Gershom Cox
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Gershom Cox | ||
| Date of birth | March 1863 | ||
| Place of birth | Birmingham, England | ||
| Date of death | September 1940 | ||
| Playing position | Defender | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| – | Excelsior | ||
| – | Walsall Town | ||
| 1888–1892 | Aston Villa | 86 | (0) |
| – | Willenhall Pickwick | ||
| – | Walsall Bruswick | ||
| – | Bloxwich Strollers | ||
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals). | |||
Gershom Cox (March 1863 – September 1940) was an English professional footballer who played as a full-back for Aston Villa from 1888 to 1893. He made 102 first-team appearances for Aston Villa in all competitions.
Career
Until a chance discovery in 2013, his main claim to fame had been that he scored the first goal in The Football League on the first day of the inaugural season, 1888-89 on 8 September 1888 for Aston Villa against their Midlands rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers.[1]
As of 2013, Kenny Davenport is regarded as scorer of the first ever Football League goal, scoring at 3:47pm on 7 September 1888 against Derby County.[2]
However, Cox's goal was scored into his own net, so is the first "own goal".
Cox also won an FA Cup runners-up medal, appearing for Aston Villa in the 1892 final. Villa lost to West Bromwich Albion.
Honours
References
- ↑ http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/come-in-number-500000-landmark-day-in-history-of-the-football-league-410955.html
- ↑ Football (2013-07-25). "Bolton and England inside forward Kenyon Davenport finally credited with scoring Football League's first goal". Telegraph. Retrieved 2013-07-29.