Errol Crossan

{{Infobox football biography

|name = Errol Crossan

|image =

|image_size =

|caption =

|fullname = Errol Gilmour Crossan

|birth_date = {{birth date|1930|10|6|df=y}}

|birth_place = Montreal, Quebec, Canada

|death_date = {{death date and age|2016|4|23|1930|10|6|df=y}}

|death_place = Langley, BC, Canada

|height =

|position = Right winger

|youthyears1 =

|youthclubs1 =

|years1 = 1949

|clubs1 = Marpole Athletic Club

|caps1 =

|goals1 =

|years2 = 1950–1951

|clubs2 = St. Andrews FC

|caps2 =

|goals2 =

|years3 = 1951–1954

|clubs3 = New Westminster Royals

|caps3 =

|goals3 =

|years4 = 1954–1955

|clubs4 = Manchester City

|caps4 = 0

|goals4 = 0

|years5 = 1955–1957

|clubs5 = Gillingham

|caps5 = 76

|goals5 = 16

|years6 = 1957–1958

|clubs6 = Southend United

|caps6 = 40

|goals6 = 11

|years7 = 1958–1961

|clubs7 = Norwich City

|caps7 = 102

|goals7 = 28

|years8 = 1961

|clubs8 = Leyton Orient

|caps8 = 8

|goals8 = 2

|years9 = 1961

|clubs9 = Toronto City

|caps9 =

|goals9 =

|years10 = 1961–1962

|clubs10 = New Westminster Royals

|caps10 =

|goals10 =

|years11 = 1963–1966

|clubs11 = Vancouver Columbus FC

|caps11 =

|goals11 =

|years12 = 1966–1969

|clubs12 = New Westminster Royals / Labatt's

|caps12 =

|goals12 =

|totalcaps = 226

|totalgoals = 57

}}

File:Norwich City FC 1959.jpg, Ralph Hunt, Ken Nethercott, Barry Butler, Ron Ashman, Matt Crowe; crouched from left: Errol Crossan, Terry Allcock, Terry Bly, Jimmy Hill and Bobby Brennan.]]

Errol Gilmour Crossan (6 October 1930 – 23 April 2016) was a Canadian professional soccer player, active primarily in England, who played as a right winger.

Early and personal life

Crossan was born in Montreal. His family moved to the Isle of Man when he was eight, before returning to Canada in 1949, where he began his career with the Marpole Athletic Club.{{cite web |url=https://issuu.com/canadasoccer/docs/2019_issuu_cs_hall_of_fame_class |title=Canada Soccer Hall of Fame |publisher=Canada Soccer |date=9 October 2019 |access-date=9 May 2019|page=12}}

Career

After making his Pacific Coast League debut with Vancouver St. Andrews FC{{cite web |url=https://issuu.com/canadasoccer/docs/2019_canada_soccer_pacific_coast_le |title=Story of the Pacific Coast League |publisher=Canada Soccer |date=3 April 2019 |access-date=9 May 2019|page=165}} in 1950–51, he played three seasons with New Westminster Royals from 1951–52 to 1953–54. He helped the Royals capture the 1952–53 league title and then the 1953 Canadian championship.{{cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=SYMtAAAAIBAJ&pg=3963%2C2709073|title=New Westminster cops soccer tie|website=Google|author1=Norm Gillespie|date=19 August 1953|access-date=18 August 2018}}

In 1953, he played in a North American championship match, helping the Royals win the Jack Diamond Trophy over the Chicago Falcons.{{cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ZIBlAAAAIBAJ&pg=1017%2C2129306|title=Royals Rule as Champs|website=Google|author1=Trevor Swangard|date=13 October 1953|access-date=4 July 2018}}

After a proposed move to England to play for Liverpool in 1953 fell through, Crossan joined Manchester City in January 1954. He later played for Gillingham, Southend United, Norwich City and Leyton Orient, scoring 57 goals in 226 games in the Football League.{{cite web |url=http://www.neilbrown.newcastlefans.com/player2/errolcrossan.html|title=Errol Crossan|website=Post War English & Scottish Football League A–Z Player's Database |publisher=Neil Brown |access-date=4 May 2016}}{{cite web |url=http://www.canadasoccer.com/59er-crossan-still-so-tied-to-norwich-city-p150420 |title=59er Crossan still "so tied" to Norwich City |publisher=Canada Soccer |date=4 May 2012 |access-date=4 May 2016 |archive-date=1 June 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160601155136/http://www.canadasoccer.com/59er-crossan-still-so-tied-to-norwich-city-p150420 |url-status=dead }}{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football-golden-canary-memories-1087383.html |title=Football: Golden Canary memories |first=Ken |last=Jones |newspaper=The Independent |location=London |date=14 April 1999 |access-date=4 May 2016}}

Crossan played a significant role in Norwich's 1959 FA Cup run, when the team from the Third Division reached the semifinal, beating Manchester United along the way. Crossan played in all 11 ties, scoring four goals.{{cite news |url=http://www.edp24.co.uk/sport/norwich-city/tributes_to_joker_in_norwich_city_s_famous_1959_fa_cup_run_side_1_4518886 |title=Tributes to joker in Norwich City's famous 1959 FA Cup run side |first=Peter |last=Walsh |newspaper=Eastern Daily Press |location=Norwich |date=3 May 2016 |access-date=4 May 2016 |archive-date=2 June 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160602235121/http://www.edp24.co.uk/sport/norwich-city/tributes_to_joker_in_norwich_city_s_famous_1959_fa_cup_run_side_1_4518886 |url-status=dead }}

He later returned to Canada to play for Toronto City, before moving west to resume his career in the Pacific Coast League. After a season with the New Westminster Royals,{{cite news|last=Jukich|first=Roy|title=Crossan, Woods banned 2 years for pay rebellion|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=-5hlAAAAIBAJ&dq=errol%20crossan&pg=6105%2C6694011|access-date=13 June 2011|newspaper=The Vancouver Sun|date=23 June 1962|page=16}}{{Cite book|last=Jose|first=Colin|title=Keeping Score - Canadian Encyclopedia of Soccer|publisher=The Soccer Hall of Fame and Museum|year=1998|isbn=0-9683800-0-X|location=Vaughan, Ontario|pages=146}} he joined Vancouver Columbus FC. He spent the next three seasons with Columbus FC where he won his second Canadian title in 1964.{{cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=fpllAAAAIBAJ&pg=5886%2C1773877|title=Italians Celebrate Dominion Cup Victory|website=Google|author1=Roy Jukich|date=21 September 1964|access-date=9 May 2020}} He then rejoined Westminster Royals.

Crossan was inducted into the Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame in 2000 and the Norwich City Hall of Fame in 2002.

He died on 23 April 2016 in Langley, British Columbia.{{cite web |url=http://www.canadasoccer.com/honoured-hero-crossan-85-passes-away-p159453 |title=Honoured hero Crossan, 85, passes away |publisher=Canada Soccer |date=1 May 2016 |access-date=4 May 2016 |archive-date=5 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160505131713/http://www.canadasoccer.com/honoured-hero-crossan-85-passes-away-p159453 |url-status=dead }}

Honours

=Team=

Westminster Royals

Canadian Championship (Challenge Trophy) winner (1953)
Pacific Coast League winner (1952–53){{cite web |url=https://issuu.com/canadasoccer/docs/2019_canada_soccer_pacific_coast_le |title=Story of the Pacific Coast League |publisher=Canada Soccer |date=3 April 2019 |access-date=9 May 2019|page=124}}
Jack Diamond Trophy, North American championship (1953)

Vancouver Columbus FC

Canadian Championship (Challenge Trophy) winner (1964)

=Individual=

Canada Soccer Hall of Fame: 2000
Norwich City Hall of Fame: 2002
Soccer Hall of Fame of British Columbia: 2019{{cite web |url=https://heritage.bcsoccer.net/entries/errol-crossan/ |title=Soccer Hall of Fame of British Columbia |publisher=BC Soccer |access-date=9 May 2019}}