{{short description|English footballer}} {{Use dmy dates|date=October 2024}} {{Use British English|date=April 2016}} {{Infobox football biography | name = Roy Cotton | fullname = Roy William Cotton<ref name="Hugman" /> | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1955|11|14|df=y}} | birth_place = Fulham, England | height = 6ft<ref>{{Cite book |url=http://archive.org/details/rothmansfootball0000unse_x5p3 |title=Rothmans Football Yearbook. 1976–77 |publisher=Queen Anne Press |year=1976 |isbn=978-0-362-00259-1 |editor-last=Vernon |editor-first=Leslie |location=London |page=290 |editor-last2=Rollin |editor-first2=Jack}}</ref> | position = Winger | youthyears1 = | youthclubs1 = Tottenham Hotspur | years1 = 1973–1974 | clubs1 = Brentford | caps1 = 2 | goals1 = 0 | years2 = 1974–1976 | clubs2 = Orient | caps2 = 3 | goals2 = 0 | years3 = 1976–1978 | clubs3 = Aldershot | caps3 = 5 | goals3 = 0 | years4 = 1978–1979 | clubs4 = Hillingdon Borough | caps4 = | goals4 = | years5 = 1979–1981 | clubs5 = St George Budapest | caps5 = 40 | goals5 = 11 | years6 = 1981 | clubs6 = → Sydney Olympic (loan) | caps6 = 13 | goals6 = 3 | years7 = 1982–1983 | clubs7 = Wollongong City | caps7 = 57 | goals7 = 22 | years8 = 1984 | clubs8 = Penrith City | caps8 = 25 | goals8 = 7 | years9 = 1985–1986 | clubs9 = St George | caps9 = 31 | goals9 = 4 | clubs10 = Wollongong City | years10 = 1988 | caps10 = 3 | goals10 = 0 | nationalteam1 = England Youth | nationalyears1 = 1974 | nationalcaps1 = 3 | nationalgoals1 = 2 }}
'''Roy William Cotton''' (born 14 November 1955) is an English retired professional footballer who played as a winger in the Football League for Brentford, Orient and Aldershot and later in the Australian National Soccer League.
== Playing career == A graduate of the Brentford youth team, Cotton began his career as an amateur and after signing his first professional contract, he made his professional debut in December 1973.<ref name="BBB70s">{{Cite book |last=Croxford |first=Mark |title=The Big Brentford Book of the Seventies |last2=Lane |first2=David |last3=Waterman |first3=Greville |publisher=Legends Publishing |year=2011 |isbn=978-1906796709 |location=Sunbury, Middlesex |page=269}}</ref> He departed the club in July 1974,<ref name="Hugman">{{hugman|4175|accessdate=8 November 2016}}</ref> after making just two appearances.<ref name="Timeless">{{Cite book |last=Haynes |first=Graham |title=Timeless Bees: Brentford F.C. Who's Who 1920–2006 |last2=Coumbe |first2=Frank |publisher=Yore Publications |year=2006 |isbn=978-0955294914 |location=Harefield |page=41}}</ref> Cotton moved to Second Division club Orient and scored prolifically for the reserve team,<ref name="BBB70s" /> but made just four appearances during the 1975–76 season.<ref>{{Cite web |title=1975–76 |url=https://leytonorientprogrammes.com/seasonstats/1975-76/ |access-date=19 April 2024 |website=Leyton Orient F.C. Programmes}}</ref> He dropped back down to the Fourth Division to join Aldershot in July 1976 and made five appearances for the club.<ref name="Hugman" /> After his departure in 1978, Cotton joined Southern League Premier Division club Hillingdon Borough.<ref name="Timeless" /> Cotton moved to Australia in 1979 and played for National Soccer League clubs St George Budapest (two spells), Sydney Olympic, Wollongong City (two spells) and Penrith City.<ref name="OzFootball">{{Cite web |title=Aussie Footballers – Costello to Crook |url=http://www.ozfootball.net/ark/Players/COS.html |access-date=2 July 2021 |website=www.ozfootball.net}}</ref>
== International career == Cotton won three caps and scored two goals for the England Youth team.<ref name="YouthCaps">{{Cite web |title=England Matches – Youth/Under-18's 1971–80 |url=http://www.englandfootballonline.com/matchrsl/MatchRslTmU18pg3.html |access-date=8 October 2024 |website=www.englandfootballonline.com}}</ref> He also made an appearance for the FA Youth XI.<ref name="YouthCaps" />
== Personal life == Cotton lives in Australia and has held senior corporate positions with Mercedes-Benz, Audi Australia and in real estate.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Roy Cotton |url=http://m.conleyluff.com.au/index.php/content/staff |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304072839/http://m.conleyluff.com.au/index.php/content/staff |archive-date=4 March 2016 |access-date=22 July 2014 |publisher=ConleyLUFF Real Estate}}</ref>
== Career statistics == {| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;" |+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competition ! rowspan="2" |Club ! rowspan="2" |Season ! colspan="3" |League ! colspan="2" |National Cup ! colspan="2" |League Cup ! colspan="2" |Total |- !Division !Apps !Goals !Apps !Goals !Apps !Goals !Apps !Goals |- |Brentford |1973–74<ref>{{Cite book |title=100 Years Of Brentford |publisher=Brentford FC |year=1989 |isbn=0951526200 |editor-last=White |editor-first=Eric |page=392}}</ref> |Fourth Division |2 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |2 |0 |- |Orient |1975–76<ref name="OzFootball" /> |Second Division |3 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |3 |0 |- |Aldershot |1976–77<ref name="OzFootball" /> |Fourth Division |5 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |5 |0 |- | rowspan="3" |St George |1979<ref name="OzFootball" /> |National Soccer League |23 |7 | colspan="2" |― | colspan="2" |― |23 |7 |- |1980<ref name="OzFootball" /> |National Soccer League |17 |4 | colspan="2" |― | colspan="2" |― |17 |4 |- ! colspan="2" |Total !40 !11 ! colspan="2" |― ! colspan="2" |― !40 !11 |- |Sydney Olympic (loan) |1981<ref name="OzFootball" /> |National Soccer League |13 |3 | colspan="2" |― | colspan="2" |― |13 |3 |- | rowspan="3" |Wollongong City |1982<ref name="OzFootball" /> |National Soccer League |28 |10 | colspan="2" |― | colspan="2" |― |28 |10 |- |1983<ref name="OzFootball" /> |National Soccer League |29 |12 | colspan="2" |― | colspan="2" |― |29 |12 |- ! colspan="2" |Total !57 !22 ! colspan="2" |― ! colspan="2" |― !57 !22 |- |Penrith City |1984<ref name="OzFootball" /> |National Soccer League |25 |7 | colspan="2" |― | colspan="2" |― |25 |7 |- | rowspan="3" |St George |1985<ref name="OzFootball" /> |National Soccer League |19 |3 | colspan="2" |― | colspan="2" |― |19 |3 |- |1986<ref name="OzFootball" /> |National Soccer League |12 |1 | colspan="2" |― | colspan="2" |― |12 |1 |- ! colspan="2" |Total !76 !15 ! colspan="2" |― ! colspan="2" |― !76 !26 |- | rowspan="2" |Wollongong City |1988<ref name="OzFootball" /> |National Soccer League |3 |0 | colspan="2" |― | colspan="2" |― |3 |0 |- ! colspan="2" |Total !60 !22 ! colspan="2" |― ! colspan="2" |― !60 !22 |- ! colspan="3" |Career total !184 !47 !0 !0 !0 !0 !184 !47 |}
==References== {{reflist}}
== External links == * [http://www.ozfootball.net/ark/Players/COS.html#RoyCotton Aussie Footballers] Costello to Crook
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cotton, Roy}} Category:1955 births Category:Living people Category:Footballers from the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham Category:People from Fulham Category:English men's footballers Category:England men's youth international footballers Category:Men's association football wingers Category:Tottenham Hotspur F.C. players Category:Brentford F.C. players Category:Leyton Orient F.C. players Category:Aldershot F.C. players Category:Hillingdon Borough F.C. players Category:St George FC players Category:Sydney Olympic FC players Category:Wollongong Wolves FC players Category:Penrith City SC players Category:English Football League players Category:Southern Football League players Category:National Soccer League (Australia) players Category:English expatriate men's footballers Category:English expatriate sportspeople in Australia