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Billy Cook

Winner of both the Scottish Cup and the FA Cup, Billy Cook was noted as one of the most gifted full-backs of the 1930s, and developed into a world renowned coach...

Name: William Cook
Born: 20 November 1909, Coleraine
Died: 11 December 1992, Liverpool (England)
Height: 5.07½ ft
Weight: 11.04 st
Position: Full-Back

Representative Honours: Ireland: 15 Full Caps (1932-1939); Football League: 1 Cap (1941).
Club Honours: (with Celtic) Scottish Cup Winner 1930/31; (with Everton) Football League Champion 1938/39; FA Cup Winner 1932/33; Empire Exhibition Tournament Runner-Up 1937/38.

Club Career:
Teams
Seasons
Signed
Fee
League
FA Cup
Other
Port Glasgow Athletic
-28
-
(Scottish Junior)
Celtic
29/30-32/33
Feb-30
-
100/0
10/0
-
Everton
32/33-39/40
Dec-32
£3,000
228/5
22/1
*3/0
Aldershot
39/40
-
Guest
-
-
6/0
Chester
39/40
-
Guest
-
-
1/0
Raith Rovers
42/43
May-43
Guest
-
-
-
Wrexham
44/45
-
Guest
-
-
-
Southport
44/45
-
Guest
-
-
5/0
Wrexham
45/46
-
-
(Regional League West)
Ellesmere Port Town
-
-
-
-
-
Rhyl
46/47
-
-
(Cheshire County League)
TOTALS
-
£3,000
328/5
32/1
15/0
* Also played 96/12 war-time games for Everton

Biography:
Plucked from the Junior leagues by Celtic in February 1930, Billy Cook was pitched into the first team within a week of his arrival at Parkhead. It proved an ideal game to ease himself into the top-class game, Celtic running out 4-0 winners over Ayr United. It was soon clear that Celtic had a top-class defender on their hands, and his first full season in the Celtic team saw him claim a Scottish Cup winner’s medal, and a place in Celtic’s end-of-season US tour.

In September 1932 Cook was awarded his first Ireland cap, in a game which also saw the debut of Old Firm rival Sam English. The Irish suffered a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Scotland at Windsor Park. Unlike English, whose career was already on a downward spiral following his tragic collision with John Thomson, Cook would retain his place in the international team right up to the outbreak of World War Two. He would also be given the honour of captaining his country.

Mid-way through the 1932/33 season Cook made a shock departure from Parkhead, signing for reigning English champions, Everton for £3,000. In his own words, it was a moved designed “to better my position”; it was also perhaps the first time an established player had left Celtic mid-season. Success was immediate, with the FA Cup arriving at Goodison Park in Cook’s first season as Manchester City were defeated 3-0 at Wembley. In June 1938 he faced Celtic in the Empire Exhibition Trophy final at Ibrox - Everton lost 1-0. In 1939 Everton claimed the League championship with Cook a regular, but as with Everton’s title success of 1915 it proved to be the last League season completed before the competition was suspended due to World War.

Usually to be found at right-back, Cook also slotted in on the left if required, and was famed for warning wingers: “Get the ball away!” before catching them with a firm challenge and chastising them: “You didn’t get the ball away!” There was more to Cook though than the typical defensive hardman of the day. Stan Bentham, an Everton team-mate of Cook’s, said of him: "Willie Cook, right full-back, Irish international, with the ball control of any inside-forward. A hard player he could pass the ball facing his own goal, find our outside-right, which he often did."

During the Second World War years, Cook guested for a number of clubs across the British Isles, including Wrexham. With the resumption of competitive football with a “transition season” in 1945/46, Cook signed with the Welsh club permanently. Age was obviously catching up with him by this stage, and with League football returning in 1946 he found his only options were in non-League football. In October 1946 he took the position of player-manager at Rhyl, thus beginning a coaching career which would take him across the globe.

In 1947 Cook became coach at SK Brann Bergen in Norway, returning to briefly coach Sunderland in February 1948. He returned to Bergen from 1949-51, from 1952-1953 he was national coach of Peru, before returning home as manager of Portadown (1954-55) and as Youth team manager of Northern Ireland. He was off on his travels again, when he spent a year as manager of Iraq’s national side, before he was appointed manager at Wigan Athletic in 1956, then at Crewe in 1957, and as trainer-coach at Norwich in 1958.

Throughout his coaching career Cook took great pleasure in demonstrating his ball skills to his players. With a young footballer who couldn’t trap the ball properly watching, Cook is reported to have booted the ball high into the air, and as it dropped he killed it stone dead on the ground just to show the young lad how it was done. Another favourite trick was to drop a half-crown onto his toe and flick it into the top pocket of his suit. He would also regale his players with stories of his tussles with Stanley Matthews and the like.

Ireland Cap Details:

17-09-1932 Scotland H L 0-4 BC
17-10-1932 England. A L 0-1 BC
07-12-1932 Wales... A L 1-4 BC
06-02-1935 England. A L 1-2 BC
13-11-1935 Scotland A L 1-2 BC
11-03-1936 Wales... H W 3-2 BC
31-10-1936 Scotland H L 1-3 BC
18-11-1936 England. A L 1-3 BC
17-03-1937 Wales... A L 1-4 BC
23-10-1937 England. H L 1-5 BC
10-11-1937 Scotland A D 1-1 BC
16-03-1938 Wales... H W 1-0 BC
08-10-1938 Scotland H L 0-2 BC
16-11-1938 England. A L 0-7 BC
15-03-1939 Wales... A L 1-3 BC

Summary: 15/0. Won 2, Drew 1, Lost 12.

Comments

Anonymous said…
William Cook was my Great Grandfather, but alas, he never passed his footballing talents to me. But I am happy and proud to be a decendent of a great Celtic football player. R.Boag
Sam Loughran said…
This comment has been removed by the author.
Sam Loughran said…
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said…
Billy cook iz my grate grandfather my grandmother iss his daugter and being a celtic fc fan makes it amazing ,paul hepburn port glasgow
john mcfeeley said…
I am the grandson of Billy Cook my mother is his eldest daughter,
I played for port glasgow juniors,as did my grandfather. I also played for the paisley and district select with patsy gallaghers (celtic) grandson also called patsy.going to liverpool in may A visit to goodison parks a must.

john mc feeley saltcoats ,home of bobby lennox
Sam Loughran said…
John don't know if you can answer this but was Billy's parents called David & Jane Cook?

Sam Loughran said…
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said…
Im John's daughter Karen and altho Im a massive Rangers fan am soo very proud of my Great-Granda and my Dads football history.Im gutted we never had the chance to meet him and my footaball daft son Thomas John would have loved to hear his stories of days of old as much as we would have ave always loved football and have a medal and Trophy myself but defo see skills passed on from my family in him. So even tho he played for the Auld Enemy am so proud to share the knowledge and history he has made and still learning more about my family that I love dearly even tho itz the wrong colours lol GBNF Granda Billy your name and history live on xxxx
Unknown said…
Im John's daughter Karen and altho Im a massive Rangers fan am soo very proud of my Great-Granda and my Dads football history.Im gutted we never had the chance to meet him and my footaball daft son Thomas John would have loved to hear his stories of days of old as much as we would have ave always loved football and have a medal and Trophy myself but defo see skills passed on from my family in him. So even tho he played for the Auld Enemy am so proud to share the knowledge and history he has made and still learning more about my family that I love dearly even tho itz the wrong colours lol GBNF Granda Billy your name and history live on xxxx
john mcfeeley said…
Hi sam,don,t know my great grandparents names,but i,m going to visit my mum in port glasgow today, i will ask her.
john mcfeeley.
john mcfeeley said…
hi sam found out information about billy cook,s parents. billy,s dad was called james,he had 5 children 3 boys 2 girls whom billy was the youngest boy there names are joe,alex,cathy
and jean.
cathy,s married name is gibson, jean,s married name is davidson.thomque
Sam Loughran said…
Thanks John
My late father always maintained there was a family connection. Grandmother Emily Cook, parents David and Jane (McConnell) Cook born NI Derry area. Ah well back to the drawing board
Sam
Catherine Hepburn...Tedrick said…
was really nice to read all the accomplishments William Cook had in his football career and coaching,some of which i knew but a lot i didn,t my mum had told me a lot about him and wish i would have been able to meet him in person. My mum was his youngest daughter Margaret. I think my son could have went far if he would have pursued soccer but in high school he was more into American football, but he did pass down the powerful kick. Sincerely grandaughter Katy Largo Florida.x
Atholl Davidson said…
Hello what a fantastic read I have been researching my family & believe my grandmother is Jean Cook or Cooke from Coleraine. Her parents were James & Hannah Cooke who resided at Waterside, Coleraine at the 1911 census. I have very little information about the family & would love to hear from anyone with family connections. I live in Inverness & unfortunately I never met my grandmother but would love to learn a little more if anyone can help out I can forward my email or number.
Unknown said…
Hi Catherine and athol nice to have you two on board sorry for not replying sooner. Catherine I know is my auntie Margaret's daughter, we are cousins. Athol I don't,know you but I have some information about Jean cook that. I would be happy to pass on.
Yours sincerely John Mc feeley
Atholl Davidson said…
Hi John many thanks I've sent you a message on g+ I very much appreciate your help thank you & best wishes Atholl Davidson, Inverness.
Ronnie Gamble said…
Hello everyone, my name is Ronnie Gamble and I am an historian and author from Killowen, Coleraine in N. Ireland. I am writing to request information or photos on William Cook that I can use in two forthcoming publications. These are the Coleraine Historical Journal called The Bann Disc and my own publications called The Killowen Series, see Ronnie Gamble on Amazon.co.uk. I would like to know about William's parents, their address and where William lived in N.I.. Any help at all would be appreciated. I can be contacted at handtohand22@hotmail.com and my Facebook site that is featuring William at the minute is Coleraine's Old Killowen.
Unknown said…
HI Ronnie my dad is John (above) please can you contact us on weekarn13@hotmail.co.uk with exactly what you need etc and we will get back to You thanks :-)
john mc feeley said…
Hi ron ie I.m billy cooks grandson.
My mum has a family photo. I have a book of sk brann with a team photo with his wife and twin girls in 1948 happy to oblige
Ronnie Gamble said…
Hello John, Sorry for the delay but I missed your e-mail response to my request for information on Billy Cook.
Since then I have written three books on local history and I am back to writing up 1. The history of old Killowen, where Billy was born. 2. The history of local football teams and personalities. One of the books I have written since was the history of Bann Rowing Club. That included a photo of Billy's son who was a rower on the Bann.
When I originally posted I was interested in reproducing the story as part of Killowen's story but now I would like to reproduce it in both my forthcoming books. You can check me out on Amazon at Ronnie Gamble. Also see my material on Facebook at 1. Old Killowen and 2. Coleraine and District Football Leagues, Personalities and History.
Ronnie
William Vance said…
I don't know why but I have just found this page. Billy Cook was my uncle and brother to my mum Cathie Cook. Married name Vance. My dad was James Vance. I met my uncle Billy a few times and witnessed his trick of flipping the half crown into his top pocket as mentioned in the article. I played in goal and was picked up as a tennager with Partick Thistle where I played for 3 years in and out of the reserve team where I competed with Alan Rough. Who obviously won. Uncle Billy played in the Old Firm game where John Thompson was tragically killed. Uncle Billy gifted me a book on the life of JT and signed it with a message that he hoped that I would be half as good a keeper as the great man. I wish!!. Unfortunately I misplaced the book many years ago,
johnmcfeely53@gmail.com said…
Hi William my name is John Mc feeley son of Ann Mc feeley ne cook daughter of Billy cook. When I saw the name Vance i knew that i have heard of that name before from my mum. Sadly she passed away 3 years ago luckily I kept and their it was Katherine Vance 19 brown street. If it's in greenock then it's behind cappielow, hope to hear from you soon. John.
Unknown said…
Hi John.... Jim Vance here. Brother of William. Neither of us live in the Greenock area now. We were however brought up at 19, Brown St Port Glasgow which was just beside the West Church and the old Plaza picture house and later bingo hall.
Rivelino said…
Dear Jim and William Vance - I am working on an Everton book which will have a section on Billy Cook, your uncle. Please could you drop me a line at rsneston@gmail..com?
Thanks
Rob Sawyer
Unknown said…
hi im looking at wrting an articlem on billys managerial career in peru and iraq , can you help
Unknown said…
Lots of interesting info about Billy Cook on this page. I wondered if anyone knows if he ever featured on a football card?