Freddie Cox

Life and career Cox was born in Reading, Berkshire. Cox took his first steps in senior football with Spurs' nursery club, the Kent-based Northfleet United, in 1936, before turning professional with Tottenham in August 1938. However, soon after he broke into the first team, the Second World War broke out and all competitive football was suspended.

Cox served as a fighter pilot in the Royal Air Force, and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. In his spare time he made guest appearances for his hometown club, Reading, and for Swindon Town.

After the war, Cox returned to Spurs for another three seasons, taking his totals to 18 goals from 105 appearances in Football League and FA Cup. He then moved to their north London rivals, Arsenal, for £12,000 in September 1949.

Cox made his Arsenal debut straight away, on 7 September 1949 against West Bromwich Albion, and became an immediate regular in the side. However, the 1952 final was not to be a repeat of two years earlier; against Newcastle United, an injury-ravaged Arsenal side played most of the match with ten men after Walley Barnes was stretchered off, and lost 1–0.

Despite his cup exploits, Cox was never an ever-present in the Arsenal side; he first faced competition from Ian McPherson for the right-wing spot, and then from the talented youngster Arthur Milton. After only appearing in nine matches in the 1952–53 season, in which Arsenal won the First Division title, In all he played 94 matches for Arsenal in League and Cup, scoring 16 goals. In 1956 he moved on to Third Division South club Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic to become manager. Bournemouth fared reasonably steadily in the league, and pulled off a giant-killing feat in beating Wolverhampton Wanderers and Spurs in the 1956–57 FA Cup to reach the sixth round, in which they lost to Manchester United. In 1958 he moved along the coast to become Portsmouth's manager; here he was less successful as Portsmouth were relegated from the First Division in his first season, and Cox was sacked in February 1961. He is commonly regarded as being Portsmouth's worst ever manager, and during his tenure the club steeply declined from the top half of the First Division to relegation to the Third Division.

Cox died in Bournemouth in 1973 at the age of 52. runner-up: 1951–52

As manager Gillingham Football League Fourth Division: 1963–64