John Nicol Robertson
Encyclopedia
John Nicol Robertson was a Scottish professional footballer who played at half-back
for various clubs in the early 20th century, spending most of his career with Southampton
.
in South Ayrshire
and after spending time with Rangers
in Glasgow
, moved to England in April 1902 to join Bolton Wanderers
of the Football League Second Division
. At Bolton, he found it hard to break into the first team, making only one appearance at left-half in 1903–04. After three years of reserve team
football, he eventually had a more sustained period in the first team, making 14 First Division
appearances, generally at right-half, in 1905–06. Frustrated at not being able to command a regular spot in the Wanderers' side, he moved to southern England
to join Southampton
of the Southern League
in May 1906.
Described in the local press as "a really classy half-back and an exceedingly capable player", Robertson made his debut for the "Saints" on 8 September 1906, playing at left-half in a 2–2 draw with Norwich City
. After his second appearance a fortnight later, he sustained a serious knee injury which put him out of action for several months. He returned to action on 8 December, taking the place of James Bowden
at centre-half for eight matches before switching to right-half for the rest of the season.
Another injury caused him to miss the start of the next season, before he returned at the end of October. He made a total of 25 league and five FA Cup
appearances in 1907–08, and as a utility player
appeared in all five defensive positions as well as playing at inside-left against Leyton
on 29 February when he scored in a 1–1 draw. In the Cup
, he helped Southampton reach the FA Cup Semi Finals where they went out to Wolverhampton Wanderers
, beating First Division Everton
en route.
In 1908–09, Robertson was in-and-out of the side, alternating with Horace Glover
at left-back in the early part of the season before a handful of matches in the latter part of the season at half-back. In the following season, he missed only six matches and played in all five defensive roles, as well as making one appearance up front, this time at outside-left. Injury caused him to miss a large part of the 1910–11 season, but he returned in March at left-half, following the transfer of Bert Trueman
to Sheffield United
.
Following Glover's departure in September 1911, Robertson made the left-back position his own and his form earned him two call-ups to the Southern League representative XI in which he played the Irish League in Belfast and the Football League
at Stoke
. This season saw his longest period of regular first-team football, when he missed only one match before he was sold to Rangers
in March 1912, much to the dismay of the Saints' supporters. In his six seasons at The Dell, Robertson made a total of 164 appearances, scoring once.
Robertson spent only one season at Ibrox
in which he made sixteen appearances at left-back, including four in the Glasgow Cup
when Rangers defeated local rivals Celtic
3–1 in the final.
Defender (association football)
Within the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposition from attacking....
for various clubs in the early 20th century, spending most of his career with 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...
.
Football career
Robertson was born in CoyltonCoylton
Coylton is a village in South Ayrshire, Scotland. It is located east of Ayr, and west of Drongan, on the A70. Sundrum Castle Holiday Park is located to the west of the village, in the grounds of Sundrum Castle, which partly dates to the 13th century...
in South Ayrshire
South Ayrshire
South Ayrshire is one of 32 council areas of Scotland, covering the southern part of Ayrshire. It borders onto East Ayrshire, North Ayrshire and Dumfries and Galloway....
and after spending time with Rangers
Rangers F.C.
Rangers Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland, who play in the Scottish Premier League. The club are nicknamed the Gers, Teddy Bears and the Light Blues, and the fans are known to each other as bluenoses...
in 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...
, moved to England in April 1902 to join Bolton Wanderers
Bolton Wanderers F.C.
Bolton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the area of Horwich in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester. They began their current spell in the Premier League in 2001....
of the Football League 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...
. At Bolton, he found it hard to break into the first team, making only one appearance at left-half in 1903–04. After three years of reserve team
Reserve team
Large professional sports clubs often have far more players under contract than could possibly play in a match. As a result, many of these clubs create second teams composed of players who need playing time, but have little hope of playing on the first team. The players on this second team are...
football, he eventually had a more sustained period in the first team, making 14 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....
appearances, generally at right-half, in 1905–06. Frustrated at not being able to command a regular spot in the Wanderers' side, he moved to southern England
Southern England
Southern England, the South and the South of England are imprecise terms used to refer to the southern counties of England bordering the English Midlands. It has a number of different interpretations of its geographic extents. The South is considered by many to be a cultural region with a distinct...
to join 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...
in May 1906.
Described in the local press as "a really classy half-back and an exceedingly capable player", Robertson made his debut for the "Saints" on 8 September 1906, playing at left-half in a 2–2 draw with Norwich City
Norwich City F.C.
Norwich City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. As of the 2011–12 season, Norwich City are again playing in the Premier League after a six-year absence, having finished as runner up in the Championship in 2010–11 and winning automatic promotion.The...
. After his second appearance a fortnight later, he sustained a serious knee injury which put him out of action for several months. He returned to action on 8 December, taking the place of James Bowden
James Bowden (footballer)
James William Bowden was an English footballer who played at centre-half for various clubs in the 1900s.-Football career:...
at centre-half for eight matches before switching to right-half for the rest of the season.
Another injury caused him to miss the start of the next season, before he returned at the end of October. He made a total of 25 league and five 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...
appearances in 1907–08, and as a utility player
Utility player
In sport, a utility player is one who can play several positions competently, a sort of jack of all trades. Sports in which the term is often used include association football , baseball, rugby, rugby league, water polo and softball....
appeared in all five defensive positions as well as playing at inside-left against Leyton
Leyton F.C.
Leyton Football Club are an English association football club based in Leyton, in the London Borough of Waltham Forest. As of January 2011, they are not in a senior league, after withdrawing from the Isthmian League Division One North...
on 29 February when he scored in a 1–1 draw. In the Cup
FA Cup 1907–08
The 1907–08 FA Cup was the 37th staging of the world's oldest association football competition, the Football Association Challenge Cup...
, he helped Southampton reach the FA Cup Semi Finals where they went out to Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club that represents the city of Wolverhampton in the West Midlands region. They are members of the Premier League, the highest level of English football. The club was founded in 1877 and since 1889 has played at...
, beating First Division Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
en route.
In 1908–09, Robertson was in-and-out of the side, alternating with Horace Glover
Horace Glover
Horace Victor Glover was an English professional footballer who played at left-back for Southampton and West Ham United in the decade prior to World War I.-Football career:...
at left-back in the early part of the season before a handful of matches in the latter part of the season at half-back. In the following season, he missed only six matches and played in all five defensive roles, as well as making one appearance up front, this time at outside-left. Injury caused him to miss a large part of the 1910–11 season, but he returned in March at left-half, following the transfer of Bert Trueman
Bert Trueman
Albert Henry Trueman was an English footballer who played as a half-back for various clubs in the early twentieth century.-Football career:...
to Sheffield United
Sheffield United F.C.
Sheffield United Football Club is a professional English football club based in the city of Sheffield, South Yorkshire.They were the first sporting team to use the name 'United' and are nicknamed 'The Blades', thanks to Sheffield's worldwide reputation for steel production...
.
Following Glover's departure in September 1911, Robertson made the left-back position his own and his form earned him two call-ups to the Southern League representative XI in which he played the Irish League in Belfast and 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...
at Stoke
Stoke-on-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent , also called The Potteries is a city in Staffordshire, England, which forms a linear conurbation almost 12 miles long, with an area of . Together with the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme Stoke forms The Potteries Urban Area...
. This season saw his longest period of regular first-team football, when he missed only one match before he was sold to Rangers
Rangers F.C.
Rangers Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland, who play in the Scottish Premier League. The club are nicknamed the Gers, Teddy Bears and the Light Blues, and the fans are known to each other as bluenoses...
in March 1912, much to the dismay of the Saints' supporters. In his six seasons at The Dell, Robertson made a total of 164 appearances, scoring once.
Robertson spent only one season at Ibrox
Ibrox Stadium
Ibrox Stadium is a football stadium located on the south side of the River Clyde, on Edmiston Drive in the Ibrox district of Glasgow. It is the home ground of Scottish Premier League club Rangers and has an all-seated capacity of 51,082...
in which he made sixteen appearances at left-back, including four in the Glasgow Cup
Glasgow Cup
The Glasgow Cup is a knockout football tournament open to teams from Glasgow. It was competed for annually by senior Glasgow clubs from 1887 until 1988. It is now competed for between the youth teams of Rangers, Celtic, Clyde, Partick Thistle and Queen's Park.It is dominated by the Old Firm of...
when Rangers defeated local rivals Celtic
Celtic F.C.
Celtic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which currently plays in the Scottish Premier League. The club was established in 1887, and played its first game in 1888. Celtic have won the Scottish League Championship on 42 occasions, most recently in the...
3–1 in the final.