Robert Mills-Roberts

Dr. Robert Herbert Mills-Roberts (5 August 1862 – 27 November 1935) was a Welsh footballer. A Welsh international, he was a member of the Preston North End side which became known as "The Invincibles".[1]

Robert Mills-Roberts
Personal information
Full name Robert Herbert Mills-Roberts
Date of birth (1862-08-05)5 August 1862
Place of birth Ffestiniog, Merionethshire, Wales
Date of death 27 November 1935(1935-11-27) (aged 73)
Place of death Bournemouth, England
Height 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Playing position(s) Goalkeeper
Youth career
Friars School, Bangor[1]
University College, Aberystwyth
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1879–1882 Aberystwyth Town[1] 4 (0)
St. Thomas' Hospital, London
United Hospitals
Crusaders
1884–1885 Barnes
1884–1888 Corinthian
1886–1887 Casuals
1887–1889 Preston North End[2] 2 (0)
Warwick County
Birmingham St George's
1890–1891 Gloucester
– Llanberis
National team
1885–1892 Wales 8 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

He was born at Ffestiniog on 5 August 1862 and educated at Friars School, Bangor and University College, Aberystwyth.[3] As a student he played both association football and rugby football, but he eventually emerged as a first rate goalkeeper while studying at St Thomas's Hospital, London.[4] He made the first of his eight appearances for Wales in 1885, and in 1887 was invited to play as an amateur for Preston North End in their FA Cup ties. He was a member of the Preston sides which were FA Cup Finalists in 1888 and FA Cup Winners in 1889. Their victory in the Cup in the 1888–89 season was achieved without conceding a single goal throughout, which was attributed to his goalkeeping skills.[3] He also played for Barnes, Casuals, and Birmingham St George's. He retired in 1890, but was persuaded to make a last appearance for Wales in 1892.

Between 1884 and 1888, he made seven appearances for the Corinthians amateur club, including playing for Corinthian three times against Preston North End.[5]

Mills-Roberts qualified as a doctor in July 1887, and the following year was appointed the house surgeon at Birmingham General Hospital. He later took a position with the hospital at the Dinorwic Slate Quarry, and served with the British Expeditionary Force in the First World War. At the end of his working career, he retired to Bournemouth, where aged 73 he died on 27 November 1935.

References
  1. Gareth M Davies & Ian Garland (1991). Who's Who of Welsh International Soccer Players. Bridge Books. ISBN 1-872424-11-2.
  2. Joyce, Michael (2004). Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939. Nottingham: Tony Brown. p. 185. ISBN 1-899468-67-6.
  3. British Medical Journal Obituary Br Med J. 1935 December 14; 2(3910): 1182–1183
  4. "Robert Mills-Roberts". Spartacus Educational. Archived from the original on 25 September 2009. Retrieved 14 October 2010.
  5. Rob Cavallini (2007). Play Up Corinth: A History of the Corinthian Football Club. Tempus Publishing. pp. 230–233. ISBN 0-7524-4479-4.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.