Stuart Roberts (footballer, born 1967)
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Stuart William Roberts[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 25 March 1967[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Chirk, Wales[1] | ||
| Date of death | 2 June 2023 (aged 56) | ||
| Place of death | St Martin's, Shropshire, England | ||
| Position(s) | Goalkeeper | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1983 | Oswestry Town | ||
| 1984–1985 | Stoke City | 3 | (0) |
| 1986–1988 | Derry City | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Stuart William Roberts (25 March 1967 – 2 June 2023) was a Welsh footballer who played in the English Football League for Stoke City.[1]
Career[edit]
Roberts was born in Chirk and played with Oswestry Town in the Welsh league, impressing enough to earn a move to First Division side Stoke City as a teenager.[1] He made his Football League debut on 8 December 1984 against Ipswich Town becoming Stoke City's youngest goalkeeper at the age of 17 years, 258 days.[1] Stoke lost 2–0 and Roberts played in four more matches during a woeful 1984–85 campaign which saw them relegated with a record low points tally.[1] At the end of the season he was released and joined Irish club Derry City.[1] He spent two seasons at the Brandywell Stadium and won the League of Ireland First Division in 1986–87. His last game was the 1988 FAI Cup Final.
Death[edit]
Roberts was found dead at his home in St Martin's, Shropshire on 2 June 2023. The inquest recorded a conclusion of suicide.[2]
Career statistics[edit]
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Stoke City | 1984–85[1] | First Division | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Career Total | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | ||
Honours[edit]
- Derry City
- League of Ireland First Division champions: 1986–87