Archie Robertson (footballer)

Archie Robertson

Personal information
Full name	Archibald Clark Robertson
Date of birth	(1929-09-15)15 September 1929
Place of birth	Busby, Scotland
Date of death
Height
Position(s)	Inside forward
Youth career
	Rutherglen Glencairn
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1947–1961	Clyde	293	(121)
1961–1963	Greenock Morton	51	(17)
1964–1965	Cowdenbeath	5	(3)
Total		349	(141)
International career
1954	Scottish League XI	2	(1)
1955–1958	Scotland	5	(2)
Managerial career
1964–1967	Cowdenbeath
1968–1973	Clyde
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Archibald "Archie" Clark Robertson (15 September 1929 – 28 January 1978) was a Scottish footballer who spent most of his career with Clyde, firstly as an inside right and latterly as manager.

Robertson joined Clyde from juvenile side Rutherglen Glencairn in 1947, on a part-time basis as he continued his studies towards a degree in chemistry. He spent the next 14 seasons with the Bully Wee, during which time he experienced relegation on three occasions, although he also helped the side win the Division Two title twice, in 1951-52 and 1956-57.

Robertson also enjoyed success with Clyde in the Scottish Cup. In the 1955 final he scored Clyde's equalising goal direct from a corner kick in the 88th minute, forcing a 1-1 draw with Celtic. Clyde went on to win the replay 1-0 with a goal by Tommy Ring. He also played in the 1958 Cup final when Clyde defeated Hibernian 1-0.

While with Clyde, Robertson earned 5 caps for the Scotland national football team and played in the 1958 FIFA World Cup in Sweden. He also earned selection for the Scottish League representative side on two occasions. He eventually left the club when signed by Morton for £1,000 in the autumn of his career. He spent two seasons in Greenock before retiring in 1963.

Robertson began a managerial career with Second Division Cowdenbeath in 1964 and spent three and a half mid-table seasons with the Blue Brazil. In January 1968 he succeeded Davie White as manager of old club Clyde but was not able to replicate White's 1966-67 third-place finish as Clyde's league form gradually declined in the late 1960s and early 1970s. They eventually experienced relegation in the 1971-72 season and despite leading his team to the Second Division title the following campaign, Robertson ended his association with the club in 1973. His final footballing role was as Tottenham Hotspur's Scottish scout.

Throughout his career, Robertson combined his footballing role with another career. Following his graduation he worked in the scientific branch of the National Coal Board, while in later years he was a science teacher at a school in East Kilbride.

External links

• Archie Robertson career at Post War English & Scottish Football League A–Z Player's Database
• Archie Robertson at scottishfa.co.uk
• Scotland national team statistics at londonhearts.com