Bobby Irvine (footballer born 1900)
Encyclopedia
Robert William "Bobby" Irvine (29 April 1900 in Lisburn
, Ireland
– 1979 in Leicester
, England
) was an Irish footballer. He played as a centre or inside forward
.
A sublime dribbler and a master of ball control, Bobby Irvine was amongst the most gifted attacking players of his generation. Signed by Everton FC for £500 in September 1921, he made his Football League debut in a 1-1 draw against Liverpool FC in November 1921 at Anfield
. He quickly became a crowd favourite at Goodison Park
- his bravery and determination coupled with his thrilling skills entertained the fans for six seasons. More of a creator than a scorer, Irvine normally played at inside-right, but when deployed at centre-forward he proved an effective goal-getter, best illustrated by a hat-trick against Aston Villa in January 1922.
First selected for Ireland in March 1922, Irvine played at centre-forward in a 2-1 defeat by Scotland
. Indeed five of his first six caps were won leading the attack. An early personal best performance came with two goals in a 3-0 win over Wales
in Wrexham
, but he will be best remembered for his role in 2-1 and 2-0 defeats of England
at Windsor Park
in 1923 and 1927, and for his goal that gave his country a 3-2 lead at Anfield in 1926, only for the game to finish 3-3.
Troubled by injuries through a number of spells of his career, Irvine left Everton in March 1928 having made just nine appearances in what was a title winning campaign for the Toffees. Snapped up by Portsmouth FC, he made his Fratton Park
debut in a 1-0 win over Manchester United on 17 March. He helped his new club to the FA Cup
final in 1929, but injury robbed him of a place in the final line-up as they lost 2-0 to Bolton Wanderers. In August 1929 Irvine joined Welsh club, Connah's Quay
, where he became the only player from that club to be capped for Ireland.
With Connah's Quay suffering severe financial difficulties, Irvine returned to Northern Ireland, signing for Derry City
. He marked his Brandywell debut with a goal in a 1-0 Gold Cup
quarter-final win over Larne on 3 September 1930. With Derry, Irvine took his caps total to 15, and in October 1932 also played twice for the Irish League
, in 5-2 and 4-1 defeats by the English and Scottish Leagues respectively. During this period Irvine also briefly turned out for Chester
, scoring nine times in 13 games in the Cheshire County League
shortly before they were elected to The Football League
in 1931 .
Irvine returned to England in May 1933 with Division Three (South) club, Watford FC. He played his last Football League match in early 1934, officially hanging up his boots in April 1935. With his playing days on the wane, it was written of him: “There is no man who takes harder knocks and squeals less than Irvine.” In total, he won 15 international caps and scored 3 goals.
EVERTON
1921 -1928:
Signed from Dunmurry, Belfast, Bobby Irvine was a superb dribbler, had great ball control and was amongst the most gifted attacking players of his generation. The fee to bring him in was £500 in September 1921 but he had to wait until November to make his debut when he played against the 1-1 at Anfield against Liverpool.
His style of play soon made him a crowd favourite and his brilliant skills enthralled the Goodison crowd for six years. Irvine was more of a creator than a goal scorer and usually played at inside-right but when he was called to play at centre-forward he proved an effective goal scorer.
Bobby Irvine left Everton in March 1928 and joined Portsmouth were he only spent one season before he moved to Welsh side Connah's Quay. He officially retired in April 1935 after he played his last game the year before for Watford.
Everton playing record :
League appearances 199, goals 54
FA Cup appearances 15, goals 3
Lisburn
DemographicsLisburn Urban Area is within Belfast Metropolitan Urban Area and is classified as a Large Town by the . On census day there were 71,465 people living in Lisburn...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
– 1979 in Leicester
Leicester
Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
, England
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...
) was an Irish footballer. He played as a centre or inside forward
Inside forward
In football, the position of inside forward was popularly used in the late nineteenth and first half of the 20th centuries. The inside forwards would support the centre forwards, running and making space in the opposition defence, and, as the passing game developed, supporting him with passes...
.
A sublime dribbler and a master of ball control, Bobby Irvine was amongst the most gifted attacking players of his generation. Signed by Everton FC for £500 in September 1921, he made his Football League debut in a 1-1 draw against Liverpool FC in November 1921 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...
. He quickly became a crowd favourite at Goodison Park
Goodison Park
Goodison Park is a football stadium located in Walton, Liverpool, England. The stadium has been home to Everton F.C. since its completion in 1892 and is one of the world's first purpose-built football grounds...
- his bravery and determination coupled with his thrilling skills entertained the fans for six seasons. More of a creator than a scorer, Irvine normally played at inside-right, but when deployed at centre-forward he proved an effective goal-getter, best illustrated by a hat-trick against Aston Villa in January 1922.
First selected for Ireland in March 1922, Irvine played at centre-forward in a 2-1 defeat by Scotland
Scotland national football team
The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...
. Indeed five of his first six caps were won leading the attack. An early personal best performance came with two goals in a 3-0 win over Wales
Wales national football team
The Wales national football team represents Wales in international football. It is controlled by the Football Association of Wales , the governing body for football in Wales, and the third oldest national football association in the world. The team have only qualified for a major international...
in Wrexham
Wrexham
Wrexham is a town in Wales. It is the administrative centre of the wider Wrexham County Borough, and the largest town in North Wales, located in the east of the region. It is situated between the Welsh mountains and the lower Dee Valley close to the border with Cheshire, England...
, but he will be best remembered for his role in 2-1 and 2-0 defeats of 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...
at Windsor Park
Windsor Park
Windsor Park is a football stadium in Belfast, Northern Ireland and the home ground of Linfield F.C. and the Northern Ireland national football team. It is also where the Irish Cup and Irish League Cup finals are played.-History:...
in 1923 and 1927, and for his goal that gave his country a 3-2 lead at Anfield in 1926, only for the game to finish 3-3.
Troubled by injuries through a number of spells of his career, Irvine left Everton in March 1928 having made just nine appearances in what was a title winning campaign for the Toffees. Snapped up by Portsmouth FC, he made his Fratton Park
Fratton Park
Fratton Park is a football stadium in the English city-port of Portsmouth. It has been the home of professional club Portsmouth F.C. since its construction in 1898.-Description:...
debut in a 1-0 win over Manchester United on 17 March. He helped his new club to 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...
final in 1929, but injury robbed him of a place in the final line-up as they lost 2-0 to Bolton Wanderers. In August 1929 Irvine joined Welsh club, Connah's Quay
Connah's Quay
Connah's Quay is the largest town in Flintshire, North Wales, lying on the River Dee, near the border with England. It can be accessed by road from the A550, by rail from the nearby Shotton station and also lies on the National Cycle Network Route 5. It is situated near the region's industrial...
, where he became the only player from that club to be capped for Ireland.
With Connah's Quay suffering severe financial difficulties, Irvine returned to Northern Ireland, signing for Derry City
Derry City F.C.
Derry City Football Club is a professional football club based in Derry, Northern Ireland. It plays in the League of Ireland Premier Division...
. He marked his Brandywell debut with a goal in a 1-0 Gold Cup
Gold Cup (Northern Ireland)
The Gold Cup is a now-defunct cup competition which involved competitors from Ireland and from 1921 onwards, just for Northern Ireland. It was initially run by the New Irish Football Association but later, and mainly, by the Irish Football Association....
quarter-final win over Larne on 3 September 1930. With Derry, Irvine took his caps total to 15, and in October 1932 also played twice for the Irish League
IFA Premiership
The IFA Premiership – formerly the Irish Premier League, and before that the Irish Football League–and still known in popular parlance simply as the Irish League, is the national football league in Northern Ireland, and was historically the league for the whole of Ireland. Clubs in the league are...
, in 5-2 and 4-1 defeats by the English and Scottish Leagues respectively. During this period Irvine also briefly turned out for Chester
Chester City F.C.
Chester City Football Club was an English football team from Chester. The club was founded as Chester F.C., and joined the Football League in 1931, spending most of their time in the lower divisions. They changed their name to Chester City in 1983. Chester won their first league title in 2004, the...
, scoring nine times in 13 games in the Cheshire County League
Cheshire County League
The Cheshire County League was a football league founded in the north west of England in 1919, drawing its teams largely from Cheshire, surrounding English counties and North Wales....
shortly before they were elected to 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...
in 1931 .
Irvine returned to England in May 1933 with Division Three (South) club, Watford FC. He played his last Football League match in early 1934, officially hanging up his boots in April 1935. With his playing days on the wane, it was written of him: “There is no man who takes harder knocks and squeals less than Irvine.” In total, he won 15 international caps and scored 3 goals.
EVERTON
1921 -1928:
Signed from Dunmurry, Belfast, Bobby Irvine was a superb dribbler, had great ball control and was amongst the most gifted attacking players of his generation. The fee to bring him in was £500 in September 1921 but he had to wait until November to make his debut when he played against the 1-1 at Anfield against Liverpool.
His style of play soon made him a crowd favourite and his brilliant skills enthralled the Goodison crowd for six years. Irvine was more of a creator than a goal scorer and usually played at inside-right but when he was called to play at centre-forward he proved an effective goal scorer.
Bobby Irvine left Everton in March 1928 and joined Portsmouth were he only spent one season before he moved to Welsh side Connah's Quay. He officially retired in April 1935 after he played his last game the year before for Watford.
Everton playing record :
League appearances 199, goals 54
FA Cup appearances 15, goals 3