Gershom Cox
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Gershom Cox | ||
| Date of birth | September 1863 | ||
| Place of birth | Birmingham, England | ||
| Date of death | November 1918 (at Gravesend, Kent) | ||
| 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 (September 1863 - November 1918) 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. After his years at Aston Villa he went as Player/Coach for Gravesend in Kent.
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 recorded "own goal" in the Football league.
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
- ↑ "Come in number 500,000: Landmark day in history of the Football League". The Independent (London). 8 August 2006.
- ↑ Football (2013-07-25). "Bolton and England inside forward Kenyon Davenport finally credited with scoring Football League's first goal". London: Telegraph. Retrieved 2013-07-29.