Football Career
Cross played for Rochdale, Norwich City (with whom he won the second division championship in 1972), and Coventry City. He is remembered as being the only Coventry City player to ever score hatricks on the opening and closing days of a campaign. He joined West Bromwich Albion for £150,000 in November 1976. He made his Albion debut against Manchester City. Cross then moved on to West Ham United for £180,000 on 9 December 1977. He made his debut a week later, against West Brom.
Cross scored 9 goals in 21 league games during his initial season at the club, but this wasn't enough to prevent relegation to Division Two. His first full season brought 18 goals, with 12 the following season.
Cross played as the lone striker during the 1980 FA Cup Final win against Arsenal. He scored 22 goals with the side that won Division Two in 1980–81, ensuring the club's promotion back to Division One. Cross was awarded the 1980–81 golden boot after scoring 34 goals.
Following promotion, Cross again became the club's top scorer for the 1981–82 season, with 16 goals. He scored four goals in a game on two occasions, against Grimsby Town on 11 April 1981, and against Tottenham Hotspur on 2 September 1981.
Cross played his last game for the east London club on 15 May 1982, scoring against Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux. He went on to play for Manchester City, Oldham Athletic and spent the summers of 1983 and 1984 with Vancouver Whitecaps (46 appearances 29 goals) before rejoining West Brom for the 1984–85 season. He signed for Bolton Wanderers in 1985–86, but a fractured skull helped to end his playing career in England apart from a brief unsuccessful loan spell at Bury F.C.|Bury]] at the end of the campaign. He then had a brief spell with ] of Cyprus before retiring.
After retirement, and a period selling pensions, Cross joined the coaching staff at Oldham being appointed Assistant Youth Team Coach in 1997.He became Youth Team Coach in 1998 and then Reserve Team Coach in 2001, before moving up to assistant manager in 2002. When the club entered administration in 2003 he was released from his contract. He later became a scout for West Ham. Cross now works for Blackburn Rovers working on opposition analysis. He was appointed as a Magistrate on the Oldham Bench in 2008.
Read more about this topic: David Cross (footballer)
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