Henry Cockburn	Manchester United FC 13 appearances, 0 goals P 13 W 9 D 2 L 2 F 40: A 15 77% successful 1946-51 disciplined: none Captain: none minutes played: 1170
Profile
Full name	Henry Cockburn
Born	14 September 1921 at 7 Lees Fold, Hurst, Ashton, Lancashire [registered in Ashton-under-Lyne, December 1921]. Attended Stamford High School
Baptised	5 October 1921 at St. John the Evangelist Church, Hurst, Lancashire. To John Cooper and Elizabeth (née Delaney). Living at 7 Lees Fold, Hurst. Baptised by R.W. Cummings
Married	to Anne E. Newell [registered in Peterborough, March 1958].
Died	20 January 2004 in Mossley, aged 82 years 128 days [registered in Tameside, January 2004].
death notes	There appears to be a dispute over Cockburn's death, as there was over his birth (Once thought to have been born in 1923 - but registration, both birth and death, state 1921).  Many sources claim he died 2nd or 4th February.  But his death was registered in the January. A memorial was held on 20 January 2014 in Ashton-under-Lyme... ten years after his death.
Height/Weight	5' 6", 10st. 4lbs [1950].
Source	Douglas Lammings' An English Football Internationalist Who's Who [1990] & FindMyPast.com
Club Career
Club(s)	Henry began his career playing schoolboy football in Manchester, playing his junior football with Gosling's FC in the early 1940's, then signed amateur forms with its parent club, Manchester United FC in 1943, signing professional forms in August 1944. Before his United career began, he guested for Accrington Stanley FC during WWII. Then, unlike Neil Franklin, and many more of his peers, Cockburn turned down a move to Independiente Santa Fe of Bogota on 13 July 1950, who were offering him £5090 per year. Then, following 243 First Division appearances, in which he scored four goals, Cockburn joined Bury FC on 18 October 1954 for a three thousand pound transfer fee. After making just 35 league apearances, he moved on to Peterborough United FC in July 1956, made a final 39 league appearances, scoring once, before moving on to non-league Corby Town FC in July 1959 and then played alongside Franklin once more, at Sankey's FC of Wellington, for six months towards the end of 1960;
Club honours	Football League Division One runners-up 1946-47, 1947-48, 1948-49, 1950-51, Champions 1951-52; FA Cup winners 1947-48; FA Charity Shield runners-up 1948, winners 1952;
Individual honours	Football League (one appearance)
Distinctions	Played for Ashton CC during the 1960's
Source	Douglas Lammings' An English Football Internationalist Who's Who [1990].
England Career
Player number	One of nine who became the 655th player (660) to appear for England.
Position(s)	Left-half
First match	No. 227, 28 September 1946, Ireland 2 England 7, a British Championship match at Windsor Park, Donegall Avenue, Belfast, aged 25 years 14 days.
Last match	No. 265, 3 October 1951, England 2 France 2, a friendly match at Arsenal Stadium, Highbury, London, aged 30 years 19 days.
Major tournaments	World Cup Finals 1950; British Championships 1946-47, 1947-48, 1948-49;
Team honours	British Championships 1946-47, 1947-48;
Individual honours	England B (one appearance, 1949)
Distinctions	None
Beyond England
Took up coaching roles after he left the playing field. Oldham Athletic FC's assistant trainer from February 1961. Took up a similar appointment at Huddersfield Town AFC from September 1964. He was their senior coach from 1969 until 1975. - An English Football Internationalists' Who's Who. Douglas Lamming (1990). Hatton Press, p.69/70.

 Match History

Age 25
1	227	28 September 1946 - Ireland 2 England 7, Windsor Park, Belfast	BC	AW	Start	6
2	228	30 September 1946 - Ireland (Éire) 0 England 1, Dalymount Park, Dublin	Fr	AW	Start	6
3	229	13 November 1946 - England 3 Wales 0, Maine Road, Manchester	BC	HW	Start	6
230		27 November 1946 - England 8 Netherlands 2, Leeds Road, Huddersfield	Fr	HW	unused sub

Age 26
4	239	10 April 1948 - Scotland 0 England 2, Hampden Park, Glasgow	BC	AW	Start	6
5	240	16 May 1948 - Italy 0 England 4, Stadio Comunale di Torino, Torino	tour	AW	Start	6
b		19 May 1948 - Switzerland 1 England 5, Stadio Comunale, Bellinzona		AW	unused sub
u/o b		22 May 1948 - FC Schaffhausen 0 England 6, Schaffhausen		AW	Start	6

Age 27
6	241	26 September 1948 - Denmark 0 England 0, Idrætsparken, København	Fr	AD	Start	6
7	242	9 October 1948 - Ireland 2 England 6, Windsor Park, Belfast	BC	AW	Start	6
8	244	2 December 1948 - England 6 Switzerland 0, Arsenal Stadium, Highbury	Fr	HW	Start	6
9	245	9 April 1949 - England 1 Scotland 3, Empire Stadium, Wembley	BC	HL	Start	6
10	246	13 May 1949 - Sweden 3 England 1, Råsunda Fotbollstadion, Solna	tour	AL	Start	6
b		15 May 1949 - Finland A 0 England 4, Olympiastadion, Helsinki		AW	party member
247		18 May 1949 - Norway 1 England 4, Ullevål Stadion, Oslo		AW
1	b	18 May 1949 - Netherlands A 1 England 4, Olympisch Stadion, Amsterdam		AW	Start	6
248		22 May 1949 - France 1 England 3, Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir, Paris		AW	withdrawn party member

Age 28

256	25 June 1950 - England 2 Chile 0, Estádio Municipal, Rio	WCF	NW	party member
257	29 June 1950 - USA 1 England 0, Estádio Independência, Belo Horizonte		NL
258	2 July 1950 - Spain 1 England 0, Estádio Municipal, Rio		NL

Age 29
261		22 November 1950 - England 2 Yugoslavia 2, Arsenal Stadium, Highbury	Fr	HD	unused sub
262		14 April 1951 - England 2 Scotland 3, Empire Stadium, Wembley	BC	HL	reserve
11	263	9 May 1951 - England 2 Argentina 1, Empire Stadium, Wembley	Fr	HW	Start	6
12	264	19 May 1951 - England 5 Portugal 2, Goodison Park, Liverpool		HW	Start	6

Age 30
13	265	3 October 1951 - England 2 France 2, Arsenal Stadium, Highbury	Fr	HD	Start	6
268		28 November 1951 - England 2 Austria 2, Empire Stadium, Wembley	Fr	HD	party member

Notes

There wasn't very much of Henry Cockburn, but it was difficult to remain unaware of his presence on a football pitch. If he wasn't tackling like a miniature tank, or sprinting at full tilt in pursuit of ball or opponent, then probably he was issuing instructions at the top of his voice. Indeed, so perpetual was Cockburn's motion, and so passionate was his fervour during his prime in the decade following the Second World War, that the Manchester United and England wing-half created the irresistible impression that he was engaged in all three activities at once.

The diminutive Lancastrian, who stood a mere 5ft 5in in his stockinged feet, operated in a defensive midfield role in the first of Matt Busby's three outstanding teams, the one which purveyed the most exhilarating football in the land as the game offered much-needed entertainment in the era of post-conflict austerity.

In many ways Cockburn was similar to Nobby Stiles, the tigerishly abrasive destroyer who played a key role as United piled up the honours throughout the 1960s and who was integral to England's World Cup triumph of 1966. Admittedly tactics were different in the Cockburn heyday, so usually he occupied a more advanced position than Stiles, who thrived in a withdrawn position alongside the stopper centre-half Bill Foulkes, but the two pocket battleships had plenty in common.

Eager, bright-eyed bundles of energy and enthusiasm, they were both combative and constructive, their boundless spirit, honesty and endeavour making up generously for their lack of inches. The pair of them were pacy, doggedly tenacious and unfailingly brave in the tackle, but also - and this was crucial to their success - they were instinctive readers of the game who were blessed with far more pure skill than many critics maintained.

Cockburn, a natural all-round sportsman who also excelled at cricket, made his first footballing impact as a teenager with Goslings, a local feeder to Manchester United, the Old Trafford club enlisting him as an amateur in September 1943. While continuing with his work as a mill- fitter, he impressed the Reds' coaching staff enough to earn a professional contract a year later and he made his first United appearance as a nippy, elusive forward during unofficial wartime competition, in which he had guested also for Accrington Stanley.

By 1945 Cockburn had been converted into a left-half, despite being right-footed, and he was awarded his senior döbut in an FA Cup meeting with his former Accrington team-mates in January 1946. Making light of ferocious competition for places, he made such prodigious progress that he was chosen along with eight other new caps - including Billy Wright of Wolves, Preston North End's Tom Finney and Frank Swift of Manchester City - to play for England in September 1946 after only seven First Division outings.

That afternoon at Windsor Park, Belfast, Cockburn shone as the first post-war successor to the majestic Joe Mercer, contributing massively to a 7-2 triumph over Northern Ireland and looking utterly at home on the international stage. He retained his berth for the next two games, which yielded victories over Wales and the Republic of Ireland, slotting in effectively alongside Wright and the stylish Neil Franklin, and it seemed that England had a settled half-back line for the foreseeable future.

However, Cockburn was ousted by Harry Johnston of Blackpool, and, although he extended his cap total to 13 over the next five years, he never cemented the regular place which most United fans reckoned to be his just deserts. Back on the club scene, though, the Cockburn career flourished royally. He was a crucial component of the side that finished as League title runners-up in each of the first three post-war campaigns, won the FA Cup by defeating Blackpool - Stanley Matthews et al - by four goals to two in a titanic Wembley clash in 1948, then finally claimed the championship crown in 1951/52.

Cockburn meshed splendidly with John Aston, being swift to cover when the adventurous left-back embarked on his characteristic forays into opposition territory, and with the left winger Charlie Mitten, who benefited constantly from the wing-half's crisp and canny distribution. Indeed, reminiscing during the late 1990s about Busby's breathtaking post-war creation, Mitten declared:

It was fabulous to play in front of Henry. When he got the ball I always knew that I would be the next to touch it. He was totally reliable, both as a player and as a comrade.

The manager agreed, frequently praising Cockburn's slick one-touch passing technique and lauding the little man for responding to a cherished Busby maxim with which he drilled his players religiously: the ball is round, so keep it rolling!

Unusually for one so short, Cockburn was magnificent aerially, too, being capable of leaping above much taller opponents from a standing start, thanks to a combination of exceptional athleticism and well-nigh perfect timing. Such was his fitness and consistency that the advent of his thirties seemed unlikely to signal the closure of his Old Trafford sojourn, but an accident in a friendly encounter with Kilmarnock in the autumn of 1953, staged to mark the installation of floodlights at Rugby Park, altered that perception.

As Cockburn climbed high to meet a ball, he was dazzled by the Killies' new lights and clashed heads with his marker. He was led away with a smashed jaw, a young leviathan named Duncan Edwards trotted on to take his place, and the No 6 shirt was never again his automatic preserve.

Still hardly a gnarled veteran at the age of 30, Cockburn was not content with life in United's reserves and in October 1954 he accepted a transfer to Second Division Bury, where he linked up once more with the former Red Devil Stan Pearson, the deliciously gifted inside-forward behind whom he had performed so superbly for so long. At Gigg Lane he added 39 League and FA Cup appearances to the 275 he had accumulated at Old Trafford, then switched to Peterborough United, at the time plying their trade in the Midland League, in the summer of 1956.

Cockburn adored playing football so much that he was eager to continue, even at lesser levels, later assisting Corby Town and Sankeys of Wellington before being attracted back to the Football League by another former United chum, the Oldham Athletic manager Jack Rowley, as a trainer at Boundary Park in February 1961. Three years later he signed for Huddersfield Town as assistant trainer, eventually working under yet another ex-Old Trafford colleague, Ian Greaves, as senior coach before bowing out of the professional game in 1975.

He was ideally suited to his role at Leeds Road, being especially adept at working with rookies, as he had proved in the twilight of his Manchester United days when his help to the emerging Busby Babes had been invaluable. Indeed, he played an important and selfless part in the development of that remarkable wave of fresh talent, making light of the inevitable circumstance that the precocious newcomers would soon be depriving him of employment.

It was tragically ironic that, when he was working part-time on a Peterborough newspaper in 1958, one of his duties was to write the posters which told of the Munich air disaster in which so many of his protégés had perished. - The Independent obituary

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CG