Booth Bobby Image 2 Southend United 1922

Description

West Hartlepool, County Durham born wing half Bobby Booth began his football career with Spennymoor United in 1911 before joining Second Division Blackpool in May 1912, making his Football League debut at Grimsby Town the same September. He played both sides of the First World War and one season after, scoring 4 goals in 107 appearances for The Tangerines before moving to Birmingham in May 1920.

Described as a “very quiet hard worker who never becomes ruffled”, he played six times in his first season, scoring once, at the end of which Birmingham were promoted. However Booth only played twice in the First Division, and was allowed to leave at the end of the 1921-22 season, joining Southend United in July 1922. He had a single season at The Kursaal, scoring once in 32 appearances, before joining Swansea Town in June 1923.

At Swansea he scored 4 goals in 36 appearances during 1923-24, but lost his place at the start of the new season, and only played once more for the first team in a season that would see Swansea win the Third Division (South) Championship, but by then Booth had left to join Merthyr Town in March 1925, helping them on their run in to the end of the season, scoring once in 13 appearances. But he soon joined New Brighton in May 1925, scoring once in 12 appearances before joining non league Fleetwood in 1926. Later the same year he joined Skelmersdale United before joining Peasley Cross Athletic the following year, his last known club before retirement.

His son Ken Booth was also a footballer, playing for Blackpool, Bradford Park Avenue, Workington, Southport and Wigan Athletic in the Fifties and early Sixties.