Robert William Woodruff (born 9 November 1940[1]) is an English former professional footballer.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Robert William Woodruff | ||
| Date of birth | 9 November 1940 | ||
| Place of birth | Highworth, England | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Swindon Town | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1958–1964 | Swindon Town | 180 | (20) |
| 1964–1966 | Wolves | 63 | (18) |
| 1966–1969 | Crystal Palace | 125 | (48) |
| 1969–1974 | Cardiff City | 150 | (22) |
| 1974–1976 | Newport County | 52 | (7) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Born in Highworth, Wiltshire, Woodruff began his career at his hometown club Swindon Town where he broke into the first team at 18. He was a regular in the side before joining Wolves in 1964 for forty thousand pounds. During this time he gained a reputation as a long-throw specialist but eventually moved on two years later to Crystal Palace. He helped take Palace to division one but only played a handful of matches in the top flight before being allowed to leave and join Cardiff City[2] for £25,000. He was signed as a replacement for Barrie Jones. He scored six goals in six games when asked to play as a centre forward. He was released in 1974 and joined neighbours Newport County. He later finished his career playing in Welsh League football.[2]
After retiring, he took positions as both youth coach and reserve team coach at Cardiff, also later working as a social worker.[3] Woodruff's son, Robert Woodruff, also played for Cardiff City, Swindon Town, Newport County and Cork City before having a successful career in Belgium. Robert scored the first league goal for Cork City FC in 1984.[2]
References edit
- ^ http://www.swindon-town-fc.co.uk/ForceFrames.htm?http://www.swindon-town-fc.co.uk/Person.asp?PersonID=WOODRUFB[dead link]
- ^ a b c Purkiss, Mike; Sands, Nigel (1990). Crystal Palace: A Complete Record 1905–1989. The Breedon Books Publishing Company. p. 94. ISBN 0907969542.
- ^ "STFC's first-ever promotion" BBC Retrieved on 26 February 2008
External links edit
- Bobby Woodruff at Post War English & Scottish Football League A–Z Player's Transfer Database