Alex Cropley
| Date of birth | 16 January 1951 |
| Place of birth | Aldershot |
| Nationality | Scottish |
| Position | Midfielder |
With Aston Villa, League Cup winner 1977. Despite his slender figure, Alex was a tough tackler in midfield but suffered a succession of injuries while at Arsenal.
In a career blighted by injury, the Aston Villa midfielder joined Newcastle on loan to regain fitness. He is one of the rare English-born players to have represented for Scotland.
Club history
| Team | Joined | Left | Loan / Trialist |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arsenal | 01 Dec 1974 | 01 Sep 1978 | |
| Aston Villa | 01 Sep 1978 | 01 Sep 1981 |
Club stats
| Season | Team | Competition | Apps | Subs | Goals | Y | R |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974-75 | Arsenal | FA Cup | 2 | ||||
| 1974-75 | Arsenal | League Division One | 7 | 1 |
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| 1975-76 | Arsenal | League Cup | 2 | 1 |
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| 1975-76 | Arsenal | League Division One | 20 | 4 |
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| 1976-77 | Arsenal | League Division One | 2 | 1 |
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| 1976-77 | Aston Villa | FA Cup | 2 | ||||
| 1976-77 | Aston Villa | League Cup | 7 | ||||
| 1976-77 | Aston Villa | League Division One | 32 | 3 |
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| 1977-78 | Aston Villa | League Cup | 3 | ||||
| 1977-78 | Aston Villa | League Division One | 17 | 2 |
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| 1977-78 | Aston Villa | UEFA Cup | 5 | ||||
| 1978-79 | Aston Villa | League Division One | 15 | 2 |
2 |
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| 1979-80 | Aston Villa | League Division One | 1 | ||||
| 1979-80 | Newcastle United | League Division Two | 3 |
Please note: Career stats are based on performances in the Premier and Football Leagues and (in most cases all) internationals.
Club matches
| Date | Match | Result | Competition | Round | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 07 Dec 1974 | Carlisle United v Arsenal | L | 2-1 | League Division One | |
| 14 Dec 1974 | Arsenal v Leicester City | D | 0-0 | League Division One | |
| 21 Dec 1974 | Stoke City v Arsenal | W | 0-2 | League Division One | |
| 26 Dec 1974 | Arsenal v Chelsea | L | 1-2 | League Division One | |
| 28 Dec 1974 | Sheffield United v Arsenal | D | 1-1 | League Division One | |
| 04 Jan 1975 | Arsenal v York City | D | 1-1 | FA Cup | 3rd round |
| 07 Jan 1975 | York City v Arsenal | W | 1-3 | FA Cup | 3rd round replay |
| 11 Jan 1975 | Arsenal v Carlisle United | W | 2-1 | League Division One | |
| 18 Jan 1975 | Middlesbrough v Arsenal | D | 0-0 | League Division One | |
| 16 Aug 1975 | Burnley v Arsenal | D | 0-0 | League Division One | |
| 19 Aug 1975 | Sheffield United v Arsenal | W | 1-3 | League Division One | |
| 23 Aug 1975 | Arsenal v Stoke City | L | 0-1 | League Division One | |
| 26 Aug 1975 | Arsenal v Norwich City | W | 2-1 | League Division One | |
| 30 Aug 1975 | Wolverhampton Wanderers v Arsenal | D | 0-0 | League Division One | |
| 06 Sep 1975 | Arsenal v Leicester City | D | 1-1 | League Division One | |
| 09 Sep 1975 | Everton v Arsenal | D | 2-2 | League Cup | 2nd round |
| 13 Sep 1975 | Aston Villa v Arsenal | L | 2-0 | League Division One | |
| 20 Sep 1975 | Arsenal v Everton | D | 2-2 | League Division One | |
| 23 Sep 1975 | Arsenal v Everton | L | 0-1 | League Cup | 2nd round replay |
| 27 Sep 1975 | Tottenham Hotspur v Arsenal | D | 0-0 | League Division One | |
| 04 Oct 1975 | Arsenal v Manchester City | L | 2-3 | League Division One | |
| 11 Oct 1975 | Arsenal v Coventry City | W | 5-0 | League Division One | |
| 18 Oct 1975 | Manchester United v Arsenal | L | 3-1 | League Division One | |
| 25 Oct 1975 | Arsenal v Middlesbrough | W | 2-1 | League Division One | |
| 08 Nov 1975 | Arsenal v Derby County | L | 0-1 | League Division One | |
| 15 Nov 1975 | Birmingham City v Arsenal | L | 3-1 | League Division One | |
| 10 Apr 1976 | Everton v Arsenal | D | 0-0 | League Division One | |
| 13 Apr 1976 | Arsenal v Wolverhampton Wanderers | W | 2-1 | League Division One | |
| 17 Apr 1976 | Arsenal v Ipswich Town | L | 1-2 | League Division One | |
| 19 Apr 1976 | Queens Park Rangers v Arsenal | L | 2-1 | League Division One | |
| 24 Apr 1976 | Manchester City v Arsenal | L | 3-1 | League Division One | |
| 21 Aug 1976 | Arsenal v Bristol City | L | 0-1 | League Division One | |
| 04 Sep 1976 | Arsenal v Manchester City | D | 0-0 | League Division One | |
| 11 Sep 1976 | West Ham United v Arsenal | W | 0-2 | League Division One | |
Please note: Match history is complete for the Premier and Football Leagues and (in most cases all) internationals.
International stats
| Season | Team | Competition | Apps | Subs | Goals | Y | R |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1971-72 | Scotland | UEFA European Championship | 2 | ||||
| 1971-72 | Scotland | Under-23 | 1 | ||||
| 1972-73 | Scotland | Under-23 | 1 | ||||
| 1973-74 | Scotland | Under-23 | 1 |
Please note: Career stats are based on performances in the Premier and Football Leagues and (in most cases all) internationals.
International matches
| Date | Match | Result | Competition | Round | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 Oct 1971 | Scotland v Portugal | W | 2-1 | UEFA European Championship | Group 5 |
| 10 Nov 1971 | Scotland v Belgium | W | 1-0 | UEFA European Championship | Group 5 |
| 26 Jan 1972 | Scotland v Wales | W | 2-0 | Under-23 | |
| 13 Feb 1973 | Scotland v England | L | 1-2 | U23 | |
| 27 Feb 1974 | Scotland v Wales | W | 3-0 | Under-23 | |
Please note: Match history is complete for the Premier and Football Leagues and (in most cases all) internationals.