Bobby Harrop
Encyclopedia
Robert Harrop was an English
footballer. His regular position was at half back
. He was born in Manchester
. He played for Manchester United
and Tranmere Rovers
.
He joined Manchester United as a youth team player in 1953 and was an FA Youth Cup
winner in 1954 and later graduated to the reserve side after turning professional.
His first team debut came on 5 March 1958, a month after the Munich air disaster
- where eight players were killed and two never played again due to injury, while several other players were still recovering from their injuries. His debut was against West Bromwich Albion
in the FA Cup
fifth round replay. He made a further five appearances that season, and five more in 1958-59
, but never became a regular player and was sold to Tranmere Rovers for £4,000 in 1961.
He spent two seasons at Prenton Park
before quitting league football at the age of 27, when he signed for non league Margate
in Kent
. He played 567 games for the Hartsdown Park
club until 1978, when at the age of 42 he called time on 15 years at Margate and signed for neighbouring Ramsgate Town. 52 appearances came over the next two seasons and he carried on playing until he was nearly 50, finally hanging up his boots at the end of the 1984-85 season
with Dover Athletic
, where he was also in charge of the reserve team.
He remained in football as a non-league referee, a role he held until just before his death in November 2007 at the age of 71.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
footballer. His regular position was at half back
Midfielder
A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...
. He was born in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
. He played for Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
and Tranmere Rovers
Tranmere Rovers F.C.
Tranmere Rovers Football Club are an English team based in Birkenhead, Wirral. The club currently compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system...
.
He joined Manchester United as a youth team player in 1953 and was an FA Youth Cup
FA Youth Cup
The Football Association Youth Challenge Cup is an English football competition run by The Football Association for under–18 sides. Only those players between the age of 15 and 18 on 31 August of the current season are eligible to take part...
winner in 1954 and later graduated to the reserve side after turning professional.
His first team debut came on 5 March 1958, a month after the Munich air disaster
Munich air disaster
The Munich air disaster occurred on 6 February 1958, when British European Airways Flight 609 crashed on its third attempt to take off from a slush-covered runway at Munich-Riem Airport in Munich, West Germany. On board the plane was the Manchester United football team, nicknamed the "Busby Babes",...
- where eight players were killed and two never played again due to injury, while several other players were still recovering from their injuries. His debut was against West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion F.C.
West Bromwich Albion Football Club, also known as West Brom, The Baggies, The Throstles, Albion or WBA, are an English Premier League association football club based in West Bromwich in the West Midlands...
in the FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
fifth round replay. He made a further five appearances that season, and five more in 1958-59
1958-59 in English football
The 1958–59 season was the 79th season of competitive football in England.-Diary of the season:August 1958: The Football League season begins with the new national Third and Fourth divisions that have been created from the old Third Division North and Third Division South.September 1958: Manchester...
, but never became a regular player and was sold to Tranmere Rovers for £4,000 in 1961.
He spent two seasons at Prenton Park
Prenton Park
Prenton Park is an association football stadium in Birkenhead, England. It is the home ground of Tranmere Rovers F.C. The club moved to the current Prenton Park in 1912. The ground has had several rebuilds, with the most recent occurring in 1995 in response to the requirement of the Taylor Report...
before quitting league football at the age of 27, when he signed for non league Margate
Margate F.C.
Margate Football Club is an English football team based in the seaside resort of Margate, Kent, currently playing in the Isthmian League Premier Division. The club was known for a number of years during the 1980s as Thanet United....
in Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
. He played 567 games for the Hartsdown Park
Hartsdown Park
Hartsdown Park is a football stadium located in Margate, Kent, England. It has been the home of Margate F.C. since 1929, apart from between 2002 and 2005, when the club was forced to share the grounds of other Kent clubs while protracted redevelopment work occurred.Although the football club was...
club until 1978, when at the age of 42 he called time on 15 years at Margate and signed for neighbouring Ramsgate Town. 52 appearances came over the next two seasons and he carried on playing until he was nearly 50, finally hanging up his boots at the end of the 1984-85 season
1984-85 in English football
The 1984–85 season was the 105th season of competitive football in England.-Bradford City disaster:56 spectators died and more than 200 were injured when a fire ripped through the Main Stand at Valley Parade during Bradford City's Third Division fixture with Lincoln City on 11 May...
with Dover Athletic
Dover Athletic F.C.
Dover Athletic Football Club is an association football team based in the town of Dover, Kent, England. The club was formed in 1983 after the dissolution of the town's previous club, Dover, whose place in the Southern League was taken by the new club...
, where he was also in charge of the reserve team.
He remained in football as a non-league referee, a role he held until just before his death in November 2007 at the age of 71.