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Bobby Archibald

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Bobby Archibald
Personal information
Full name Robert Fleming Archibald[1]
Date of birth (1894-11-06)6 November 1894
Place of birth Larkhall, Lanarkshire, Scotland[1]
Date of death 27 November 1966(1966-11-27) (aged 72)[1]
Place of death Cambuslang, Lanarkshire, Scotland
Position(s) Outside-left
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1912–1913 Albion Rovers 7 (5)
1912–1913 Hibernian 1 (1)
1913–1914 Third Lanark 2 (0)
1913–1914 Albion Rovers 17 (5)
1914–1917 Aberdeen 69 (10)
1916–1917 Rangers (loan) 12 (3)
1917–1918 Ayr United 1 (0)
1918–1919 Dumbarton (loan)[2] 4 (0)
1919–1920 Aberdeen 40 (6)
1920–1924 Raith Rovers 146 (10)
1924–1925 Third Lanark 38 (2)
1925–1931 Stoke City 262 (37)
1932–1933 Barnsley 6 (1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Robert Fleming Archibald (6 November 1894 – 27 November 1966) was a footballer who played in the Football League for Barnsley and Stoke City.[1][3]

Archibald played for a number of Scottish clubs before joining Stoke City in 1925. He helped Stoke win the Football League Third Division North in 1926–27 and became a consistent performer for Stoke at outside-left. He racked up 276 appearances for Stoke in seven seasons and he scored 40 goals. He ended his career with Barnsley and later became an insurance agent in Glasgow and a scout for Bradford City.

Early life and family

Archibald was born in Larkhall, the son of John Archibald, a baker, and Elizabeth (née Hamilton).[4] His younger brother Jock was also a footballer.[5]

Career

Archibald played for Rutherglen Glencairn, Albion Rovers, Third Lanark before joining Aberdeen in 1914.[1] During World War I he played for Rangers and his army regiment in France and Denmark.[1] On 25 August 1925 at the age of 29 he joined English side Stoke City and made a fine impression scoring on his debut against Stockport County on the opening day of the 1925–26, but a new look Stoke side failed to gel together and the side agonisingly slipped towards relegation to the Third Division.[1] Archibald was a small player at just 5 ft 4in tall and weighing just 10 stone, His physique enabled him to become a fast player and his skill on the wings marked him out as one of the few class acts in the side relegated from the Second Division for the first time.[1] He was renowned for his consistency, from his debut he played 58 consecutive matches before pulling a muscle against Rochdale in November 1927 and missed just six matches in the next six seasons.[1]

His fine footwork proved to be too much for Third Division full backs as he set up numerous chances for Charlie Wilson to score his 25 goals as Stoke won the Football League Third Division North title.[1] After six years of fine service he was awarded a benefit match, he chose the final home match of the 1930–31 season against West Bromwich Albion.[1] The second highest crowd of the season, 26,064 paid £1,540 6s 2d to bid farewell to Archibald.[1] He spent one more season at the Victoria Ground during which the now 38-year-old lost his place to Harold Taylor. Once manager Tom Mather had brought in Joe Johnson in April 1932 he allowed Archibald to join Barnsley.[1] He played just eight matches for the "Tykes" and after spending several seasons in the reserves he retired in May 1937 at the age of 42.[1]

Personal life

At the end of his career he returned to his native Glasgow where he became an insurance agent and scouted from time to time for Bradford City manager Fred Westgarth.

Archibald was a very modern man for his generation, who always required the latest gadget, he would constantly use his wireless set in the dressing room for hours and was one of the few Stoke players to own his own car.[1]

In 1966, Archibald died at his home in Cambuslang of lung cancer, age 72.[4]

Career statistics

Source:[6]

Club Season League FA Cup Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Aberdeen 1914–15 Scottish First Division 31 3 0 0 31 3
1915–16 Scottish First Division 38 7 0 0 38 7
1919–20 Scottish First Division 40 6 4 0 44 6
Total 109 16 4 0 113 16
Stoke City 1925–26 Second Division 42 10 2 0 44 10
1926–27 Third Division North 37 6 0 0 37 6
1927–28 Second Division 41 6 4 2 45 8
1928–29 Second Division 41 7 1 0 42 7
1929–30 Second Division 40 4 1 0 41 4
1930–31 Second Division 40 3 3 1 43 4
1931–32 Second Division 21 1 3 0 24 1
Total 262 37 14 3 276 40
Barnsley 1932–33 Third Division North 6 1 2 0 8 1
Career Total 401 54 16 3 417 57

Honours

with Stoke City

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Stoke City 101 Golden Greats. Desert Islands Books. 2002. ISBN 1-874287554.
  2. ^ McAllister, Jim (2002). The Sons of the Rock – The Official History of Dumbarton Football Club. Dumbarton: J&J Robertson Printers.
  3. ^ Matthews, Tony (1994). The Encyclopaedia of Stoke City. Lion Press. ISBN 0-9524151-0-0.
  4. ^ a b "1966 ARCHIBALD, ROBERT FLEMING (Statutory registers Deaths 627/ 247)". ScotlandsPeople.gov.uk. 28 November 1966.
  5. ^ "Archibald Jock Image 1 Reading 1919". Vintage Footballers. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
  6. ^ Bobby Archibald at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)
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