We have recently been contacted by former Banbury Spencer player Alan Cox’s daughter Beverley who has kindly forwarded us copies of some historical material which we as a club want to share with you.

Alan Cox was born in Small Heath, Birmingham in March 1937 and during his school and youth days was a keen sportsman, particularly excelling in cricket and football. After leaving school, he would work for the Rover Motor Company before going into the army to do his national service. He would see active service in Egypt during the Suez Canal crisis.

Alan was still living in Birmingham when he signed for Banbury Spencer in December 1957, remaining in England’s Second City throughout his time with the club, the area was a fertile recruiting ground for the club throughout its existence as Spencer. Alan would make his first team debut for the club in a Birmingham League game away to Burton Albion on Saturday 1st March 1958, playing on the left wing. He made a second first team appearance in the final league game of that season at home to Nuneaton Borough at the beginning of May 1958, scoring two goals as Spencer won 5-2.

Alan had impressed manager Jimmy Cringan enough to be awarded a contract in the summer of 1958. A copy of the letter from the club to Alan offering a contract together with scans of all of the pages of the contract, the final page showing an agreed payment of £3 per match with £2 per match travelling expenses, appear at the bottom of this article.

Season 1958/59 would see Alan establish himself in the Spencer first team, playing in various forward positions, making 33 appearances and scoring five goals.

Alan’s final season with the club, 1959/60, would see him make a further 15 appearances and score four goals. His final game for the club was on Monday 18th April 1960 in a home Birmingham League game against a Stoke City “A” side.

As well as Banbury Spencer, Alan also played for Evesham United and Rugby Town.

Below is a Banbury Spencer team photo for season 1958/59, Alan is far right on the front row. The full list of players is as follows:

Back Row (Left to Right): Johnny Crichton, Bill Harris, Bill Townsend, Joey Wilson, Dennis Packwood, Barrie Lovesey.

Front Row (Left to Right): Stan Arthur, Tommy McGarrity, Frank Shaw, Bernard Brock, Alan Cox.

Alan would emigrate to Australia with his wife Maureen and their three children in 1972. Golf would become Alan’s sporting passion in his later life. Sadly, in his final years Alan would suffer with dementia and died at the age of 82 in July 2019.

The club are grateful to Alan’s wife Maureen, still going strong at the age of 80, and his daughter Beverley, both living in Australia for providing the club with the interesting images used in this article which they discovered when clearing out some of Alan’s old correspondence and paperwork.