Jack Robertson (footballer)
Encyclopedia
John Thomas "Jack" Robertson (born June 1877) was a Scottish footballer who played at full-back around the turn of the 20th century for various clubs in England, including Stoke, Liverpool
(where he was a member of the side which won the Football League
championship in 1900–01) and Southampton
(where he won the Southern League
title in 1902–03
and 1903–04
).
, near Glasgow
, Scotland, but after playing as an amateur for his local village team and for St Bernard's
of Edinburgh
, he started his professional football career with Stoke of the English Football League First Division
in May 1894.
In each of his first two seasons with Stoke, when Robertson generally played as a half-back, he only managed 13 league appearances for the first-team. After spending the 1896–97 season away from Stoke, firstly in Scotland with Hibernian
and then in England with Millwall Athletic of the Southern League
, Robertson returned to Stoke for the start of the 1897–98 season. He now became the established right-back at the Victoria Ground
, alongside Jack Eccles
on the left.
At the end of Robertson's first season back at Stoke, in which he made 23 appearances, the club finished at the foot of the First Division table, having failed to win once away from home, and were required to enter the end of season play-offs, in a mini "tournament" also involving Blackburn Rovers
and the top two teams in the Second Division
, Burnley
and Newcastle United
. Stoke managed their first away victory of the season against Burnley, and finished the play-offs at the top of the table, with Burnley as runners-up. In the event, the Football League decided to expand the First Division by two clubs, and thus Blackburn and Newcastle were able to take their places in the expanded division for the following season.
Stoke's financial problems prevented the club from strengthening the side for the 1898–99 season, other than the signing of goal-keeper George Clawley
, who returned from Southampton
. The club fared better this season, finishing in mid-table, with Robertson only missing three matches. He also played in all six FA Cup
matches, as Stoke reached the semi-finals, where they were defeated 3–1 by Derby County
.
Although the FA Cup run improved Stoke's finances, they still struggled to sign or retain players, other than those with a local connection, with the only significant signing for the 1899–1900 season being goal-keeper Tom Wilkes
from Aston Villa
, to replace Clawley who had moved on to join Tottenham Hotspur
. The season saw a further improvement in the club's performances on the pitch, finishing the season ninth in the table, with Robertson appearing in all 34 League games, scoring twice.
At the end of the season, Robertson was signed by fellow First Division
side, Liverpool
. In his five seasons spent at Stoke, Robertson made a total of 128 appearances for the Potteries
team, scoring three goals.
took over for the next nine matches, although Robertson was back in place for the final three fixtures of the season as Liverpool secured their first league title by two points from runners-up Sunderland
.
In the following season, it was Glover who started as the club's right-back but Robertson came back into contention during the second-half of the season and made a further 17 First Division appearances, as Liverpool finished in the lower half of the table.
In February 1902, Robertson was a member of the Liverpool side who were surprisingly beaten 4–1 at Anfield
by Southampton
of the Southern League
on their way to the Cup Final
.
, a 6–0 victory over Brentford
, with England
international George Molyneux
on his left. On the pitch, Robertson soon established himself as "a reliable full-back" who "possessed a powerful kick and the ability to time his tackles to perfection", although off the pitch he was known as a "retiring fellow" who had a "holy horror" of being interviewed and was elusive when a reporter wanted a story. He made 25 appearances in his first season at The Dell at the end of which the club claimed the Southern League
title for the fifth time in seven years.
Robertson met with a severe injury in the opening match of the 1903–04 season
which put him out of the game until late November, during which period Samuel Meston
took over from him. Robertson returned on 21 November 1903 and remained in the side for the rest of the season, although he struggled to recapture his old form. At the end of the season, the Saints claimed the Southern League title for the sixth (and final) time.
Following his retirement, Robertson became a publican in Hove
.
Southampton
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
(where he was a member of the side which won the Football League
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
championship in 1900–01) and Southampton
Southampton F.C.
Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club...
(where he won the Southern League
Southern Football League
The Southern League is an English football competition featuring semi-professional and amateur clubs from the South West, South Central and Midlands of England and South Wales...
title in 1902–03
Southern Football League 1902-03
The 1902–03 Southern League season saw Southampton win Division One and Fulham finishing top of Division Two. No clubs applied to join the Football League.-Division One:There were no new clubs in Division One this season....
and 1903–04
Southern Football League 1903-04
The 1903–04 Southern League season saw Southampton win Division One for the second successive season. Watford finishing top of Division Two, earning automatic promotion, the first time that test matches had not been held...
).
Stoke
Robertson was born in Newton MearnsNewton Mearns
Newton Mearns is a suburban town in East Renfrewshire, Scotland. It lies southwest of Glasgow City Centre on the main road to Ayrshire, above sea level. It has a population of approximately 22,637.The town is part of the Greater Glasgow conurbation...
, near Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, Scotland, but after playing as an amateur for his local village team and for St Bernard's
St Bernard's F.C.
St Bernard's F.C. were a Senior Scottish football club based in Edinburgh from 1878 to 1943....
of Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
, he started his professional football career with Stoke of the English Football League First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
in May 1894.
In each of his first two seasons with Stoke, when Robertson generally played as a half-back, he only managed 13 league appearances for the first-team. After spending the 1896–97 season away from Stoke, firstly in Scotland with Hibernian
Hibernian F.C.
Hibernian Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Leith, in the north of Edinburgh. They are one of two Scottish Premier League clubs in the city, the other being their Edinburgh derby rivals, Hearts...
and then in England with Millwall Athletic of the Southern League
Southern Football League
The Southern League is an English football competition featuring semi-professional and amateur clubs from the South West, South Central and Midlands of England and South Wales...
, Robertson returned to Stoke for the start of the 1897–98 season. He now became the established right-back at the Victoria Ground
Victoria Ground
Victoria Ground may refer to:*Victoria Ground, the former name of Hartlepool United’s ground Victoria Park.*Victoria Ground, Stoke City’s ground from 1878 to 1997.*Victoria Ground, current home of Bromsgrove Rovers...
, alongside Jack Eccles
Jack Eccles
John Eccles was an English association football Player who played over 180 times for Stoke in the late 19th century.-Career:Eccles was signed from local side London Road in March 1890 as a long term replacement for Alf Underwood. However at just and Eccles looked the complete opposite to the...
on the left.
At the end of Robertson's first season back at Stoke, in which he made 23 appearances, the club finished at the foot of the First Division table, having failed to win once away from home, and were required to enter the end of season play-offs, in a mini "tournament" also involving Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn Rovers F.C.
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. The team currently competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football....
and the top two teams in the Second Division
Football League Second Division
From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
, Burnley
Burnley F.C.
Burnley Football Club are a professional English Football League club based in Burnley, Lancashire. Nicknamed the Clarets, due to the dominant colour of their home shirts, they were founder members of the Football League in 1888...
and Newcastle United
Newcastle United F.C.
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...
. Stoke managed their first away victory of the season against Burnley, and finished the play-offs at the top of the table, with Burnley as runners-up. In the event, the Football League decided to expand the First Division by two clubs, and thus Blackburn and Newcastle were able to take their places in the expanded division for the following season.
Stoke's financial problems prevented the club from strengthening the side for the 1898–99 season, other than the signing of goal-keeper George Clawley
George Clawley
George Clawley was an English professional goalkeeper who played for Stoke, Southampton and Tottenham Hotspur in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries...
, who returned from Southampton
Southampton F.C.
Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club...
. The club fared better this season, finishing in mid-table, with Robertson only missing three matches. He also played in all six 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...
matches, as Stoke reached the semi-finals, where they were defeated 3–1 by Derby County
Derby County F.C.
Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...
.
Although the FA Cup run improved Stoke's finances, they still struggled to sign or retain players, other than those with a local connection, with the only significant signing for the 1899–1900 season being goal-keeper Tom Wilkes
Tom Wilkes (footballer)
Thomas Henry Wilkes was a former footballer, who played in the Football League for Stoke where he made seventy nine appearances. He also played for Aston Villa.-Career:...
from Aston Villa
Aston Villa F.C.
Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...
, to replace Clawley who had moved on to join Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
. The season saw a further improvement in the club's performances on the pitch, finishing the season ninth in the table, with Robertson appearing in all 34 League games, scoring twice.
At the end of the season, Robertson was signed by fellow First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
side, Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
. In his five seasons spent at Stoke, Robertson made a total of 128 appearances for the Potteries
Staffordshire Potteries
The Staffordshire Potteries is a generic term for the industrial area encompassing the six towns that now make up Stoke on Trent in Staffordshire, England....
team, scoring three goals.
Liverpool
At Liverpool, Robertson soon established a reputation as a fierce competitor who "added considerable muscle to the Reds' rearguard". He made 22 consecutive appearances from the start of the 1900–01 season, before John GloverJohn Glover (footballer)
John William Glover , also known as Jack Glover, was an English professional footballer who played as a right back....
took over for the next nine matches, although Robertson was back in place for the final three fixtures of the season as Liverpool secured their first league title by two points from runners-up Sunderland
Sunderland A.F.C.
Sunderland Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear who currently play in the Premier League...
.
In the following season, it was Glover who started as the club's right-back but Robertson came back into contention during the second-half of the season and made a further 17 First Division appearances, as Liverpool finished in the lower half of the table.
In February 1902, Robertson was a member of the Liverpool side who were surprisingly beaten 4–1 at Anfield
Anfield
Anfield is an association football stadium in the district of Anfield, Liverpool, England, with a seating capacity of 45,522. It has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since their formation in 1892 and was originally the home of Everton F.C. from 1884 to 1892, before they moved to Goodison Park...
by Southampton
Southampton F.C.
Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club...
of the Southern League
Southern Football League
The Southern League is an English football competition featuring semi-professional and amateur clubs from the South West, South Central and Midlands of England and South Wales...
on their way to the Cup Final
1902 FA Cup Final
The 1902 FA Cup Final was contested by Sheffield United and Southampton at Crystal Palace. The match finished 1–1 after extra time, with the goals scored by Alf Common for Sheffield United and Harry Wood for Southampton....
.
Southampton
In May 1902, Robertson joined the "Saints", much against the wishes of the Liverpool management who were reluctant to release him. He made his debut for Southampton at right-back in the opening match of the 1902–03 seasonSouthern Football League 1902-03
The 1902–03 Southern League season saw Southampton win Division One and Fulham finishing top of Division Two. No clubs applied to join the Football League.-Division One:There were no new clubs in Division One this season....
, a 6–0 victory over Brentford
Brentford F.C.
Brentford Football Club are a professional English football club based in Brentford in the London Borough of Hounslow. They are currently playing in Football League One....
, with England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
international George Molyneux
George Molyneux
George Molyneux was a professional footballer who played in the 1902 FA Cup final for Southampton.-Honours:Southampton* FA Cup finalist: 1902...
on his left. On the pitch, Robertson soon established himself as "a reliable full-back" who "possessed a powerful kick and the ability to time his tackles to perfection", although off the pitch he was known as a "retiring fellow" who had a "holy horror" of being interviewed and was elusive when a reporter wanted a story. He made 25 appearances in his first season at The Dell at the end of which the club claimed the Southern League
Southern Football League
The Southern League is an English football competition featuring semi-professional and amateur clubs from the South West, South Central and Midlands of England and South Wales...
title for the fifth time in seven years.
Robertson met with a severe injury in the opening match of the 1903–04 season
Southern Football League 1903-04
The 1903–04 Southern League season saw Southampton win Division One for the second successive season. Watford finishing top of Division Two, earning automatic promotion, the first time that test matches had not been held...
which put him out of the game until late November, during which period Samuel Meston
Samuel Meston
Samuel Meston was a Scottish professional footballer who played as a half-back for Stoke and Southampton. Whilst with Southampton, he appeared in two FA Cup Finals and won six Southern League championship medals and was the only player ever to do so.-Playing career:Meston was born in Arbroath and...
took over from him. Robertson returned on 21 November 1903 and remained in the side for the rest of the season, although he struggled to recapture his old form. At the end of the season, the Saints claimed the Southern League title for the sixth (and final) time.
Brighton
In the summer of 1904, Robertson moved along the south coast to join Brighton and Hove Albion, where he played out his final season before retiring.Following his retirement, Robertson became a publican in Hove
Hove
Hove is a town on the south coast of England, immediately to the west of its larger neighbour Brighton, with which it forms the unitary authority Brighton and Hove. It forms a single conurbation together with Brighton and some smaller towns and villages running along the coast...
.
Career statistics
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Stoke Stoke City F.C. Stoke City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire that plays in the Premier League. Founded in 1863, it is the oldest club in the Premier League, and considered to be the second oldest professional football club in the world, after Notts... |
1894–95 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 1 |
| 1895–96 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 | |
| 1897–98 | 25 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 27 | 0 | |
| 1898–99 | 31 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 37 | 0 | |
| 1899–1900 | 34 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 36 | 2 | |
| Total | 116 | 3 | 10 | 0 | 126 | 3 | |
| Liverpool Liverpool F.C. Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups... |
1900–01 | 25 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 27 | 0 |
| 1901–02 | 17 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 20 | 0 | |
| Total | 42 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 47 | 0 | |
| Southampton Southampton F.C. Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club... |
1902–03 | 26 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 29 | 1 |
| 1903–04 | 19 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 21 | 0 | |
| Total | 45 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 50 | 1 | |
| Career Total | 203 | 4 | 20 | 0 | 223 | 4 | |
Honours
LiverpoolLiverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
- The Football LeagueThe Football LeagueThe Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
champions: 1900–01
Southampton
Southampton F.C.
Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club...
- Southern LeagueSouthern Football LeagueThe Southern League is an English football competition featuring semi-professional and amateur clubs from the South West, South Central and Midlands of England and South Wales...
champions: 1902–03Southern Football League 1902-03The 1902–03 Southern League season saw Southampton win Division One and Fulham finishing top of Division Two. No clubs applied to join the Football League.-Division One:There were no new clubs in Division One this season....
and 1903–04Southern Football League 1903-04The 1903–04 Southern League season saw Southampton win Division One for the second successive season. Watford finishing top of Division Two, earning automatic promotion, the first time that test matches had not been held...