Harold Crockford
{{short description|English footballer}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2016}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name = Harold Crockford
| image = Harry Crockford - Exeter City.jpg
| image_size = 150
| caption = Crockford while with Exeter City in 1922.
| fullname = Harold Arthur Crockford
| birth_date = {{birth date|1893|09|25|df=y}}
| birth_place = Derby, England
| death_date = {{death date and age|1983|12|15|1893|09|25|df=y}}
| death_place = Tunbridge Wells, England
| height = {{height|ft=5|in=11}}{{Cite news |date=13 August 1923 |title=The lure of promotion. Port Vale |page=6 |work=Athletic News |location=Manchester}}
| position = Centre forward, inside forward
| youthyears1 =
| youthclubs1 =
| youthyears2 =
| youthclubs2 =
| years1 =
| clubs1 = Chatham
| caps1 =
| goals1 =
| years2 = 1916
| clubs2 = → Brentford (guest)
| caps2 = 3
| goals2 = 0
| years3 = {{0|0000}}–1917
| clubs3 = Vicar of Wakefield
| caps3 =
| goals3 =
| years4 = 1919–1922
| clubs4 = Fulham
| caps4 = 26
| goals4 = 9
| years5 = 1922–1923
| clubs5 = Exeter City
| caps5 = 30
| goals5 = 17
| years6 = 1923
| clubs6 = Port Vale
| caps6 = 6
| goals6 = 2
| years7 = 1923–1925
| clubs7 = Chesterfield
| caps7 = 52
| goals7 = 28
| years8 = 1925
| clubs8 = Gillingham
| caps8 = 7
| goals8 = 1
| years9 = 1925
| clubs9 = Accrington Stanley
| caps9 = 11
| goals9 = 5
| years10 = 1925–1926
| clubs10 = Walsall
| caps10 = 24
| goals10 = 17
| years11 = 1926–1927
| clubs11 = Darlington
| caps11 = 18
| goals11 = 8
| years12 = 1927–1928
| clubs12 = Norwich City
| caps12 = 2
| goals12 = 0
| years13 = 1928–1929
| clubs13 = Bedford Town
| caps13 = 31
| goals13 = 28
| totalcaps = 176+
| totalgoals = 87+
| years14 = 1929
| clubs14 = Tunbridge Wells Rangers
| caps14 =
| goals14 =
}}
Harold Arthur Crockford (25 September 1893 – 15 December 1983) was an English professional footballer who played as a forward in the Football League for Fulham, Exeter City, Port Vale, Chesterfield, Gillingham, Accrington Stanley, Walsall, Darlington and Norwich City.
Career
Before and during the First World War, Crockford played for Chatham, Vicar of Wakefield and as a guest for Watford, Clapton Orient, Brentford and Southampton.{{Cite web |title=Crockford, Harold |url=https://grecianarchive.exeter.ac.uk/items/show/991 |access-date=9 November 2022 |website=grecianarchive.exeter.ac.uk |language=English}}{{Cite book |title=100 Years Of Brentford |publisher=Brentford FC |year=1989 |isbn=0951526200 |editor-last=White |editor-first=Eric |page=364}}{{Cite web |title=Harold Crockford |url=https://www.cfchistory.com/ |access-date=12 November 2022 |website=Sky is Blue - The Chesterfield FC history resource |archive-date=12 February 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190212190832/https://www.cfchistory.com/ |url-status=dead }} Crockford joined Fulham in 1919 and scored 9 goals in 26 appearances during the 1919–20 and 1920–21 Second Division seasons, though he once missed the team bus for an away match at bury in April 1920. Crockford transferred to Exeter City during the 1922 off-season and scored 17 goals in 30 Third Division South appearances to finish as the club's top-scorer. He scored hat-tricks in matches against Reading and Newport County.
Crockford transferred to Port Vale in May 1923.{{Cite book |last=Kent |first=Jeff |title=Port Vale Personalities |publisher=Witan Books |year=1996 |isbn=0-9529152-0-0 |page=71}} He scored on his debut on 25 August, in a 2–1 victory over Crystal Palace at the Nest and scored again two days later in a 2–0 win over Sheffield Wednesday at The Old Recreation Ground. However, Vale lost the next four Second Division matches of the 1923–24 season and he left by mutual consent the next month due to his poor form, to be replaced by Tom Butler. Crockford moved on to play for Chesterfield, where he scored on his debut in a 4–0 win over Southport on 6 October 1923.{{Cite web |title=Debut scorers |url=https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1vsu5exVElvfNUVEChFAJ23TZgOnG_Eut/edit#gid=1049840260 |access-date=13 February 2023 |website=Google Docs}} He later played for Gillingham, Accrington Stanley, Walsall, Darlington, Norwich City, Bedford Town and Tunbridge Wells Rangers between 1925 and 1929.{{Cite book |last=Joyce |first=Michael |title=Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939 |publisher=Tony Brown |year=2012 |isbn=978-1905891610 |location=Nottingham |page=70}}{{Cite web |title=Player list 1908-38X.xlsx |url=https://drive.google.com/file/d/1b3lCeuPaDwrOWlXQnGS_ewPlC8YZaLol/view |access-date=10 October 2017 |website=docs.google.com |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Crockford Harold Exeter City 1922 |url=http://vintagefootballers.com/product/crockford-harold-image-1-exeter-1922/ |access-date=28 December 2018 |website=Vintage Footballers |language=en-GB}}
Personal life
Crockford served in the Royal Field Artillery during the First World War. After retiring as a player, he worked as a turf accountant near Stamford Bridge.
Career statistics
References
{{reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Crockford, Harold}}
Category:Footballers from Derby
Category:English men's footballers
Category:Men's association football forwards
Category:Men's association football inside forwards
Category:Brentford F.C. wartime guest players
Category:Exeter City F.C. players
Category:Port Vale F.C. players
Category:Chesterfield F.C. players
Category:Gillingham F.C. players
Category:Accrington Stanley F.C. (1891) players
Category:Darlington F.C. players
Category:Norwich City F.C. players
Category:Bedford Town F.C. players
Category:Tunbridge Wells F.C. players
Category:English Football League players
Category:British Army personnel of World War I
Category:Royal Field Artillery soldiers
Category:Watford F.C. wartime guest players
Category:Clapton Orient F.C. wartime guest players