Robert Stevenson (footballer)
Encyclopedia
Robert "Bob" Stevenson was a Scottish
football
er, a versatile full and half back who could also play at centre forward.
Stevenson first played for Third Lanark, before joining Woolwich Arsenal
in May 1894. He spent a single season with the Reds, playing at half-back for the first seven Second Division
matches of the season, before being dropped. He was released by Woolwich Arsenal in March 1895 and joined Old Castle Swifts F.C.
. They soon folded and Stevenson returned to Scotland, before being called up to play for the newly established Thames Ironworks F.C.
team, who later went on to become West Ham United
.
He was instantly installed as their first ever club captain, and Stevenson went on to play for "The Irons" for a season and a half. On his influence as a player for both Woolwich Arsenal and Thames Ironworks, this is written:
Halfway during The Irons' second campaign of 1896-97 Stevenson once again returned to Scotland, joining Arthurlie
.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
er, a versatile full and half back who could also play at centre forward.
Stevenson first played for Third Lanark, before joining Woolwich Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
in May 1894. He spent a single season with the Reds, playing at half-back for the first seven 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...
matches of the season, before being dropped. He was released by Woolwich Arsenal in March 1895 and joined Old Castle Swifts F.C.
Old Castle Swifts F.C.
Old Castle Swifts Football Club, the first professional football club in Essex, was formed by Scottish shipowner Donald Currie in September 1892 as Castle Swifts Football Club. Old Castle Swifts' demise saw several players join the newly founded Thames Ironworks, the team who later became West Ham...
. They soon folded and Stevenson returned to Scotland, before being called up to play for the newly established Thames Ironworks F.C.
Thames Ironworks F.C.
Thames Ironworks Football Club, the club that later became West Ham United, was founded by Thames Ironworks and Shipbuilding Co. Ltd owner Arnold Hills and foreman Dave Taylor in 1895. Thames Ironworks took over the tenancy of The Old Castle Swifts' Hermit Road ground in Canning Town until their...
team, who later went on to become West Ham United
West Ham United F.C.
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Upton Park, Newham, East London. They play in The Football League Championship. The club was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks FC and reformed in 1900 as West Ham United. In 1904 the club relocated to their current...
.
He was instantly installed as their first ever club captain, and Stevenson went on to play for "The Irons" for a season and a half. On his influence as a player for both Woolwich Arsenal and Thames Ironworks, this is written:
- "Robert Stevenson, a full back of merit, who captained the Arsenal team in their early Second Division struggles, was among those who helped to build warships when the suggestion of a football club was made at the Thames Iron Works, and he was the first captain of the team. There was not much of him in the way of physique, but he was a wonderfully good player and invaluable as an advisor to the fathers of the club."
- - Association Football And The Men Who Made It, by Dickford and Gibson (1905)
Halfway during The Irons' second campaign of 1896-97 Stevenson once again returned to Scotland, joining Arthurlie
Arthurlie F.C.
Arthurlie Football Club are a Junior Scottish football team based in Barrhead, East Renfrewshire, near Glasgow. They play at Dunterlie Park, on Carlibar Road, adjacent to Barrhead railway station. They currently play in the Stagecoach Super League, Premier Division...
.