Sam Rowbotham

For the flat Earth proponent, see Samuel Rowbotham.

Sam Rowbotham (6 December 1912 – 7 September 1979) was an English footballer who played as a centre forward or inside left in the Football League for Rotherham United and Darlington. He also played non-league football for Scarborough^[2] and Peterborough United.^[3]

Sam Rowbotham

Personal information
Full name	Sam Rowbotham
Date of birth	(1912-12-06)6 December 1912
Place of birth	Rotherham, England
Date of death	7 September 1979(1979-09-07) (aged 66)
Place of death	Peterborough, England
Height	5 ft 10+1⁄2 in (1.79 m)[1]
Position(s)	Left half, inside left
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1931–1933	Rotherham United	3	(1)
1933–1934	Scarborough
1934–1935	Darlington	17	(1)
1936–1940	Peterborough United	118	(1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Life and career

Rowbotham was born in Rotherham,^[2] which was then in the West Riding of Yorkshire, in 1912. He joined Rotherham United in August 1931,^[4] and turned professional the following February.^[5] Because of injuries, Rowbotham made his first-team debut on 27 February, playing at left half in a 2–0 win at home to Hull City in the Third Division North.^[4][6] That proved to be his only appearance of the season,^[4] but he was retained for 1932–33.^[7] Playing at inside left, he scored his first Football League goal in a 5–2 loss to New Brighton, and made one more appearance before leaving the club at the end of the season.^[4]

Although he had played little first-team football, Rowbotham had been a regular with Rotherham's reserve team in the Midland League, and when he became available he was snapped up by Midland League club Scarborough.^[8] He went straight into the team at left half, impressed,^[9] and remained in the team for the rest of the season.^[1]

In July 1934, he signed for Third Division North club Darlington.^[1] He made his debut at right half on 28 September in a 3–0 loss to Gateshead, and played once more in that position before having a run of games at the end of the season, taking over at left half from Joe Hodgson.^[10] He scored once, a 40-yard (37 m) free kick against his former club, Rotherham United.^[11] He played in the first four matches of the 1935–36 season, to take his appearance total to 17, after which Hodgson returned to favour.^[10]

Released by Darlington on a free transfer,^[12] Rowbotham returned to the Midland League with Peterborough United. He played regularly, missing only eight Midland League matches over the next three seasons, and continued for a further season in the 1939–40 emergency competitions.^[13]

Rowbotham worked at Peter Brotherhood's armaments factory in Peterborough during the Second World War, and played for their works team after his club closed down for the duration.^[14] He remained in the area after the war, and died in Peterborough in 1979 at the age of 66.

Notes

• Many sources give Rowbotham the first name of Samuel, but the only birth registered under a similar name in Rotherham in the relevant time period was plain Sam.