Bob Houston

For other people with the same name, see Robert Houston.

Bob Houston
Personal information
Full name Robert Houston
Date of birth 9 January 1877[1]
Place of birth Leven, Scotland
Date of death 29 November 1954(1954-11-29) (aged 77)
Place of death Edmonton, England[2]
Height 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Position(s) Forward
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
– Leven Thistle
1897–1900 St Bernard's 24 (9)
1900–1902 Heart of Midlothian 23 (8)
1902–1903 Tottenham Hotspur 9 (3)
– East Fife
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Robert Houston (9 January 1877 – 29 November 1954) was a Scottish footballer who played as a forward for St Bernard's, Heart of Midlothian and Tottenham Hotspur.[3][1][2]

In two seasons with Hearts (joining the club alongside St Bernard's teammate Mark Bell) he claimed winner's medals in the Scottish Cup in 1901,[4] followed by the 1901–02 World Championship.[5] The opposition they defeated in the cross-border challenge was the FA Cup holders Tottenham, who signed Houston a few months later; in London, he lost the battle for a regular place in the side with future English international Vivian Woodward[2] He was a regular feature of the squad that won the London League that season.[6][7] Houston returned to Scotland a year later, aged 30. After that point, no appearances were recorded for him in major competitions. He had married the daughter of Tottenham's groundsman, and later returned to act as an assistant in the role.[2] He remained in that position till WW2.[6]

  1. ^ a b (Hearts player) Robert Houston, London Hearts Supporters Club
  2. ^ a b c d The Spurs Alphabet, Bob Goodwin; Lulu.com, 2017; ISBN 9780954043421
  3. ^ John Litster (October 2012). "A Record of pre-war Scottish League Players". Scottish Football Historian magazine. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  4. ^ "Scottish Cup–Final Tie. | Heart of Midlothian v. Celtic". The Scotsman. 8 April 1901. Retrieved 16 May 2021 – via London Hearts Supporters Club.
  5. ^ "History | 1894-1904". Heart of Midlothian FC. Archived from the original on 16 August 2014. Retrieved 16 May 2021.
  6. ^ a b Goodwin 1992, p. 191.
  7. ^ Soar 1995, p. 236.