| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Robert Herbert Mills-Roberts | ||
| Date of birth | 5 August 1862 | ||
| Place of birth | Penmachno, Caernarfonshire, Wales | ||
| Date of death | 27 November 1935 (aged 73) | ||
| Place of death | Bournemouth, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) | ||
| Playing position | Goalkeeper | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Friars School, Bangor[1] | |||
| University College, Aberystwyth | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1879–1882 | Aberystwyth Town[1] | 4 | (0) |
| St. Thomas' Hospital, London | |||
| United Hospitals | |||
| Crusaders | |||
| 1884–1885 | Barnes | ||
| 1884–1888 | Corinthian | ||
| 1886–1887 | Casuals | ||
| 1887–1889 | Preston North End[2] | 2 | (0) |
| Warwick County | |||
| Birmingham St George's | |||
| 1890-1891 | Gloucester | ||
| – | Llanberis | ||
| National team | |||
| 1885–1892 | Wales | 8 | (0) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals). |
|||
Dr. Robert Herbert Mills-Roberts (5 August 1862 – 27 November 1935) was a leading football player in the 1880s. He was a Welsh International, and was a player in the Preston North End side which became known as "The Invincibles".[1]
He was born at Penmachno, Caernarfonshire on 5 August 1862. As a student he played both association football and rugby football, but he eventually emerged as a first rate goalkeeper while studying at St Thomas's Hospital, London.[3] He made the first of his eight appearances for Wales in 1885, and in 1887 was invited to play as an amateur for Preston North End in their FA Cup ties. He was a member of the Preston sides which were FA Cup Finalists in 1888 and FA Cup Winners in 1889. He also played for Barnes, Casuals, and Birmingham St George's. He retired in 1890, but was persuaded to make a last appearance for Wales in 1892.
Between 1884 and 1888, he made seven appearances for the Corinthians amateur club, including playing for Corinthian three times against Preston North End.[4]
Mills-Roberts qualified as a doctor in July 1887, and the following year was appointed the house surgeon at Birmingham General Hospital. He later took a position with the hospital at the Dinorwic Slate Quarry, and served with the British Expeditionary Force in the First World War. At the end of his working career, he retired to Bournemouth, where aged 73 he died on 27 November 1935.