25th September 1893

Derby

Forward

Harold Crockford played in the Football League for Exeter City during 1922/23 when he was the club's top-scorer. He arrived at St James' Park from Fulham and left to play for Port Vale before appearing for a number of clubs ahead of finishing his professional career with Norwich City. 

Although born in Derby, Harold came to prominence with Kent side Chatham and was signed by Fulham in 1919 for whom he scored 9 goals in 26 league outings.  

Moving to Exeter City in the summer of 1922, Harold made his debut in the opening game of the season against Aberdare Athletic but only played in six of the first eighteen games scoring twice. Appearing in every game from Christmas onwards, he then added fifteen goals from 24 starts to become City's top-scorer. This run included hat-tricks against Reading and Newport County and a sequence of 11 goals in 7 successive games between 30 December and 10 February. 

In a career that featured a number of short stays, Harold left Exeter after a solitary season and joined Port Vale where he failed to maintain the same sort of form before moving on to Chesterfield. Netting 28 times in 52 league starts for the Saltergate club, he subsequently appeared for Gillingham, Accrington Stanley, Walsall and Darlington ahead of finishing his Football League career with Norwich City in 1927/28.

Later playing for Bedford Town and then Tunbridge Wells Rangers, Harold settled back in Kent and died in Tunbridge Wells in 1983.

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