Jack Cross

Born in Bury, Lancashire, Jack Cross made his league debut for Boscombe FC against Swansea in 1947 and scored 64 goals for the club in 137 Third Division (South) games.

Jack attracted the attention of many First Division clubs, but unusually for a footballer he was studying for an economics degree at Bournemouth Technical College and agreed to stay with Boscombe until his graduation in 1952.

After a dispute he demanded a transfer and was sold to Northampton Town where he scored 10 goals in 10 games, attracting interest from a host of top clubs, including Sheffield United who paid a then record £13,000 for his services.

Cross, who was earning £10 a week, scored on his First Division debut and went on to find the net 16 times in 44 appearances but his career was tragically cut short in a friendly against Wolves in 1955 when he badly broke his ankle in the first tackle of the game.

Jack married his wife Patricia in 1950, retired from full-time football and joined the Atomic Energy Authority, playing part-time for Reading. He played out his career with spells at Poole and Weymouth.