Nicky Cross

Nicholas Jeremy Rowland Cross (born 7 February 1961) is an English former professional footballer who played as a forward. He scored 147 goals in 582 league and cup games in a 16-year career in the Football League, playing for five clubs.

He began his career at top-flight West Bromwich Albion in 1980 and played more than 100 games in five years before moving on to Walsall for a £48,000 fee. He also played over 100 games for Walsall, scoring 45 league goals, before being sold to Leicester City for a £80,000 fee in January 1988. He was sold to Port Vale for a £125,000 fee in June 1989. He would play a total of 175 games for the club in league and cup competitions, winning the Football League Trophy in 1993 and helping the club to promotion out of the Third Division in 1993–94. After this success, he spent two years with Hereford United before heading into non-League football with Solihull Borough in 1996. He later managed Redditch United and Studley KBL before heading into the financial sector.

Career West Bromwich Albion Cross started his career at First Division side West Bromwich Albion in 1980, as the club finished fourth in the league under Ron Atkinson in 1980–81. The club struggled under Ronnie Allen's stewardship in 1981–82, avoiding relegation by only two points. They went on to finish in mid-table in 1982–83 under Ron Wylie before Wylie was replaced by Johnny Giles in February 1984. At the end of the 1983–84 campaign, West Brom avoided relegation by a narrow three-point margin. At the end of the 1984–85 season, Cross left The Hawthorns to sign with Walsall, who paid a £48,000 transfer fee. He became a favourite of Pleat, ahead of Jimmy Quinn in the first-team pecking order. The "Foxes" posted comfortable mid-table finishes in 1987–88 and 1988–89; Cross made a total of 58 league appearances, scoring 15 goals. He played in a strike partnership with David Kelly.

Port Vale Cross signed with Leicester's newly promoted Second Division rivals Port Vale for a £125,000 fee in June 1989. He went straight into the first-team at Vale, and played a total of 50 games in 1989–90, scoring 15 goals. He returned to action at the end of the 1991–92 campaign, playing eight games as the "Valiants" were relegated to the Third Division (which was immediately renamed the Second Division due to the creation of the Premier League). and Blackpool – later in the season he scored another brace against Blackpool in the return fixture.

Post-retirement After hanging up his boots as a player, he managed non-League sides Redditch United and Studley KBL, before leaving the game completely in 2004, to work as a financial advisor.

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1980–81 First Division

1981–82 First Division

1982–83 First Division

1983–84 First Division

1984–85 First Division

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1985–86 Third Division

1986–87 Third Division

1987–88 Third Division

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1987–88 Second Division

1988–89 Second Division

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1989–90 Second Division

1990–91 Second Division

1991–92 Second Division

1992–93 Second Division

1993–94 Second Division

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1994–95 Third Division

1995–96 Third Division

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Honours Port Vale Football League Trophy: 1993 Football League Third Division second-place promotion: 1993–94