William Roberts (footballer born 1859)
Encyclopedia
William Roberts was a Welsh footballer who played as a forward in the 1870s and 1880s and made six appearances for Wales
, scoring twice.
in north-east Wales and started his football career at his local club.
His international debut came when he was selected in place of his Llangollen colleague, Jack Roberts, for the first international match between Wales
and England
on 18 January 1879. Roberts was one of only two of the Welsh team who were not associated with the Oswestry club, the other being John Price
. The match was played at the Kennington Oval and was shortened to two halves of only 30 minutes each because of the heavy snowfall. Roberts, playing at outside-left, "scored" against England, but the goal was ruled out for an earlier infringement; England won the match 2–1.
Roberts became a regular in the Welsh side, missing only one match over the next two years. In the match against Scotland
on 27 March 1880, Roberts scored a late consolation goal in a 5–1 defeat. Roberts was described in the match report as "conspicuous throughout for his clever play" and received "loud applause" for his goal. This was the first Welsh goal scored in an international against Scotland.
He had a brief foray into professional football, playing for English clubs Crewe Alexandra
and Northwich Victoria
in 1880 and 1881, before returning to his hometown with Berwyn Rangers.
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...
, scoring twice.
Football career
Roberts was born in LlangollenLlangollen
Llangollen is a small town and community in Denbighshire, north-east Wales, situated on the River Dee and on the edge of the Berwyn mountains. It has a population of 3,412.-History:...
in north-east Wales and started his football career at his local club.
His international debut came when he was selected in place of his Llangollen colleague, Jack Roberts, for the first international match between 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...
and 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...
on 18 January 1879. Roberts was one of only two of the Welsh team who were not associated with the Oswestry club, the other being John Price
John Price (footballer)
John Henry Price was a Welsh footballer who played for at centre forward for Wrexham and made 12 appearances for the Wales national football team between 1887 and 1883, scoring four goals, all of which came in one match.-Club career:...
. The match was played at the Kennington Oval and was shortened to two halves of only 30 minutes each because of the heavy snowfall. Roberts, playing at outside-left, "scored" against England, but the goal was ruled out for an earlier infringement; England won the match 2–1.
Roberts became a regular in the Welsh side, missing only one match over the next two years. In the match against 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...
on 27 March 1880, Roberts scored a late consolation goal in a 5–1 defeat. Roberts was described in the match report as "conspicuous throughout for his clever play" and received "loud applause" for his goal. This was the first Welsh goal scored in an international against Scotland.
He had a brief foray into professional football, playing for English clubs Crewe Alexandra
Crewe Alexandra F.C.
Crewe Alexandra Football Club is an English professional football club based in Crewe, Cheshire. Nicknamed The Railwaymen due to the town's links with the rail industry, they currently play in Football League Two, the fourth tier of English football, and are based at the Alexandra Stadium.The club...
and Northwich Victoria
Northwich Victoria F.C.
Northwich Victoria Football Club are an English football club who play at the Victoria Stadium in Wincham, Northwich, Cheshire in the Northern Premier League Premier Division, the seventh tier of the English football league system.Northwich are an old club, founded in 1874 and named in honour of...
in 1880 and 1881, before returning to his hometown with Berwyn Rangers.
International appearances
Roberts made six appearances for Wales in official international matches, as follows:| Date | Venue | Opponent | Result | Goals | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 January 1879 | Kennington Oval, London London London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its... |
1–2 | 0 | Friendly Exhibition game An exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition... |
|
| 7 April 1879 | Racecourse Ground Racecourse Ground The Glyndŵr University Racecourse Stadium AKA The Racecourse Ground is a stadium located in Wrexham, North Wales. It is the home of Wrexham F.C. and, since 2010, the Crusaders Rugby League team who play in the engage Super League... , 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... |
0–3 | 0 | Friendly | |
| 15 March 1880 | Racecourse Ground, Wrexham | 2–3 | 1 | Friendly | |
| 27 March 1880 | Hampden Park Hampden Park Hampden Park is a football stadium in the Mount Florida area of Glasgow, Scotland. The 52,063 capacity venue serves as the national stadium of football in Scotland... , 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... |
1–5 | 1 | Friendly | |
| 14 March 1881 | Racecourse Ground, Wrexham | 1–5 | 0 | Friendly | |
| 12 March 1883 | Racecourse Ground, Wrexham | 0–3 | 0 | Friendly | |
| Win | Draw | Loss |