Tommy Roberts

For the design and fashion entrepreneur, see Tommy Roberts Mr Freedom.

For other people named Thomas Roberts, see Thomas Roberts (disambiguation).

Tommy Roberts

Personal information
Full name	William Thomas Roberts
Date of birth	(1895-11-29)29 November 1895
Place of birth	Handsworth, West Midlands, England
Date of death
Position(s)	Centre forward
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
?–?	Soho Villa	?	(?)
1914	Leicester Fosse	0	(0)
1919–1924	Preston North End	199	(118)
1924–1925	Burnley	49	(28)
1926–1927	Preston North End	55	(30)
1928	Tottenham Hotspur	4	(2)
?–?	Dick Kerrs X1	?	(?)
?–?	Chorley	?	(?)
International career
1923–1924	England	2	(2)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

William Thomas 'Tommy' Roberts (29 November 1898 – 13 October 1965) was an English professional footballer who played for Soho Villa, Leicester Fosse, Preston North End, Burnley, Tottenham Hotspur, Dick Kerrs X1, Chorley and England at international level.

Football career

Roberts began his career at non League Soho Villa and later Leicester Fosse. After World War I he joined Preston North End and made his debut against Blackburn Rovers in 1919. The high scoring centre forward was top scorer in his first season with 29 goals. Roberts featured in 199 matches and scored 118 goals between 1919–1924. In 1924 he signed for Burnley where he scored a further 28 goals in 49 matches. He returned to Deepdale for his second spell at the club in 1926 and once again top scored with 30 goals in 55 matches. Roberts broke an arm in a motor vehicle accident in 1927 and suffered injury problems before joining Tottenham Hotspur in 1928. He made four appearances and found the net on two occasions for the Spurs. After leaving White Hart Lane Roberts played for the Dick Kerrs X1 and finally ended his playing career at Chorley.

International career

Roberts played twice for England. His first match was against Belgium in November 1923 and played in the following game against Wales. He scored in both matches.

After football

Roberts worked as a publican for 30 years in the Preston area.