Robert Donaldson (27 August 1868 – 28 April 1947) was a Scottish

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

. He played as a forward. Donaldson signed with

Scottish Football League The Scottish Football League (SFL) is a defunct league featuring professional and semi-professional football clubs mostly from Scotland.One club, Berwick Rangers, is based in the town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, which is located approximately 4&nbs ...

Second Division Airdrieonians from Cliftonhill Rovers in December 1888. On leaving Airdrieonians in May 1891 he signed registration forms with both

Blackburn Rovers Blackburn Rovers Football Club is a professional football club based in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, which competes in the , the second level of the English football league system. They have played home matches at Ewood Park since 1890. Th ...

and

Newton Heath Newton Heath is an area of Manchester, England, north-east of Manchester city centre and with a population of 9,883. Historically part of Lancashire, Newton was formerly a farming area, but adopted the factory system following the Industrial ...

. The ensuing dispute between the two clubs was settled when he declared that as Blackburn had failed to register their form within the specified time he was therefore a Newton Heath player. The club were members of the

Football Alliance The Football Alliance was an association football league in England which ran for three seasons, from 1889–90 to 1891–92. History In 1888, the same year the Football League was founded, The Combination was established by clubs who had been ...

for the 1891–92 season. In the summer of 1892 Newton Heath were elected to the country's top league, the

Football League First Division The Football League First Division was the top division of the Football League in England from 1888 until the end of the 1991–92 season, when its teams broke away to form the Premier League. From 1992 to 2004, the name First Division was g ...

. He scored 66 goals in 147 Football League appearances for Newton Heath, the first of these goals scored against Blackburn Rovers on 3 September 1892 was the club's first ever Football League goal. Following Newton Heath's demotion to the

Football League Second Division The Football League Second Division was the second level division in the English football league system between 1892 and 1992. Following the foundation of the FA Premier League, the Football League divisions were renumbered and the third tier ...

in 1894 he remained with the club for over three more seasons. In November 1897 he was suspended by Newton Heath for a breaching training regulations and placed on the transfer list and a month later for an £80 fee joined Football League Second Division club

Luton Town Luton Town Football Club is a professional association football, football club from Luton, Bedfordshire, England. The club currently competes in EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system. Nicknamed "The Hatters", L ...

. His stay at Luton lasted only five months as at the end of the 1897–1898 season they were reconstructing their team and Donaldson was transferred with three other team-mates to Glossop North End. The transfers were the subject of a dispute between the clubs: a Football League tribunal set the fee at the £200 offered by Glossop rather than the £500 requested by Luton. In his single season with Glossop they were runners-up of the Football League Second Division and gained promotion to the First Division. He left Glossop at the season's end before they played in their new league and signed-on at the start of the 1899–1900 season as a professional player with Kent League club Ashford United. In January 1900 owing to cost-cutting measures he was released by Ashford and in February was subject of negotiations between Glossop – who had continued to hold his Football League registration – and Newton Heath who were looking to appoint him as there reserve team coach.

Career statistics: Newton Heath Football League

References

1868 births 1947 deaths Footballers from Coatbridge Scottish men's footballers Men's association football forwards Airdrieonians F.C. (1878) players Blackburn Rovers F.C. players Manchester United F.C. players Luton Town F.C. players Glossop North End A.F.C. players Ashford United F.C. players Scottish Football League players Football Alliance players English Football League players Kent Football League (1894–1959) players 19th-century Scottish sportsmen {{Scotland-footy-forward-1860s-stub