Robert Humphrey Lee "Bob Lee" Roberts (1868 – 2 March 1943) was a Welsh

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 played at full back for

Chester Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Dee, close to the English–Welsh border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011,"2011 Census results: People and Population Profile: Chester Loca ...

in the 1880s and 1890s. He made one appearance for

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

Football career

Roberts was born in

Beaumaris Beaumaris ( ; cy, Biwmares ) is a town and community on the Isle of Anglesey in Wales, of which it is the former county town of Anglesey. It is located at the eastern entrance to the Menai Strait, the tidal waterway separating Anglesey from ...

on the island of

Anglesey Anglesey (; cy, (Ynys) Môn ) is an island off the north-west coast of Wales. It forms a principal area known as the Isle of Anglesey, that includes Holy Island across the narrow Cymyran Strait and some islets and skerries. Anglesey island ...

, but had joined

by 1888, where he became team captain. His only international appearance came on 8 February 1890 against

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

at the Old Racecourse,

Shrewsbury Shrewsbury ( , also ) is a market town, civil parish, and the county town of Shropshire, England, on the River Severn, north-west of London; at the 2021 census, it had a population of 76,782. The town's name can be pronounced as either 'Sh ...

, when he was called up in the absence of

Di Jones David "Di" Jones (1867 – 27 August 1902) was a Welsh footballer who played as a full-back for Oswestry, Chirk, Bolton Wanderers and Manchester City in the late 19th century. He also won 14 caps for the Welsh national team. Career Club career ...

. The match ended in a 5–2 victory for the Welsh. During Roberts' time at Chester, the club helped found

The Combination The Combination was a league during the early days of English football. It had two incarnations; the first ran only for the 1888–89 season for teams across the Northern England and the Midlands, and was wound up before completion. The second ...

in 1890, finishing in third place in the inaugural season. In 1891, Roberts moved to

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

to take up employment with Shoolbreds, a large

department store A department store is a retail establishment offering a wide range of consumer goods in different areas of the store, each area ("department") specializing in a product category. In modern major cities, the department store made a dramatic app ...

in Gower Street. He joined the newly formed

London Welsh London Welsh Rugby Football Club ( cy, Clwb Rygbi Cymry Llundain) was a rugby union club formed in 1885. Based in Old Deer Park, Richmond-upon-Thames, London Welsh RFC played in the English Premiership in the 2012–13 and 2014–15 seasons, ...

club shortly after his arrival in the capital, and was converted into a free-scoring

centre forward Forwards (also known as attackers) are outfield positions in an association football team who play the furthest up the pitch and are therefore most responsible for scoring goals as well as assisting them. As with any attacking player, the role ...

. One report commented: "His play is remarkable for unnerving judgement, together with great speed... besides being a good dribbler, he is a fine shot at goal and keeps his team together well." In 1892, his career was interrupted by a broken leg, but he made a full recovery enabling him to score seven goals in one match for

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, historic county in South East England, southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the Ceremonial counties of ...

against United Hospitals in 1894.

References

1868 births 1943 deaths People from Beaumaris Sportspeople from Anglesey Welsh men's footballers Wales men's international footballers Men's association football defenders Men's association football forwards Chester City F.C. players Brentwood Town F.C. players London Welsh F.C. players {{Wales-footy-bio-stub