Sam Rowbotham
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Sam Rowbotham | ||
| Date of birth | 6 December 1912 | ||
| Place of birth | Rotherham, England | ||
| Date of death | 7 September 1979 (aged 66) | ||
| Place of death | Peterborough, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 10+1⁄2 in (1.79 m)[1] | ||
| Position(s) | Left half, inside left | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1931–1933 | Rotherham United | 3 | (1) |
| 1933–1934 | Scarborough | ||
| 1934–1935 | Darlington | 17 | (1) |
| 1936–1940 | Peterborough United | 118 | (1) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Sam Rowbotham (6 December 1912 – 7 September 1979) was an English footballer who played as a centre forward or inside left in the Football League for Rotherham United and Darlington. He also played non-league football for Scarborough[2] and Peterborough United.[3]
Life and career[edit]
Rowbotham was born in Rotherham,[2] which was then in the West Riding of Yorkshire, in 1912. He joined Rotherham United in August 1931,[4] and turned professional the following February.[5] Because of injuries, Rowbotham made his first-team debut on 27 February, playing at left half in a 2–0 win at home to Hull City in the Third Division North.[4][6] That proved to be his only appearance of the season,[4] but he was retained for 1932–33.[7] Playing at inside left, he scored his first Football League goal in a 5–2 loss to New Brighton, and made one more appearance before leaving the club at the end of the season.[4]
Although he had played little first-team football, Rowbotham had been a regular with Rotherham's reserve team in the Midland League, and when he became available he was snapped up by Midland League club Scarborough.[8] He went straight into the team at left half, impressed,[9] and remained in the team for the rest of the season.[1]
In July 1934, he signed for Third Division North club Darlington.[1] He made his debut at right half on 28 September in a 3–0 loss to Gateshead, and played once more in that position before having a run of games at the end of the season, taking over at left half from Joe Hodgson.[10] He scored once, a 40-yard (37 m) free kick against his former club, Rotherham United.[11] He played in the first four matches of the 1935–36 season, to take his appearance total to 17, after which Hodgson returned to favour.[10]
Released by Darlington on a free transfer,[12] Rowbotham returned to the Midland League with Peterborough United. He played regularly, missing only eight Midland League matches over the next three seasons, and continued for a further season in the 1939–40 emergency competitions.[13]
Rowbotham worked at Peter Brotherhood's armaments factory in Peterborough during the Second World War, and played for their works team after his club closed down for the duration.[14] He remained in the area after the war, and died in Peterborough in 1979 at the age of 66.
Notes[edit]
- Many sources give Rowbotham the first name of Samuel, but the only birth registered under a similar name in Rotherham in the relevant time period was plain Sam.
References[edit]
For birth and death details
- Birth registration: "Index entry". FreeBMD. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 11 January 2020.
- Death registration: "Index entry". FreeBMD. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 11 January 2020.
- "Wills and Probate 1858–1996: Rowbotham 1979". Probate Service. Retrieved 11 January 2020.
General
- ^ a b c "Quakers' signings". North-Eastern Daily Gazette. Middlesbrough. 4 July 1934. p. 7.
Rowbotham is well-built and stands 5ft. 10+1/2 in. He played for Rotherham United before joining Scarborough, for whom he appeared in every game last season.
- ^ a b Joyce, Michael (2004). Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939. Nottingham: SoccerData. p. 228. ISBN 978-1-899468-67-6.
- ^ "Sam Rowbotham: Matches for Peterborough". uptheposh.com. Chris Wilkinson. Retrieved 11 January 2020.
- ^ a b c d "A–Z Past players (pre-1939)". Rotherham United F.C. Archived from the original (DOC) on 10 August 2011.
- ^ "Teams for to-day". Sheffield Daily Telegraph. 20 February 1932. p. 12.
Parkinson and Marsden are amateurs from Sheffield. Rowbotham has now signed professional forms with United.
- ^ "Rotherham's difficulty". Leeds Mercury. 26 February 1932. p. 11.
- ^ "Rotherham's retained". Sunderland Daily Echo. 10 May 1932. p. 11.
- ^ "Midland League prospects. Many new faces at Scarborough". Sheffield Independent. 17 August 1933. p. 10.
... a season and half with Rotherham United and last season made 39 appearances in the Midland League
- ^ "Scarborough's form". Leeds Mercury. 21 August 1933. p. 11.
- ^ a b Tweddle, Frank (2000). The Definitive Darlington F.C. Nottingham: SoccerData. pp. 36–37. ISBN 978-1-899468-15-7.
- ^ "Rotherham fade out". Leeds Mercury. 1 April 1935. p. 16.
- ^ "Feethams list". Northern Daily Mail. West Hartlepool. 2 May 1936. p. 7.
- ^ "Sam Rowbotham: Matches for Peterborough". Up The Posh. Chris Wilkinson. Retrieved 15 November 2019.
- ^ "Local Teams of Yesteryear Peterborough & Dist. League 1930–1960". Your Grandad's Football. Eric Heath. Retrieved 11 January 2020.