Robert J. Connelly was a Scottish footballer who played as a midfielder for Port Vale between August 1921 and May 1932. He made 337 league and cup appearances, and helped the club to win the Third Division North title in 1929–30.
![]() Connelly in the early 1920s | |||
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Robert Connelly | ||
Date of birth | 1901 | ||
Place of birth | Glasgow, Scotland | ||
Date of death | 21 October 1943 | ||
Place of death | Law, Lanarkshire, Scotland | ||
Height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)[1] | ||
Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
Youth career | |||
Townhead Hibernians | |||
Shettleston Juniors | |||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
1921–1932 | Port Vale | 323 | (18) |
1932–1933 | Congleton Town | 45 | (0) |
Total | 368 | (18) | |
*Club domestic league appearances and goals |
Career
editPort Vale
editConnelly started his career with Townhead Hibernians and later Shettleston Juniors, before joining Port Vale in August 1921.[2] He scored his first senior goal in a 5–2 defeat by Bury at Gigg Lane on 8 October, before bagging a brace in a 5–2 win in the reverse fixture at The Old Recreation Ground seven days later.[2] He scored seven goals in 38 Second Division appearances in the 1921–22 season, and three goals in 30 league and cup games in the 1922–23 season.[2] He hit two goals in 25 games in the 1923–24 campaign, and two goals in 41 matches in the 1924–25 season.[2] He hit the only goal of the match against rivals Stoke at the Victoria Ground on 20 September 1924.[2] He featured 39 times in the 1925–26 season, netting two goals.[2] He played 43 matches in the 1926–27 campaign, and then 45 games in the 1927–28 season.[2] He featured 43 times in the 1928–29 relegation season.[2] After picking up an injury, he rested in November 1929 for the first time since January 1927, ending his 127 consecutive appearances.[2] He played 25 league games in 1929–30, as the "Valiants" won the Third Division North title.[2] He featured just once in 1930–31, and played just eight games in 1931–32.[2] He left the club on a free transfer in May 1932 to join non-League Congleton Town.[2]
Later career
editHe briefly coached with FC Drumcondra in Ireland and in Amsterdam in the Netherlands before returning to Scotland, where he and his wife ran a tobacconist shop on Sword Street in Dennistoun in Glasgow for a short time before working as a Locomotive Works Labourer at Cowlairs in Springburn, Glasgow. In his Autobiography Feet First, Stanley Matthews recounts how he followed Port Vale as a boy and hero-worshipped Bob Connelly. He died of heart failure at Law Junction Hospital on 21 October 1943. He is buried at Cadder Cemetery in Bishopbriggs, East Dunbartonshire, Scotland.
Career statistics
editSource:[3]
Club | Season | Division | League | FA Cup | Total | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
Port Vale | 1921–22 | Second Division | 38 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 39 | 7 |
1922–23 | Second Division | 29 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 3 | |
1923–24 | Second Division | 24 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 2 | |
1924–25 | Second Division | 38 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 41 | 2 | |
1925–26 | Second Division | 37 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 38 | 2 | |
1926–27 | Second Division | 39 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 42 | 1 | |
1927–28 | Second Division | 42 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 45 | 1 | |
1928–29 | Second Division | 42 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 43 | 0 | |
1929–30 | Second Division | 25 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 27 | 0 | |
1930–31 | Second Division | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
1931–32 | Second Division | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | |
Total | 323 | 18 | 14 | 0 | 337 | 18 |