Biography
Right half Robert Frewen “Bobby” Turner was born in Leicester, the son of a professional footballer of the same name who was playing for Leicester Fosse at the time (his father also played for Everton, Preston North End, Darlington and Coventry City prior to World War One). During Bobby’s late teens the family settled in Darlington, where his father had taken a job as a locomotive engineer in the local railway. Young Bobby was taken on by Northern League side Cockfield and was sufficiently impressive to encourage Hull City to sign him in May 1930. Bobby learned his profession in the reserves and despite spending two seasons with the Tigers he played only one senior game in February 1932 before leaving the club that summer.
Turner then embarked on a wandering four year tour of various clubs. He joined Southport in October 1932 and made 20 Division Three North appearances for the Sandgrounders in an unfamiliar outside left role, scoring eight goals. Despite this good form he was released in the 1933 close season and after a short trial at Swindon Town, where he made four senior starts, he joined Carlisle United in November 1933. Turner’s versatility saw him picked in a variety of positions for the Cumbrians and he scored 4 times in 32 starts during the remainder of the 1933/34 season. In August 1934 Bobby moved on to York City but he managed only nine starts in the 1934/35 season. This drew an end to his senior career, in which he scored 12 goals and made 66 appearances in a six year career.
Turner joined North Eastern League side Blyth Spartans for the 1935/36 season and he was awarded a league title winners’ medal at the end of the season. There are no more records of his footballing career, by 1939 he was living in digs in Hebburn on the banks of the Tyne and working in a shipyard. He later returned to live in Darlington, which is where he died in August 1978.
Details
Nationality: England
Date/Place of Birth: 14 February 1910, Leicester
Hull City First Game: 6 February 1932, Barrow A (Division Three North), 21 years, 357 days old
Hull City Final Game: 6 February 1932, Barrow A (Division Three North), 21 years, 357 days old
Clubs
Cockfield, Hull City (1930-1932), Southport (1932-1933), Swindon Town (1933), Carlisle United (1933-1934), York City (1934-1935), Blyth Spartans (1935-1936)
Hull City Record
Career: 1 apps, 0 goals
Bobby Turner| Season | LGE App | LGE Gls | FAC App | FAC Gls | FLC App | FLC Gls | EUR App | EUR Gls | OTH App | OTH Gls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1930/31 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1931/32 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |