
height =
position = Wing half
currentclub =
youthyears =
youthclubs =
years =
1931–1932
1932–1933
1933–1939
1945–1948
1948–1949
1949–19??
clubs = Wombwell
Rotherham United
Gainsborough Trinity
West Ham United
→ (wartime)
→ Dartford (guest)
→ Sheffield Wednesday (guest)
Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield United
Wisbech Town (player manager)
caps(goals) = 00? (?)
003 (1)
00? (?)
251 (3)
00? (?)
00? (?)
00? (?)
087 (2)
012 (0)
00? (?)
nationalyears =
nationalteam =
nationalcaps(goals) =
manageryears = 1949–19??
managerclubs = Wisbech Town (player manager)
pcupdate =
ntupdate =

Joe Cockroft (20 June 1911–February 1994) was an English footballer.

Cockroft played for Yorkshire Paper Mills, Barnsley Old Boys, Ardsley Athletic, Wombwell, Rotherham United and then Gainsborough Trinity before moving to West Ham United, then of Division Two, in 1933.

Signed after a months trial from Gainsborough by Charlie Paynter, Cockroft made his West Ham debut on April 14 1933, having made just four reserve appearances for the club. Drafted in after injuries to first-choice left-halves Albert Cadwell and Joe Musgrave, he made the position his own and rarely missed a game up to the outbreak of World War II. He was an ever-present in the team for the 1933-34, 1934-35, 1935-36 and 1936-37 seasons.

Cockroft played as a left-half, but often switched positions with Len Goulden during matches to dumbfound oppositions.

He played in the Football League War Cup winning side of 1940.

During the war, he guested for Sheffield Wednesday as direction of labour laws compelled his employment at a steelworks] in Sheffield. He went on to join the club after hostilities ended. Cockroft spent almost three years at Hillsborough after the war, making a total of 96 appearances in all competitions. His debut came on 5 January 1946 in a goalless FA Cup 3rd round first leg game against Mansfield Town. He went on to play in all of "the Owls" FA Cup games in the 1945–46 season; the club were eventually knocked out by Stoke City in the 5th round following comprehensive wins over York City and Mansfield.

He joined First Division side Sheffield United in 1949, but left a year later to take on the manager's role at Wisbech Town

Cockroft was a footballer with many other interests, he was a keen golfer, swimmer, motorist and was also very interested in anatomy.

References

*cite web|url=http://www.themillers.premiumtv.co.uk/staticFiles/6f/12/0,,10360~4719,00.doc|title=themillers.co.uk|accessdate=2008-07-10
*cite book |last=Hogg |first=Tony |title=Who's Who of West Ham United |year=2005 |publisher=Profile Sports Media| id= ISBN 1 903135 50 8 |pages=49
*cite web|url=http://www.lalamy.demon.co.uk/whulist.htm|title=West Ham Player List|accessdate=2007-01-01
*cite web|url=http://www.westhamstats.info/westham.php?west=2&ham=138&united=Joe_Cockroft|title=Joe Cockroft|work=westhamstats.info|accessdate=2008-07-10
*cite web|url=http://www.adrianbullock.com/swfc/stats/play0113.htm|title=Joe Cockroft|last=Jackson|first=Stuart|work=The Sheffield Wednesday Archive|accessdate=2008-07-10
*cite web|url=http://www.neilbrown.newcastlefans.com/sheffutd/sheffutd.htm|title=Sheffield United|last=Brown|first=Neil|work=Post War Football League Player Database|accessdate=2008-07-10