| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Robert Whittingham | ||
| Date of birth | 1888 | ||
| Place of birth | Goldenhill, Staffordshire, | ||
| Date of death | 9 June 1926 (aged about 37) | ||
| Place of death | Goldenhill, Stoke-on-Trent, England | ||
| Playing position | Inside-forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Goldenhill Wanderers | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1904 | Stoke | 0 | (0) |
| Crewe Alexandra | |||
| 1907–1909 | Blackpool | 53 | (28) |
| 1908–1909 | Bradford City | 45 | (31) |
| 1909–1913 | Chelsea | 113 | (70) |
| South Shields | |||
| 1919 | Chelsea | 6 | (1) |
| 1919–1920 | Stoke City | 18 | (8) |
| Macclesfield | |||
| Scunthorpe & Lindsey United | |||
| 1923 | Wrexham | 0 | (0) |
| Goldenhill Wanderers | |||
| Total | 235+ | (138+) | |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals). |
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Robert "Bob" Whittingham (1888 – 9 June 1926) was an English footballer who played as an inside-forward for various clubs, mainly prior to the First World War. He was the younger brother of fellow footballer Sam Whittingham.
A powerfully-built and prolific goalscoring inside-forward, Whittingham started out with amateur side Goldenhill Wanderers, before signing for Stoke and later Crewe Alexandra.
He later moved on to Blackpool, where he stayed for just a year. He scored 28 goals in 53 league games, becoming the club's top goalscorer over two terms (he achieved the feat in the latter season despite his leaving midway through the campaign).[1] In January 1909, he joined Bradford City, where he equalled a then-club-record 21 league goals during the 1909–10 season. His performances earned him a move to the First Division — David Calderhead's relegation threatened Chelsea — for a fee of £1,300.
Whittingham arrived too late to save the club from relegation, but he scored prolifically during the next two seasons, hitting 30 goals in his first full season with Chelsea, though they narrowly missed out on promotion, finishing third. His 26 goals in 1911–12, almost half of the club's season total, played a big part in their winning promotion back to the First Division. He left Chelsea in 1913 and had a stint with South Shields before the First World War broke out, during which he guested for Stoke City, hitting 86 goals in four years. He also guested for Fulham and Port Vale.[2] He returned to Chelsea after the war, playing six more games, finishing his time with that club with a record of 80 goals from 129 games. He then moved to Stoke again, where he scored eight goals in 18 league games in another brief spell.
Whittingham later had spells with Macclesfield, Scunthorpe United, Wrexham and Goldenhill Wanderers.
Despite his prolific goalscoring record, Whittingham was never capped for England.