| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Robert Atherton[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1876-07-29)29 July 1876 | ||
| Place of birth | Bethesda, Wales | ||
| Date of death | 19 October 1917(1917-10-19) (aged 41)[2] | ||
| Place of death | North Sea | ||
| Position(s) | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| Dalry Primrose | |||
| 1895–1897 | Heart of Midlothian | 0 | (0) |
| 1897–1903 | Hibernian | 75 | (25) |
| 1903–1906 | Middlesbrough | 60 | (13) |
| 1906 | Chelsea | 0 | (0) |
| International career | |||
| 1899–1905 | Wales | 9 | (2) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Robert Atherton (29 July 1876 – 19 October 1917)[3] was a Welsh footballer who played as ahalf back andforward forHeart of Midlothian,Hibernian,Middlesbrough andChelsea in the late 1890s and early 1900s. He was capped byWales at international level.[4]
Bobby Atherton was the son of Samuel Atherton and Ann Williams,[5] and younger sibling ofTommy Atherton.[citation needed]
Although he was born in north Wales, Atherton grew up in Scotland.[6] After spells withDalry Primrosejuniors andHeart of Midlothian,[6][7] Atherton signed forHibernian, at the start of the 1897–98 season.[6] He was a versatile player who could play in a number of positions in midfield and the forward line.[6]
He captained the Hibs side that won the1902 Scottish Cup,[6] a competition that Hibs did not win again until2016.[8] Hibs' 1–0 win againstCeltic in theCup Final was thanks in part to Atherton deceiving the Celtic defence by shouting for them to "leave the ball" in aGlaswegian accent.[8][9] The Celtic defence duly complied, which allowedAndy McGeachen to score the only goal of the game.[8][9] He then captained the Hibs side that won the1903 league championship, the first in the club's history. He also played in all of Wales' matches in the1903 British Home Championship.[6]
Atherton was transferred toMiddlesbrough in 1903 and he became the first Middlesbrough player to win international honours.[6] Atherton made 66 appearances in all for Middlesbrough and became club captain.[10]
He won his first cap forWales while playing for Hibs in a1899 British Home Championship match againstIreland, and he also played againstEngland that year.[6]
He scored his two international goals while with Middlesbrough. The first was in a 1–1 draw withScotland atDens Park,[11][12] and the second was in a 2–2 draw againstIreland during his 9th and last international appearance.[13]
He married Margaret Jane Kirkconnell inGuisborough on 4 January 1904.[5] They had four children.
Atherton retired from playing football after a short spell withChelsea and he subsequently moved back toEdinburgh, becoming a steward in theMerchant Navy.[6] Atherton was presumed dead in October 1917 after his ship, theSS Britannia (1889), disappeared without trace in theNorth Sea,[14] either due to amine orenemy action, potentially fromSM UC-75.[6][15] He is commemorated on theTower Hill Memorial.[2]
He a direct descendant of Gawain Atherton.[16] His distant Atherton relatives include the American historianLewis Eldon Atherton and politician,Gibson Atherton.
