Place of birth Wallasey, England Name Dennis Westcott Place of death Stafford, England Role Footballer | Playing position Position Forward Years Team | |
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Date of birth (1917-07-02)2 July 1917 Date of death July 13, 1960(1960-07-13) (aged 43) Died July 13, 1960, Stafford, United Kingdom | ||
Dennis Westcott (2 July 1917 in Wallasey, Cheshire – 13 July 1960) was an English footballer, who played for New Brighton, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Blackburn Rovers, Manchester City and Chesterfield as a striker.
Westcott started his career at Everton, but was released. He then joined nearby New Brighton of the Third Division (North). In 1937 he had a trial with West Ham, but was rejected. Instead, Wolverhampton Wanderers signed him, giving him a debut against Grimsby in an FA Cup tie. Wescott scored one of the goals as Wolves won 6-2. In his first full season with Wolves he scored 22 goals, making him the club's top scorer. The following season, he scored 43 goals in 43 appearances, setting a club record which stood for 50 years until it was broken by Steve Bull. Westcott played in the 1939 FA Cup Final, but Wolves were beaten 4-1 by Portsmouth.
In 1939 competitive football was then suspended due to World War II, depriving Westcott of several years in his prime. During the war he played four wartime internationals for England and scored six goals in five games while guesting with Brentford. When competitive football resumed in 1946, Westcott continued his goalscoring exploits, setting another club record with 38 goals in the 1946-47 season which made him topscorer in the league. In 1948 he was released by Wolves, and signed for Blackburn Rovers in the Second Division. At Blackburn he scored 37 goals in 63 appearances. He then signed for Manchester City, where he scored 36 goals in 72 appearances, finishing as the club's top scorer in each of the two full seasons he played. He then moved to Chesterfield, and finished his career with Stafford Rangers.
In 1946, Westcott became one of the first football players to be injected with slices of monkey testicle, a bizarre doping programme instigated by manager Major Frank Buckley.
He played for England four times between 1940–1943, scoring 5 goals. However, as these games were during wartime, they are not recognised as full internationals and no caps were issued.
He died from leukaemia in 1960 at the age of 43, one week and four days after his 43rd birthday.