| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Robert William Thomas Stokes | ||
| Date of birth | (1951-01-30)30 January 1951 | ||
| Place of birth | Portsmouth, England | ||
| Date of death | 30 May 1995(1995-05-30) (aged 44) | ||
| Place of death | Portsmouth, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)[1] | ||
| Position | Forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1967–1968 | Southampton | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1968–1977 | Southampton | 216 | (40) |
| 1977–1978 | Portsmouth | 24 | (2) |
| 1978–1980 | Washington Diplomats | 98 | (17) |
| Waterlooville | |||
| Cheltenham Town | |||
| Total | 338 | (59) | |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Robert William Thomas Stokes (30 January 1951 – 30 May 1995)[2] was an Englishfootballer, best known for scoring the winning goal in the 83rd minute of theFA Cup Final forSouthampton againstManchester United in1976.
Born inPortsmouth, Stokes spent the majority of his playing career at Southampton. He also had spells atPortsmouth,Washington Diplomats,Dartford,Cheltenham Town,Chichester City,Waterlooville,Whitchurch United andPetersfield United before retirement.
Stokes was born inPortsmouth on 30 January 1951, and was brought up in the Paulsgrove area of the city.[3][1] Following a successful period of boyhood football at schoolboy and county level, he quickly became a target for a number of clubs and looked likely to sign for Portsmouth. However, he failed a trial with them and instead signed forSouthampton in September 1966 as an apprentice, turning professional in February 1968.[3] He struggled to get into the first team as a young player but made his debut on 7 April 1969, scoring twice againstBurnley.[1] He continued to impress in the next few years, despite suffering relegation in 1974 with the team and missed only one game that season.[4][1]
The year would be remembered for Saints reaching theFA Cup final. Stokes had an average league campaign that season, scoring just eight goals and he nearly left The Dell before the cup final as part of an exchange deal with Portsmouth forPaul Went.[5] However, Stokes changed his mind and stayed.[1] In a 1977 Topical Times article, he stated "a local transfer was just what I didn't want".[1] Stokes scored againstBlackpool in the fourth round in a 3–1 victory. In the fifth round, Saints were drawn againstWest Bromwich Albion and were forced to put out a significantly weakened team because of a sickness bug which affected many of the first team.[6] Although Stokes was one of the players', he scored a late equaliser in the game to draw it 1–1.[6] Saints subsequently won the replay and Southampton's place in the final was sealed with a 2–0 semi-final defeat ofCrystal Palace.[7]
Southampton facedFootball League First DivisionManchester United in the final.[8] Stokes scored the only goal of the game, placing his shot accurately into the corner of the net pastAlex Stepney in the United goal.[9][10] Initial thoughts were that he was offside but replays indicate that he was not.[9] The result remains Saints' highest success as a club. He won a new car for scoring the first goal in the cup final but he was the only non-driver in the squad and still lived with his parents.[11]
During 1976–77, his final season with Southampton, Stokes made only 11 appearances and scored once.[citation needed] He left Saints with the club still in theFootball League Second Division to join their South Coast rivals, and his hometown club,Portsmouth.[12]
At the age of 26, Stokes moved over to the US to play forWashington Diplomats.[1] He played alongside fellow importsJim Steele, his teammate in the 1976 final,Tommy O'Hara,Wim Jansen andJohan Cruyff.[13][1] Over the next two years, he would spend his summers in Washington whilst spending his winters on loan to English non-league clubsDartford in 1978 andCheltenham Town in 1979.[1] Upon returning to England he later played non-league football withChichester City,Waterlooville,Whitchurch United andPetersfield United before retiring from playing.[1]
Besides a brief stint with Old Simmarians, there was no move into coaching or management for Stokes.[1] By 1981, Stokes was running the Manor House pub inCosham.[1] He took an active interest inhorse racing and remained a popular and well respected figure all along the south coast.[citation needed] The pub was not a success though and Stokes took a job in the Harbour View Cafe belonging to his cousin down at The Hard in Portsmouth.[14] In 1994, he was granted a testimonial year by Southampton FC. He died on 30 May 1995, aged 44, after contracting bronchialpneumonia, on the same day asTed Drake, another footballer who started his professional career at Southampton.[14] He has been honoured by having one of the luxury hospitality suites at theSt Mary's Stadium named after him, and Stokes Court, one of the buildings on the site of Southampton's former ground,The Dell.[citation needed]
Southampton
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