Jack Coxford

Who was Jack Coxford?

John "Jack" Coxford was an English professional footballer who played in the Football League for Small Heath. He played as a centre half.

Coxford was born in Seaton Hirst, Ashington, Northumberland. He played for North Seaton Colliery and Stakeford United before joining Sunderland in 1924. He made his debut in the First Division on 18 April 1925, in a 1–1 draw at Blackburn Rovers, but never established himself as a first-team player, and in April 1927, after only 11 games for Sunderland, Coxford joined fellow First Division club Birmingham. He was signed as cover for George Morrall, but the developing Tom Fillingham pushed Coxford down the pecking order, and after three years with the club in which he played only 16 games, he left for Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic of the Third Division South. At Bournemouth, Coxford had four seasons of regular first-team football. Towards the end of the 1933–34 season, he played two games for nearby Poole Town before moving on to Northfleet United as player-coach.

Northfleet United acted as a nursery club for Tottenham Hotspur. Wales and Tottenham player Ron Burgess described in his autobiography how

Coxford went on to join the training staff at Tottenham, working under Cecil Poynton, with particular responsibility for the reserve team.