Jock Robertson

Jock Robertson
Personal information
Full nameJames Walter Robertson
Date of birth21 February 1898
Place of birthChatham, England
Date of death29 December 1970 (aged 72)
Place of deathRochester, England
HeightUnknown
Playing positionDefender
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
?–1919Chatham Centrals?
1919–1933Gillingham[1]365(1)
1933–?Canterbury Waverley?
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 15 August 2007.
† Appearances (Goals).

James Walter "Jock" Robertson (21 February 1898 – 29 December 1970[2]) was an English association football player who played professionally for Gillingham. He joined the club while it was still playing non-league football and went on to set a club record for the most matches played in the Football League, making over 350 appearances.

Career

Robertson was born in Chatham and shortly after the First World War played for local team Chatham Centrals. Upon his demobilisation from the Army in November 1919 he signed for professional club Gillingham,[2] at the time playing in the Southern Football League, but had to wait until the following April to make his debut for the team, which came in an away match against Southend United. He played in seven of the team's final eight matches of the season.[3]

At the end of the 1919–20 season, the Southern League Division One was absorbed into the Football League to form the new Third Division, and Robertson played in the club's first ever Football League match against Southampton on 28 August 1920.[4] Over the next thirteen seasons he made over 350 Football League appearances, a club record which stood for over 30 years.[2][5] At the end of the 1932–33 season he left Priestfield Stadium to join non-league club Canterbury Waverley.[2] Details of his career beyond that point are unknown. He died in Rochester in 1970.[2]

Career statistics

Club performance[6]
Club Season Southern League
Division One
FA Cup Total
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Gillingham 1919–20 7 0 0 0 7 0
Club Season Football League
Third Division
FA Cup Total
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Gillingham 1920–21 41 0 3 0 44 0
Club Season Football League
Third Division South
FA Cup Total
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Gillingham 1921–22 27 0 2 0 29 0
1922–23 35 0 2 0 37 0
1923–24 28 0 4 0 32 0
1924–25 38 0 7 0 45 0
1925–26 42 0 2 0 44 0
1926–27 36 0 4 0 40 0
1927–28 30 1 3 0 33 1
1928–29 32 0 2 0 34 0
1929–30 30 0 1 0 31 0
1930–31 16 0 0 0 16 0
1931–32 2 0 0 0 2 0
1932–33 1 0 0 0 1 0
Career totals 365 1 30 0 395 1

References

  1. Includes both Southern League and Football League appearances.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Triggs, Roger (2001). The Men Who Made Gillingham Football Club. Tempus Publishing Ltd. pp. p26. ISBN 0-7524-2243-X.
  3. Brown, Tony (2003). The Definitive Gillingham F.C.: A Complete Record. Soccerdata. p. 33. ISBN 1-899468-20-X.
  4. Brown, Tony. The Definitive Gillingham F.C.: A Complete Record. p. 34.
  5. Triggs, Roger (1984). Gillingham Football Club: A Chronology 1893–1984. Kent County Libraries. pp. p13.
  6. Brown, Tony. The Definitive Gillingham F.C.: A Complete Record. pp. 33–46.