Charles Cotton (footballer)

{{short description|English footballer}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2018}}

{{Use British English|date=October 2018}}

{{Infobox football biography

| name = Charlie Cotton

| image =

| image_size =

| caption =

| fullname = Francis Charles Thomas Cotton

| birth_date = {{birth date|1880|12|23|df=y}}{{Cite web |title=Charles COTTON ... (1903 - 1906) |first=Steve |last=Marsh |website=theyflysohigh.co.uk |accessdate=18 October 2018 |url= http://theyflysohigh.co.uk/syd-king/4545965271}}

| birth_place = East Stonehouse, Plymouth, England

| death_date = {{death date and age|1910|1|3|1880|12|23|df=y}}

| death_place =

| position = Goalkeeper

| youthyears1 =

| youthclubs1 =

| years1 = 1897–1900

| clubs1 = Sheppey United

| caps1 =

| goals1 =

| years2 = 1900–1903

| clubs2 = Reading

| caps2 =

| goals2 =

| years3 = 1903

| clubs3 = West Ham United

| caps3 = 8

| goals3 = 0

| years4 = 1903–1904

| clubs4 = Liverpool

| caps4 = 12

| goals4 = 0

| years5 = 1904–1906

| clubs5 = West Ham United

| caps5 = 10

| goals5 = 0

| years6 = 1906–1910

| clubs6 = Southend United

| caps6 =

| goals6 =

| years7 =

| totalcaps =

| totalgoals =

}}

Francis Charles Thomas Cotton (23 December 1880 – 3 January 1910) was an English footballer who played as a goalkeeper in the Football League for Liverpool. He also played for Sheppey United, Reading, West Ham United and Southend United.{{cite book| first=Michael| last=Joyce| title=Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939| year=2012| orig-year=2002| publisher=SoccerData| location=Nottingham| isbn=978-1-905891-61-0| page=66}}

Born in East Stonehouse, Cotton played for Sheppey United and Reading before moving to east London club West Ham United in the summer of 1903 along with Ernest Watts, Herbert Lyon and Tommy Allison. He made his debut against rival club Millwall on the opening day of the season. After eight Southern League appearances and one in the FA Cup, Cotton lost his place to Fred Griffiths and moved to Liverpool.{{cite book|last=Hogg |first=Tony |year=2005 |title=Who's Who of West Ham United |publisher=Profile Sports Media |isbn=1-903135-50-8 |page=54}}{{cite book|last1=Northcutt |first1=John |last2=Marsh |first2=Steve |title=West Ham United: The Complete Record| year=2015| publisher=deCoubertin Books| isbn=978-1-909245-27-3| pages=36–47}}

Cotton made his Liverpool debut against Nottingham Forest on 1 January 1904 and kept his place until a 5–2 defeat against Everton in the Merseyside derby on 1 April resulted in the return of Peter Platt in goal. He totalled 12 League appearances during 1903–04 and witnessed the club's relegation to the Second Division at the end of the season.{{cite web| url=http://liverpoolfc.com/history/past-players/charles-cotton| title=Charles Cotton| publisher=Liverpool F.C.| archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140715040231/http://liverpoolfc.com/history/past-players/charles-cotton| archivedate=15 July 2014| url-status=dead}} He then returned to West Ham in September 1904,{{cite news| title=New Player for West Ham| newspaper=Lancashire Evening Post| page=5| date=22 September 1904| url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000711/19040922/190/0005| url-access=subscription| via=British Newspaper Archive| accessdate=17 October 2018}} and made 10 appearances over two seasons, being kept out of the team for the most part by Matthew Kingsley. He left for Southend United upon the club's formation in 1906.{{cite web |title=Southend United F.C.: Increase in nominal capital: Prospectus (August 1906) |url=https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/00089767/filing-history/NTk1Mjk5ODNhZGlxemtjeA/document?format=pdf&download=0 |website=Companies House |access-date=30 August 2023}}

Cotton missed a single match in four seasons at Southend before he contracted Bright's disease. After a five-week illness, he died on 3 January 1910.{{cite news| title=Southend League player dead| newspaper=London Daily News| date=4 January 1910| url=https://playupliverpool.com/1910/01/03/the-death-of-charles-cotton/| accessdate=13 October 2018| via=playupliverpool.com}}