Bob Johnstone (goalkeeper)

Bob Johnstone
Personal information
Full name Robert Johnstone
Date of birth 6 November 1911[1]
Place of birth Motherwell, Scotland
Position(s) Goalkeeper
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
Wishaw Juniors
1933 Blantyre Celtic
1933–1940 Partick Thistle 204 (0)
1940–1943 Motherwell 0 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Robert Johnstone (born 6 November 1911) was a Scottish footballer who played as a goalkeeper; his only club at the professional level was Partick Thistle, where he spent six seasons as the regular custodian until the outbreak of World War II in 1939.[2]

Johnstone had been brought to the Jags from the junior leagues in June 1933, a week after the previous goalkeeper, Scotland international John Jackson, was sold to Chelsea,[3] and immediately took over the place in the first team, going on to make 255 appearances for the club in all competitions[4] and claim winner's medals in the Glasgow Cup and Glasgow Merchants Charity Cup, both in the 1934–35 season;[5][6] His position began to come under threat from the young Bobby Henderson before regular football was suspended.

During the war he moved to hometown club Motherwell, but did not make any official appearances for them before his contract expired in 1943; he also had guest spells with St Mirren and Albion Rovers.[2]

  1. ^ Bobby Johnstone, The Thistle Archive. Retrieved 31 December 2021
  2. ^ a b John Litster (October 2012). "A Record of pre-war Scottish League Players". Scottish Football Historian magazine. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  3. ^ R Johnstone (Partick Thistle, Scottish Football Snaps (Mitchell's Cigarettes), 1935, via Partick Thistle History Archive
  4. ^ Players J, Partick Thistle History Archive
  5. ^ Partick Thistle Win The Glasgow Cup, The Glasgow Herald, 15 October 1934, via Partick Thistle History Archive
  6. ^ Queen's in too big a hurry, The Sunday Post, 12 May 1935, via Partick Thistle History Archive