Crawford Robert Image 1 Liverpool 1909

Description

Blythswood, Glasgow born left back Robert Crawford began his football career with Barrhead Boys Club in 1902 and joined Scottish Second Division club Arthurlie in 1905, from where he was signed by First Division club Liverpool in January 1909. “Mr. Tom Watson, secretary to the Liverpool Club, arranged in Glasgow yesterday for the transfer of Robert Crawford,” reported the Manchester Courier on 21 January 1909 and added: “The new man, who is twenty two years of age, can play either right or left back, stands 5 ft. 8 ½in., and weighs 11 st. He has figured with considerable success in Second Division Scottish League matches this season, and should prove an acquisition to Liverpool.”

Crawford made his Football League debut against Leicester Fosse the following month. He played only half a dozen more times before the season end, but made 20 appearances as Liverpool finished runners up in the League Championship in 1909-10.  The highest total of games he played in a single campaign was 33 in the 1910-11 season. Left back Tom Chorlton lost his place in the team following Liverpool’s terrible start to that season and Crawford, who had played the first three games as right back was moved to the left and newcomer Ephraim Longworth became first choice right back. Crawford was described in the Evening Express on 15th October 1910: “Although weighing less than ten stone, Robert Smith Crawford is a capable back, and he makes up for the deficiency in weight by resource and cleverness. A player of the Jock Maconnachie type, great things were expected from this light-weight, but he has not had too many opportunities. He kicks with plenty of power, and can tackle with the best.”

However with fierce competition Crawford was never assured a place in the starting line up although he again featured more regularly in their 1912-13 campaign playing 22 games. Thereafter he was restricted to half a dozen matches per season in the final two seasons before the onset of the First World War forced the suspension of peacetime football in May 1915, although he did score his only career goal, a penalty, in a defeat at Sheffield Wednesday in October 1913. After 114 appearances for Liverpool over seven seasons at Anfield Crawford’s career was effectively ended by the War, during which he served with The Royal Engineers and was decorated with War and Victory medals.