William Roberts

William Roberts (born 1859) was a Welsh footballer who played as a forward in the 1870s and 1880s and made six appearances for Wales, scoring twice.

Football career Roberts was born in Llangollen in north-east Wales and started his football career at his local club.

His international debut came when he was selected in place of his Llangollen colleague, Jack Roberts, for the first international match between Wales and England on 18 January 1879. Roberts, playing at outside-left, "scored" against England, but the goal was ruled out for an earlier infringement; England won the match 2–1.

Roberts became a regular in the Welsh side, missing only one match over the next two years. In the match against Scotland on 27 March 1880, Roberts scored a late consolation goal in a 5–1 defeat. Roberts was described in the match report as "conspicuous throughout for his clever play" and received "loud applause" for his goal. This was the first Welsh goal scored in an international against Scotland.

He had a brief foray into professional football, playing for English clubs Crewe Alexandra and Northwich Victoria in 1880 and 1881, before returning to his hometown with Berwyn Rangers.

Date Venue Opponent Result Goals Competition 18 January 1879 Kennington Oval, London 1–2 0 Friendly 7 April 1879 Racecourse Ground, Wrexham 0–3 0 Friendly 15 March 1880 Racecourse Ground, Wrexham 2–3 1 Friendly 27 March 1880 Hampden Park, Glasgow 1–5 1 Friendly 14 March 1881 Racecourse Ground, Wrexham 1–5 0 Friendly 12 March 1883 Racecourse Ground, Wrexham 0–3 0 Friendly WinDrawLoss