Robert Glen
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Robert Glen | ||
| Date of birth | 16 January 1875 | ||
| Place of birth | Renton, Scotland | ||
| Date of death | 16 July 1953 (aged 78) | ||
| Place of death | Toronto, Canada | ||
| Position(s) | Left-back | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1891–1893 | Renton | 12 | (1) |
| 1893–1894 | Sheffield Wednesday | 1 | (0) |
| 1893–1897 | Renton | 40 | (2) |
| 1897–1898 | Rangers | 6 | (0) |
| 1898–1907 | Hibernian | 139 | (0) |
| International career | |||
| 1895–1900 | Scotland | 3 | (0) |
| 1900 | Scottish League XI[2] | 2 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Robert Glen (16 January 1875 – 16 July 1953)[3] was a Scottish footballer who played for Renton,[4] Sheffield Wednesday,[5] Rangers,[6] Hibernian[7] and Scotland.[8]
Club career
[edit]Glen started his career with his local club Renton.[3][4] He briefly left them in 1893 to play for Sheffield Wednesday, but returned later that season. He captained Renton in the 1895 Scottish Cup final,[9] which they lost 2–1 to Edinburgh club St Bernards.[10][11]
After a brief spell with Rangers, where he was used as a backup for the regular defensive players,[3][12] Glen joined Hibernian in 1898.[9] They finished third in the league in 1899–1900, but a mistake by Glen contributed to a second-round defeat by Hearts in the Scottish Cup.[13] Hibs only finished sixth in the league in 1901–02, but then went on a prolonged run in the Scottish Cup.[14] Wins against Clyde, Port Glasgow, Queen's Park and Rangers sent Hibs to the final, which was played against Celtic at Celtic Park (neutral Ibrox was intended to be the venue, but part of its terracing collapsed during a Scotland match there in April).[15] Early in the game, Glen succeeded in protecting goalkeeper Harry Rennie.[16] With fifteen minutes remaining, Andrew McGeachen scored the only goal of the match, and Hibs had won the cup.[17][1] One match report said Glen was the star performer in defence for Hibs, as he would make interceptions "in the nick of time" and would use "trick" plays like overhead kicks to get the ball to safety.[18] A few weeks later he was in the side that defeated the same opposition 6–2 to win the Glasgow Merchants Charity Cup (in that year only, entry was extended to clubs outwith that city to boost the income for the Ibrox Disaster Relief Fund).[19]
Glen also helped the club win the Scottish League championship in 1902–03,[20] although he made only three appearances that season due to injury.[3] After spending the best part of nine seasons with Hibs, he played some further games for Renton, by now competing in the minor Scottish Football Union competition. Soon afterwards he emigrated with his family to Canada, where he worked as a bricklayer.[3]
International career
[edit]Glen made his full international debut for Scotland on 23 March 1895, in a 2–2 draw with Wales at the Racecourse Ground.[21][22][23] He made two further appearances for Scotland, in a 4–0 win against the same opponents on 21 March 1896, and a 3–0 win against Ireland on 3 March 1900.[21][22][23] He also played in an unofficial game for Scotland against Ireland on 9 August 1902, a match that also raised funds for victims of the Ibrox Disaster.[24][25]
Style of play
[edit]Glen played as a left-back, and was known for his strength and the intelligence of his play.[26] At the time of the 1902 Scottish Cup final, he was a favourite player of the Hibs supporters and had been on good form leading up to the final.[26]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Hislop, John (20 May 2016). "Scottish Cup Final 1902 – Hibernian 1-0 Celtic". The Edinburgh Reporter. Retrieved 27 April 2024.
- ^ "Robert Glen - Scotland Football League Record from 17 Feb 1900 to 31 Mar 1900 clubs - Hibernian". London Hearts Supporters Club.
- ^ a b c d e Mitchell, Andy (2021). The men who made Scotland: The definitive Who's Who of Scottish Football Internationalists 1872-1939. Amazon. ISBN 9798513846642.
- ^ a b John Litster (October 2012). "A Record of pre-war Scottish League Players". Scottish Football Historian magazine.
- ^ R Glen, The Sheffield Wednesday Archive
- ^ Rangers player Robert Glen, FitbaStats
- ^ Hibernian player Robert Glen, FitbaStats
- ^ (Smith 2013, p. 101)
- ^ a b (Mackay 1986, p. 67)
- ^ Scottish Cup–Final Tie. The Scotsman, 22 April 1895, via London Hearts Supporters Club
- ^ Renton F.C. Champions of the World, Vince Cooper, Read The League, 2 March 2019
- ^ "New back for Rangers". Daily Record. 29 January 1897. p. 6. Retrieved 2 May 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ (Mackay 1986, p. 68)
- ^ (Mackay 1986, p. 71)
- ^ (Mackay 1986, p. 72)
- ^ (Mackay 1986, p. 72)
- ^ (Mackay 1986, p. 73)
- ^ (Smith 2016, p. 1864)
- ^ Another Glorious Victory, The Scottish Referee, 2 June 1902, scan via London Hearts Supporters Club
- ^ (Mackay 1986, p. 76)
- ^ a b Robert Glen at the Scottish Football Association
- ^ a b "Robert Glen - Scotland Football Record from 23 Mar 1895 to 03 Mar 1900 clubs - Renton; Hibernian". londonhearts.com. Retrieved 27 April 2024.
- ^ a b Brown, Alan; Tossani, Gabriele (29 October 2023). "Scotland - International Matches 1891-1900". rsssf. Retrieved 28 April 2024.
- ^ (Mackay 1986, p. 75)
- ^ Gorman, Douglas; Tossani, Gabriele (2 March 2023). "Scotland Unofficial Matches 1902-1919". rsssf.org. Retrieved 27 April 2024.
- ^ a b (Lugton 1999, p. 222)
- Sources
- Lugton, Alan (1999). The Making of Hibernian. John Donald Publishers. ISBN 9780859765091.
- Mackay, John R. (1986). The Hibees. John Donald Publishers. ISBN 9780859761444.
- Smith, Paul (2013). Scotland Who's Who. Pitch Publishing. ISBN 978-1-909178-84-7.
- Smith, Aidan (2016). Persevered. Birlinn Limited. ISBN 9781909715479.