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Robert "Bob" Roberts (July 1864 – 15 March 1932) was a Welsh professional footballer who played at wing half for several clubs, spending most of his career with Bolton Wanderers in the English Football League. He made a total of ten appearances for Wales. ==Playing career== Roberts was born at Penycae, near Wrexham and, on leaving school, obtained employment in a terracotta works. He joined Druids, based in the neighbouring village of Ruabon, as an amateur in 1882 and helped them reach the fifth round (last eight) of the F.A. Cup in 1883. Roberts replaced Jack Powell in the third round replay against Bolton Wanderers and retained his place for the quarter-final match, losing 4–1 to eventual winners Blackburn Olympic. Druids also had a long run in the Welsh Cup, reaching the final for the fifth year out of the six since the competition was inaugurated in 1877. Roberts played in the final on 21 April 1883, with Druids losing 1–0 to Wrexham. Druids reached the Welsh Cup final again the following year, this time to lose 1–0 to Oswestry White Stars in a replay. The week before the 1884 Welsh Cup Final, Roberts was called up for his first appearance for Wales, when he took the place of Jack Powell at right back for the final match of the 1884 British Home Championship against Scotland on 29 March. Although Roberts scored after seven minutes, Scotland equalised midway through the first half and ran out 4–1 winners to claim the trophy with three victories. In April 1884, Roberts moved to Lancashire to join Bolton Wanderers in the Football League, where he was re-united with several former Druids players, including Jack Powell and Jackie Vaughan, both of whom had moved to Bolton the previous year.〔 Described as "a good athlete and a useful boxer", Roberts had a "burly frame"〔 and soon became an established member of the Wanderers' eleven. Roberts scored on his debut, in a friendly match against Preston North End and was soon converted to a wing-half. In 1887, Bolton Wanderers were involved in a protracted first round F.A. Cup match against Everton. Roberts scored the only goal of the initial match played on 15 October 1887, but the result was declared invalid as Bolton had fielded an ineligible player, Robert Struthers.〔 There then followed two drawn matches (with Roberts again scoring in the first), before Everton won the second replay (the fourth match altogether) 2–1.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Everton Season Statistics 1887–1888 )〕 This time, however, Everton were disqualified for fielding two professional players who had been registered as amateurs, and the match was awarded to Bolton, who were then defeated 9–1 by Preston North End,〔 with Jimmy Ross scoring six goals. Bolton were one of the twelve founder members of the Football League, which formed in 1888.〔(【引用サイトリンク】work=Bolton Wanderers official website )〕 In the inaugural Football League season, Roberts was ever-present, scoring twice as Bolton finished fifth in the table. In 1889, Roberts was described as "a very fast man (120 yards in 13 seconds), a splendid dribbler and difficult to overcome in possession of the ball". One newspaper dubbed him "the best half back in England".〔 Roberts remained at Bolton until March 1892, when he moved to Preston North End where he played five league matches at the end of the 1891–92 season. Later that year, he dropped down to the Second Division, spending one season with Lincoln City before retiring.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Robert Roberts (footballer, born 1864)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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