Robert Cain (born 13 February 1866) was a Scottish

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 played as a full back for a number of clubs, primarily in England. Born in

Slamannan Slamannan ( gd, Sliabh Mhanainn) is a village in the south of the Falkirk council area in Central Scotland. It is south-west of Falkirk, east of Cumbernauld and north-east of Airdrie. Slamannan is located at the cross of the B803 and B8022 ...

, Scotland his most successful period was spent with

Sheffield United Sheffield United Football Club is a professional football club in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . They are nicknamed "the Blades" due to Sheffield's history of cutlery production. The team have played home games at ...

for whom he played over 200 times but he also spent time at

Glasgow Rangers Rangers Football Club is a Scottish professional football club based in the Govan district of Glasgow which plays in the Scottish Premiership. Although not its official name, it is often referred to as Glasgow Rangers outside Scotland. The fou ...

, Everton,

Bootle Bootle (pronounced ) is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton, Merseyside, England, which had a population of 51,394 in 2011; the wider Parliamentary constituency had a population of 98,449. Historically part of Lancashire, Bootle's ...

Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as Tottenham () or Spurs, is a professional football club based in Tottenham, London, England. It competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English football. The team has playe ...

and

Small Heath Small Heath is an area in south-east Birmingham, West Midlands, England situated on and around the Coventry Road about from the city centre. History Small Heath, which has been settled and used since Roman times, sits on top of a small hill. ...

before his retirement.

Career

Club career

Cain started his career in his native Scotland where he played as an amateur for both Airdrieonians and

. He turned professional in the summer of 1889 when he was offered a contract by Everton and he duly moved south of the border to join the

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancash ...

club. Making his Football League debut for the club in November 1889 he played a number of games during the rest of the season before joining nearby

in the summer of 1890. After only one season at Bootle, Cain agreed to join

, then of the Northern League, in the summer of 1891 and would go on to become one of the club's most enduring players. He immediately became a regular in the United side and played 66 games in his first season alone; a mixture of league,

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...

and friendly fixtures. United were elected to the newly formed

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 ...

The Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional association football, football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in Association football around the wor ...

for Cain's second season and he was part of the side that won promotion at the first attempt, finishing second in the table but winning a test match with Accrington to seal their place in the First Division. Described as 'a big man', though he only took a size five boot, the local media claimed that his game was 'strength personified' and that he 'kicked brilliantly without a semblance of effort' and 'tackled shrewdly and generally fairly'. Cain was virtually ever present for the remainder of his tenure at Bramall Lane, making 106 consecutive Football League appearances before his departure. With Sheffield United having been crowned Division One champions in the 1897–98 season, and shortly after receiving a benefit match, Cain opted to sign for

in the summer of 1898. The move infuriated United's football committee as Tottenham were not required to pay a transfer fee due to them not being members of the Football League. Cain, however, was paid £70 as part of the deal but United cancelled the order for his Championship medal and withheld payment of his benefit bonus. The move was to prove an unhappy one for Cain; unable to settle in London he quickly contacted Sheffield United to enquire whether he could return to the club but his request was rejected by the committee, still angry about his previous actions. Leaving Tottenham in 1899 Cain signed for Scottish side

Albion Rovers Albion Rovers Football Club is a semi-professional football team from Coatbridge, North Lanarkshire, Scotland. They are members of the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) and play in Scottish League Two, the fourth tier of the Scotti ...

in September of that year. United had retained Cain's league registration, and as such accepted a £75 fee from

, considerably less than the £250 they had sought from Tottenham, allowing Cain to move back to England in November 1899. Cain made no league or

appearances for the

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1. ...

club however and his football career was all but over, forcing him to return to his previous career as a miner.

International career

Cain played in an international trial for his native Scotland in March 1898, appearing in an 'Anglo Scots vs Home Scots' game,Football. , Scots V. Anglo-Scots.
The Glasgow Herald, 24 March 1898 but was not selected to play for his country.

Honours

* Football League Division Two **Runner-up: 1892–93

References

External links

Profile at evertonfc.comBob Cain at 11v11.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cain, Bob 1866 births Year of death missing Place of death missing Footballers from Falkirk Scottish men's footballers Men's association football defenders English Football League players Airdrieonians F.C. (1878) players Rangers F.C. players Everton F.C. players Bootle F.C. (1879) players Sheffield United F.C. players Tottenham Hotspur F.C. players Albion Rovers F.C. players Birmingham City F.C. players Northern Football League players