Robert Loudon Steel (25 June 1888 – 1972) was a professional footballer who played for clubs including Greenock Morton, Port Glasgow Athletic,[2] Tottenham Hotspur and Gillingham.[1][3]
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Robert Loudon Steel[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 25 June 1888 | ||
| Place of birth | Newmilns, Scotland | ||
| Date of death | 1972 (aged 83–84) | ||
| Position(s) | Inside left | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| Newmilns | |||
| Kilwinning Rangers | |||
| 1906–1908 | Greenock Morton | 0 | (0) |
| 1906–1908 | → Port Glasgow Athletic (loan) | 50 | (7) |
| 1908–1919 | Tottenham Hotspur | 226 | (41) |
| 1919–1920 | Gillingham | 19 | (3) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Career edit
Steel joined Tottenham Hotspur in 1908 from Port Glasgow (along with Willie Bulloch, who soon returned to Scotland)[4] and played mainly in the inside left position, although he was versatile and willing to fill in several roles, including in defence.[5] He featured in 245 games and scored 45 goals in all competitions[6] (but not counting unofficial fixtures during World War I) before joining Gillingham at the end the conflict – featuring in the 1919–20 Southern Football League[7] – and later becoming a referee.[5]
International edit
While at Tottenham, he was selected for the annual Home Scots v Anglo-Scots trial match in 1909[8] but never played for Scotland at full international level.[3]
Personal life edit
His brothers Danny and Alex were also footballers, with Danny also having a significant spell at Tottenham Hotspur and Alex spending time with FC Barcelona; the three siblings played together in one Football League fixture against Bradford City in January 1910.[9][10]
References edit
- ^ a b Joyce, Michael (2004). Football League Players' Records. soccerdata. p. 248. ISBN 1-899468-63-3.
- ^ "Port Glasgow Athletic Player Robert Steel Details". www.fitbastats.com. Retrieved 27 November 2016.
- ^ a b John Litster (October 2012). "A Record of pre-war Scottish League Players". Scottish Football Historian magazine.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ Bobby Steel - fact file, My Eyes Have Seen The Glory
- ^ a b The Spurs Alphabet, Bob Goodwin; Lulu.com, 2017; ISBN 9780954043421
- ^ A-Z of Tottenham Hotspur players Archived 2009-04-15 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 26 January 2009
- ^ Bob Steel, Gillingham FC Scrapbook
- ^ Football. | Home Scots, 3; Anglo-Scots, 1., The Glasgow Herald, 23 March 1909
- ^ Tottenham On This Day: Three Brothers Play In The Same Spurs Team, Logan Holmes, Fansided, 29 January 2014
- ^ Hotspur Towers - Spurs Steel, Keith Harrison, India Spurs, 28 January 2016