Full name Roy Cross 1966–1970 Walsall Name Roy Cross | Role Footballer Years Team Position Defender | |
Date of birth (1947-12-04) 4 December 1947 (age 68) | ||
Playing position Place of birth Wednesbury, England | ||
Roy Cross (born 4 December 1947) is an English former footballer who had a nine-year career playing as a central defender in the Football League with Walsall and Port Vale between 1966 and 1975.
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Playing career
Cross began his career at Walsall, who finished 12th in the Third Division in 1966–67 under the stewardship of Ray Shaw. New boss Ron Lewin then took the "Saddlers" to a seventh-place finish in 1967–68. After a 13th-place finish in 1968–69, Bill Moore returned to lead Walsall to 12th place in 1969–70. Cross played just 12 league games in his four years at Fellows Park. He joined Gordon Lee's Port Vale in July 1970. He made his debut on 5 September, in a 1–0 win over Preston North End at Vale Park. He played 42 Third Division games in the 1970–71 season, and scored his first goal in the Football League on 2 January, in a 2–1 win over Doncaster Rovers at Belle Vue. He was an ever-present in the 1971–72 season, playing all 46 league and five cup games. He made 40 appearances in the 1972–73 season, and ended a series of 134 consecutive appearances from his debut in March 1973 when he wrenched his left knee. He recovered from this injury to play just two games in the 1973–74 campaign, but then he injured his knee ligaments in October 1973 and was out of action for 17 months. He managed to play just two games in the 1974–75 season, and was handed a free transfer in May 1975 by new manager Roy Sproson. He went on to play for Southern League side Nuneaton Borough. Upon his retirement as a player, he became a School of Excellence coach at Stoke City.