Bob Birket
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Robert Kirkham Birket (17 November 1874 – 18 August 1933) was an English professional
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 ...
who spent his entire ten-year Football League career with Blackpool after signing from Fleetwood Rangers. Birket began his career with
Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...
, but did not make any appearances for the Anfield club before leaving to join Blackpool on 28 July 1896. He made his debut for Blackpool on 14 November 1896, in a 3–1 victory over Lincoln City at Raikes Hall. He scored the hosts' first goal. That was his only appearance in the 1896–97 campaign. Birket made fourteen league appearances the following season, 1897–98, scoring eight goals. In 1898–99, he was the club's top scorer with fifteen goals in his 24 appearances. His efforts were not enough to keep Blackpool in the Football League, however: they failed to be re-elected, along with
Darwen Darwen is a market town and civil parish in the Blackburn with Darwen borough in Lancashire, England. The residents of the town are known as "Darreners". The A666 road passes through Darwen towards Blackburn to the north, Bolton to the s ...
. In Blackpool's one season in League exile, 1899–90, Birket became the first Blackpool to score a hat-trick. It came against
Darwen Darwen is a market town and civil parish in the Blackburn with Darwen borough in Lancashire, England. The residents of the town are known as "Darreners". The A666 road passes through Darwen towards Blackburn to the north, Bolton to the s ...
on 16 November 1899. He also scored five in a Boxing Day victory over
Stockport County Stockport County Football Club are a professional football club in Stockport, England, who compete in EFL League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1883 as Heaton Norris Rovers, they were renamed Stockport Co ...
and four against
Wigan Athletic Wigan Athletic Football Club () is an English professional association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. The team competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1932, ...
on 17 March 1900. Birket continued his scoring ways for Blackpool's first season back in the Football League, with ten strikes, again finishing as the club's top scorer. For the second half of the 1901–02 campaign, Birket was moved to the right-back position. As to be expected his goals dried up and he found the net only twice in his 26 appearances. He continued in the right-back berth for the remainder of his career, with the majority of his infrequent goals coming from the penalty spot. Birket played his last game on 22 September 1906, just four games into Blackpool's
1906–07 Nineteen or 19 may refer to: * 19 (number), the natural number following 18 and preceding 20 * one of the years 19 BC, AD 19, 1919, 2019 Films * ''19'' (film), a 2001 Japanese film * ''Nineteen'' (film), a 1987 science fiction film Music ...
campaign.


Death

Birket died in 1933 in Blackpool at the age of 58. He is interred in Marton Burial Ground.Robert Kirkham Birket
at FindAGrave.com


See also

* List of one-club men


References


Further reading

* Calley, Roy (1992-10-20). ''Blackpool: A Complete Record, 1887–1992'', Breedon Books Publishing Co Ltd, 1874 births English footballers Association football forwards Liverpool F.C. players Blackpool F.C. players 1933 deaths People from the Borough of Fylde Fleetwood Rangers F.C. players {{England-footy-forward-1870s-stub