# Bob Donaldson > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Bob_Donaldson > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Bob_Donaldson.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Donaldson > Source revision: 1350930390 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) This article is about the Scottish football player. For the British cyclist, see [Bob Donaldson (cyclist)](/source/Bob_Donaldson_(cyclist)). For other people, see [Robert Donaldson (disambiguation)](/source/Robert_Donaldson_(disambiguation)). **Robert Donaldson** (27 August 1868 – 28 April 1947) was a Scottish [footballer](/source/Association_football). He played as a [forward](/source/Forward_(association_football)). Donaldson signed with [Scottish Football League](/source/Scottish_Football_League) Second Division [Airdrieonians](/source/Airdrieonians_F.C._(1878)) from Cliftonhill Rovers in December 1888.[1] On leaving Airdrieonians in May 1891 he signed registration forms with both [Blackburn Rovers](/source/Blackburn_Rovers_F.C.) and [Newton Heath](/source/Manchester_United_F.C.).[2] The ensuing dispute between the two clubs was settled when he declared that as Blackburn had failed to register their form within the specified time he was therefore a Newton Heath player.[3] The club were members of the [Football Alliance](/source/Football_Alliance) for the [1891–92 season](/source/1891%E2%80%9392_Football_Alliance). In the summer of 1892 Newton Heath were elected to the country's top league, the [Football League First Division](/source/Football_League_First_Division). He scored 66 goals in 147 Football League appearances for Newton Heath, the first of these goals scored against Blackburn Rovers on 3 September 1892 was the club's first ever Football League goal. Following Newton Heath's demotion to the [Football League Second Division](/source/Football_League_Second_Division) in 1894 he remained with the club for over three more seasons.[4] In November 1897 he was suspended by Newton Heath for a breaching training regulations and placed on the transfer list[5] and a month later for an £80 fee joined Football League Second Division club [Luton Town](/source/Luton_Town_F.C.).[6] His stay at Luton lasted only five months as at the end of the 1897–1898 season they were reconstructing their team and Donaldson was transferred with three other team-mates to [Glossop North End](/source/Glossop_North_End_A.F.C.). The transfers were the subject of a dispute between the clubs: a Football League tribunal set the fee at the £200 offered by Glossop rather than the £500 requested by Luton.[7] In his single season with Glossop they were runners-up of the Football League Second Division and gained promotion to the First Division. He left Glossop at the season's end before they played in their new league and signed-on at the start of the 1899–1900 season as a professional player with [Kent League](/source/Kent_Football_League_(1894%E2%80%931959)) club [Ashford United](/source/Ashford_United_F.C.).[8] In January 1900 owing to cost-cutting measures he was released by Ashford[9] and in February was subject of negotiations between Glossop – who had continued to hold his Football League registration – and Newton Heath who were looking to appoint him as there reserve team coach.[10] ## Career statistics Appearances and goals by club, season and competition Club Season League FA Cup Other Total Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Newton Heath[11] 1892–93 26 16 1 0 2 0 29 16 1893–94 24 7 3 3 1 0 28 10 1894–95 27 15 1 0 1 0 29 15 1895–96 17 7 3 2 0 0 20 9 1896–97 29 9 8 5 4 0 41 14 1897–98 8 2 0 0 0 0 8 2 Total 131 56 16 10 8 0 155 66 ## References 1. "Sport And Pastime: Notes by "Athlete"". *Coatbridge Express*. 12 December 1888. p. 4. 1. "En Passant (column 3)". *Athletic News*. 3 August 1891. p. 1. 1. "Football Gossip". *Dundee Evening Telegraph*. 19 August 1891. p. 3. 1. ["Club History: Newton Heath 1877-1902"](https://web.archive.org/web/20070311230500/http://www.redcafe.net/archives/history/newton-heath.php). Archived from [the original](http://www.redcafe.net/archives/history/newton-heath.php) on 11 March 2007. Retrieved 27 November 2006. 1. "Football Notes". *Sporting Life*. 25 November 1897. p. 4. 1. "Football Notes". *The Manchester Evening News*. 13 December 1897. p. 5. 1. "The Football League". *Sporting Life*. 15 August 1898. p. 1. 1. "Glossop". *Lancashire Evening Post*. 26 August 1899. p. 2. 1. "Football". *Kent Messenger & Gravesend Telegraph*. 20 January 1900. p. 3. 1. "Glossop". *Glossop-dale Chronicle and North Derbyshire Reporter*. 9 February 1900. p. 6. 1. ["THE WEBSITE OF DREAMS"](https://web.archive.org/web/20180325004336/http://www.stretfordend.co.uk/playermenu/donaldson.html). *stretfordend.co.uk*. Archived from [the original](http://stretfordend.co.uk/playermenu/donaldson.html) on 25 March 2018. Retrieved 21 July 2018. --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Bob Donaldson](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Donaldson) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Donaldson?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.