Robert Blaikie McEwan (1881 – 1957) was a Scottish footballer who played for clubs including St Bernard's, Bury, Rangers, Chelsea, Glossop and Dundee. He played over 100 games in the Football League and nearly 50 in the Scottish Football League and was also on the winning team in the 1910 Scottish Cup final.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Robert Blaikie McEwan[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 1881[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Edinburgh, Scotland[1] | ||
| Date of death | 1957 (aged 75–76)[2] | ||
| Place of death | Edinburgh, Scotland | ||
| Position(s) | Full Back | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1896–1901 | Edinburgh Rosebery | ||
| 1901–1903 | St Bernard's | 27 | (2) |
| 1903–1904 | Bury | 35[1] | (0) |
| 1904–1905 | Rangers | 9 | (0) |
| 1905–1906 | Chelsea | 19[3] | (0) |
| 1906–1908 | Glossop | 55[1] | (1) |
| 1908–1909 | Queens Park Rangers | 2 | (0) |
| 1909–1910 | Dundee | 12[4] | (0) |
| Total | 159+ | (3+) | |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Career
editMcEwan joined Bury of the Football League First Division from Scottish club St Bernard's in 1903;[5] he played 35 times for Bury before returning to Scotland in 1904, where he played for Rangers.[1][6][7] A year later, he returned to England to join newly-formed Chelsea.[1][5][8] He played in the club's first game in the Football League and was technically the first Chelsea player to score a goal in a competitive match, as he scored an own goal which gave opponents Stockport County a 1–0 win.[9]
After a season with Queens Park Rangers in which he barely featured in the first team,[10] he returned to Scotland in 1909 to play for Dundee. He was in the "Dee" team that won the 1910 Scottish Cup final.[4][5][11]
Style of play
editIn 1905, the Penny Illustrated Paper likened his style of play to that of 19th-century Scottish international Donald Gow and said he had "plenty of speed and a safe kick".[6]
Personal life
editIn 1906, McEwan was acclaimed a hero for saving a boy from drowning in the Firth of Forth after a boat capsized.[12]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g Joyce, Michael (2004). Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939. SoccerData. p. 167. ISBN 1-899468-67-6.
- ^ Statutory registers - Deaths - Search results, ScotlandsPeople
- ^ "Robert McEwan". Association of Football Statisticians. Retrieved 9 December 2021.
- ^ a b "Bob McEwan Player Profile". Dee Archive. Retrieved 9 December 2021.
- ^ a b c John Litster (October 2012). "A Record of pre-war Scottish League Players". Scottish Football Historian magazine.
- ^ a b "The Chelsea Club". Penny Illustrated Paper. 9 September 1905.
- ^ Rangers player Robert McEwan, FitbaStats
- ^ Chelsea FC Player Profile: Bob McEwan, Stamford-Bridge.com
- ^ "History: Stockport 1 Chelsea 0". Chelsea F.C. 7 January 2018. Retrieved 9 December 2021.
- ^ Seasonal Stats | Files | 1908/09, QPRnet
- ^ Kenny Ross. "1910 - Scottish Cup". Dundee F.C. Retrieved 9 December 2021.
- ^ "Plucky footballer". Mid Sussex Times. 10 July 1906. p. 6. Retrieved 9 December 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.