Robert Blood (18 March 1894 – 12 August 1988) was an English
footballer who played as a
centre-forward and was noted for his powerful strikes.
He played
non-League football for various teams based around
Buxton. He served in the Army for three years during
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
before he started his professional career after signing for
Port Vale in November 1919. He scored 44 goals in 53
Second Division games and earned himself a £4,750 move to
West Bromwich Albion in February 1921. He scored 26 goals in 53
First Division games before moving on to
Stockport County for a £3,000 fee in December 1924. Three years later, he signed for non-League
Winsford United, later turning out for
Mossley,
Ashton National and
Buxton.
Career
Early years and military service
Robert Blood was born on 18 March 1894 in
Harpur Hill,
Buxton; he was the youngest of ten children to John and Maria Blood, a quarry worker and housewife, respectively. He followed his father and brothers to work in the Hoffman Quarry, and played
non-League football for
Buxton and
Buxton Lime Firms. He made his debut for
Leek Alexandra on 13 September 1913, and playing at outside-left scored one of Leek's six goals past
Macclesfield
Macclesfield () is a market town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East, Cheshire, England. It is sited on the River Bollin and the edge of the Cheshire Plain, with Macclesfield Forest to its east; the town lies south of Ma ...
. He scored 40 goals to help the club to win the North Staffordshire League, Staffordshire Junior Cup and Hanley Cup in the 1914–15 campaign, with six of his goals coming in one game against
Stafford Rangers.
In March 1915, he volunteered to serve the 16th Battalion
Sherwood Foresters in
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
. On 5 June 1916, he was injured during a raid on the
Béthune Front and nearly lost his leg. Upon his recovery, he was drafted into the 7th Battalion Sherwood Foresters and returned to France in March 1917. He also represented the British Army in football matches against Belgium and France and won both the Divisional Cup and the Brigade Cup with the 7th Sherwood Foresters. He rose to the rank of
sergeant major
Sergeant major is a senior Non-commissioned officer, non-commissioned Military rank, rank or appointment in many militaries around the world.
History
In 16th century Spain, the ("sergeant major") was a general officer. He commanded an army's ...
. He returned to Buxton after the
Allies declared victory on 11 November 1918, and determined to become a professional footballer, he managed to strengthen his leg by spending many hours kicking a ball against a steep slope next to Harpur Hill cemetery. He returned to Leek Alexandra and played as centre-forward, scoring 11 goals in the first two months of the 1919–20 season, putting five goals past
Goldenhill Wanderers and another four past Stafford Rangers.
Port Vale
Blood signed with
Port Vale for a £50 fee in November 1919 after impressing on trial the previous year.
His war service left him with a hole in his right leg, as well as having one leg shorter than the other, doctors said he was not fit enough to play professional football. However, the management at the
Old Recreation Ground felt otherwise.
In the
1919–20 season, he finished as
top-scorer with 26 goals in 32 games – a remarkable feat for a 25-year-old newcomer to the
Football League
The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional association football, football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in Association football around the world, the w ...
still carrying the scars of war.
He scored twice in games against
Clapton Orient,
Bury,
Bristol City,
Stockport County (both home and away); hit a
hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three.
Origin
The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three Wick ...
past
Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest Football Club is a professional association football club based in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football.
Founde ...
; and put four past
Rotherham County on 28 February.
He continued his goal-scoring feats in the
1920–21 season with 20 goals in 26 games.
He scored against
Stoke in the
Potteries derby, and hit braces against Nottingham Forest,
Hull City, Clapton Orient, and Bury; also putting four past Stockport County on 11 December. He demonstrated the fearsome power of his
shot by striking a
penalty which was
saved by the Bristol City goalkeeper at the cost of a
broken wrist.
A Stockport player who
headed the ball off the line to save a Blood shot had to be taken off the field with
concussion.
West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion secretary-
manager Fred Everiss signed him in February 1921 for £4,750, then a
club record fee. Vale fans were outraged at the sale. However, Blood was informed that the club's financial situation meant that either "
ewent or the club".
The move took Blood from the
Second Division into the
First Division. Albion finished comfortably in mid-table in
1920–21,
1921–22, and
1922–23, though Blood would primarily serve the
reserve team
In sports, a reserve team is a team composed of players who are under contract to a club but who do not regularly play in matches for the club's primary team. Reserve teams usually include players who are part of the larger first-team squad but ...
, acquiring a
Central League medal and scoring 73 goals in 72 Central League games. Blood finished as the club's
top-scorer in
1923–24 with nine goals, ending the season with a hat-trick in a 3–1 victory over
Sheffield United.
Later career
Blood was signed by
Fred Scotchbrook's
Stockport County for a £3,000 fee in December 1924. He scored seven goals in 25 Second Division games during the
1924–25 campaign, though his eight goals in 16 league matches could not prevent County suffering
relegation in last place in
1925–26. After spending
1926–27 in the
Third Division North, he moved on to
Cheshire County League side
Winsford United. He moved on to league rivals
Mossley in 1928, scoring six goals in 17 league games. He then
transferred to
Ashton National Gas before returning to Buxton in 1930. He later
scout
Scout may refer to:
Youth movement
*Scout (Scouting), a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement
** Scouts (The Scout Association), section for 10-14 year olds in the United Kingdom
** Scouts BSA, sect ...
ed young talent for West Bromwich Albion.
Style of play
Blood had good footballing intelligence and distribution skills, but his greatest skill was his tremendously powerful shots.
Personal life
He married Lily Mellor in 1922. Their only child, Robert, died within three hours of his birth on 9 October 1924.
Career statistics
Source:
References
;Specific
;General
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Blood, Bobby
Military personnel from Derbyshire
English men's footballers
Footballers from Buxton
Men's association football forwards
Buxton F.C. players
Sherwood Foresters soldiers
British Army personnel of World War I
Port Vale F.C. players
West Bromwich Albion F.C. players
Stockport County F.C. players
Winsford United F.C. players
Mossley A.F.C. players
Ashton National F.C. players
English Football League players
English football scouts
West Bromwich Albion F.C. non-playing staff
1894 births
1988 deaths
20th-century English sportsmen