JACK COCK

Full Name: John Gilbert Cock

Born: 14 November 1893

Came from: Everton   Went to: Millwall

First game: 14 March 1925   Last game: 05 November 1927

Appearances: 92 (92/0)   Goals: 74

Born in Phillack near Hayle, Cornwall, Cock would go on to be the first Cornishman to play for England and was a decorated World War I soldier, and an actor and singer. Both his brothers, Herbert and Donald also played professional football. Some records suggest Cock was the second Cornishman to play for England after Jack Hillman but contemporary research shows Hillman was in fact, born in Tavistock.

Cock played as an amateur for West Kensington United, Forest Gate, Old Kingstonians and then as guest for Brentford (three games, one goal) before signing as a professional with Huddersfield Town in 1914. The outbreak of World War One he signed up for to the 17th Battalion, Middlesex Regiment, better known as the 1st Footballers’ Battalion, because it consisted mainly of professional footballers. Posted to the Western Front he was awarded the Military Medal (MM) for bravery at the Somme and at one stage was reported missing, presumed dead, and was then erroneously reported to have been killed in action, resulting in Cock reading his own obituary. He was also later 'mentioned in dispatches' (MID) meaning his name could be suffixed with MM & MID. At the time of demobilization he held the rank of Sergeant-Major.

After the war he re-joined Huddersfield and won his first full cap for England, scoring in a Victory international against Ireland in Belfast, scoring after just 30 seconds - this remains the third fastest England goal of all-time. During his spell with the Terriers, interrupted by the war, he played a total of 18 times and scored nine goals. He also had a second spell as a guest with Brentford, adding a further 48 appearances, with a remarkable 52 goals.

He then spent three years with Chelsea during which he earned his second England cap against Scotland, before moving on to Everton. His first season at Stamford Bridge club proved to be his most successful, and afterwards, his goalscoring record was never as prolific. He was however, top scorer in 1920-21 and 1921-22. After scoring one goal in 11 appearances in 1922-23, he was transferred to Everton in February 1923. His Chelsea career ended with an impressive 53 goals from 110 games.

Cock remained on Merseyside for two years, before returning to nearer his homeland to sign for Argyle in March 1925. It was considered a huge coup when Bob Jack persuaded Cock to join, and a hat-trick in the first game of the following season was a sign of things to come. His supreme fitness enabled him to put pressure on defenders for the full 90 minutes and he scored goals for fun. His tally of 74 goals from 92 starts remains the best goals per game ratio in Argyle history.

After less than three seasons at Home Park, Cock was sold to Millwall, where he continued his remarkable scoring record until the end of his professional career four years later. He scored 92 goals in 135 appearances, helping the club win the Division Three South title in 1927-28. His 77 League goals there remained a club record until 1973. He is Millwall's fourth all-time leading scorer, with 83 goals in all competitions.

Cock ended his first class playing career with 234 Football League goals from 391 matches. He later went on to play for non-league Folkestone and Walton & Hersham. Between 1944 and 1948 he managed Millwall, leading them to the War Cup South final at Wembley in 1945, where they lost to his old side Chelsea. Their squad was hit hard by World War II and they were relegated at the end of the 1947-48 season; he left the job shortly afterwards.

Owing to his good looks and a tenor voice, he appeared on the music hall stage numerous times, and during his playing days he was known for singing before entering the pitch. Cock also starred in several films, including "The Winning Goal" (1920), "Smilin' Through" (1922) and "The Great Game" (1930), in which his co-star was Rex Harrison, making his big screen debut. In 1928 he also appeared at the Tottenham Palace Theatre, showcasing his football caps in a glass case whilst singing his latest song "In the Hush of the Twilight".

Such was his celebrity, he later appeared in newspapers endorsing Phosferine, a popular early-to-mid 20th-century patent medicine tonic, marketed as a cure-all for nervous disorders, exhaustion, neuralgia, and anaemia and later turned his hand to estate agency.

In later years, he was the licensee of the White Hart pub, in New Cross, London. He died in Kensington in April 1966, at the age of 72.