Career
Born in Reading, Berkshire, Cox signed as an 18-year-old for Tottenham Hotspur in 1938 from Kent side Northfleet United. A tricky and talented winger who usually played on the right, he made his Spurs debut in a Second Division match against Swansea Town in November 1938. However, soon after he broke into the first team, the Second World War broke out and all competitive football was suspended.
After peace broke out, Cox returned to Spurs and played another three seasons for them before moving 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 Arsenal side. In the semi-final, against Chelsea, Cox scored the first goal in a 2-2 draw, and went on to score the only goal in Arsenal"s 1-0 victory in the replay.
In the final, against Liverpool, Cox laid on a cross for Regional Lewis to score the only goal of the game, winning the Cup for Arsenal. However, the 1952 final was not to be a repeat of two years earlier.
Against Newcastle United, an injury-ravaged Arsenal side playing most of the match with ten men (after Walley Barnes was stretchered off) lost 1-0.
Despite these 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 the talented youngster Arthur Milton. In all he played 94 matches for Arsenal, scoring 16 goals.
Cox only played four matches for the Baggies but remained in the coaching staff as assistant to Vic Buckingham.
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.
After a spell out of football, Cox took up the reins at Fourth Division Gillingham in 1962, and had an immediate impact, taking a side that had finished 20th the previous season up to fifth place (missing out on a promotion place on goal average). Cox resigned just before Christmas 1965 and rejoined his old club Bournemouth, who were also in the Third Division.
Cox was sacked that summer and never worked in football again.
He died in 1973, aged 52.
