Reg Stockill

Who was Reg Stockill?

Reginald Robert "Reg" Stockill was an English footballer.

Stockill started his career with York City, and became the club's youngest-ever first-team player when he made his debut aged 15 years and 281 days, in a Third Division North game against Wigan Borough on August 29, 1929; he also scored, making him possibly the youngest person to ever score in a Football League match. Stockill only played one more match for York City and eventually moved to non-league Scarborough for a season, before being snapped up by Arsenal in 1931, while still six months shy of his eighteenth birthday.

Stockill made his debut against Huddersfield Town on April 27, 1932 and played the last three games of 1931-32 and the first two of 1932-33, scoring in both, before being displaced by Ernie Coleman. He only played two more games for Arsenal, his final appearance coming as they beat Blackburn Rovers 8-0, in which Stockill scored. After spending all of the 1933-34 season in the reserves he moved to Derby County in September 1934. In total he played 8 games for Arsenal, scoring 4 goals.

At Derby, a serious knee injury incurred in a match on December 26, 1934 kept him out of the game for fifteen months, which severely hampered his career. After five seasons and just 66 league appearances at Derby, he left for Luton Town in 1939. The outbreak of World War II ended his football playing career.