William Robinson (24 August 1903 – 1973) was an English

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...

who made 151 appearances in

the Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...

playing as a centre half for

Darlington Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, County Durham, England. The River Skerne flows through the town; it is a tributary of the River Tees. The Tees itself flows south of the town. In the 19th century, Darlington underwen ...

, Southend United and

Carlisle United Carlisle United Football Club ( , ) is a professional association football club based in Carlisle, Cumbria, England. The team compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. They have played their home games at Brunton Par ...

in the 1920s. He was also on the books of

Torquay United Torquay United Football Club is a professional football club based in Torquay, Devon, England. The team currently compete in the , the fifth tier of English football. They have played their home matches at Plainmoor since 1921 and are nicknamed ...

, but without representing that club in league competition. Robinson spent six seasons with home-town club Darlington, and contributed to their promotion to the

Second Division In sport, the Second Division, also called Division 2 or Division II is usually the second highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Following the rise of Premier League style compet ...

in 1925. In the club's second season at that level, he lost his place to

Jimmy Waugh James Waugh (12 August 1898 – 26 March 1968) was an English footballer who played as a centre half. Born in the village of Chopwell in County Durham, Waugh began his career as an amateur with Durham City before spending a brief spell represe ...

, the club's then record signing. When Robinson moved on to Southend United at the end of the season, after Darlington had been relegated back to the

Third Division North The Third Division North of the Football League was a tier in the English football league system from 1921 to 1958. It ran in parallel with the Third Division South with clubs elected to the League or relegated from a higher division allocated to ...

, the ''

Daily Express The ''Daily Express'' is a national daily United Kingdom middle-market newspaper printed in tabloid format. Published in London, it is the flagship of Express Newspapers, owned by publisher Reach plc. It was first published as a broadsheet i ...

'' reported that he "was thought to be unlucky to lose his place in the 'Quakers' side when Waugh was signed from Sheffield United and yet failed to save Darlington from relegation." He played little senior football after leaving Darlington. In August 1932, he returned to the club as assistant trainer.

References

1903 births 1973 deaths Footballers from Darlington English men's footballers Men's association football defenders Darlington F.C. players Southend United F.C. players Torquay United F.C. players Carlisle United F.C. players English Football League players Place of death missing {{England-footy-defender-1900s-stub