438 Bob Crosbie

Biography

Bob Crosbie signed for Hull City in October 1953 for a £4,000 fee – a striker in his late twenties prime who joined from Bradford Park Avenue, Bob was acquired to play up front alongside South African forward Alf Ackerman and fellow Scotsman Syd Gerrie. Crosbie opened his account with a brace of goals in November 1953 against Leicester City and scored further doubles against Oldham Athletic in December 1953 (a 8-0 win that saw Ackerman strike four goals), Brentford in a January 1954 FA Cup replay and Swansea Town in March 1954 – he missed only one game all season after signing and bagged fifteen goals.

In the 1954/55 season Bob picked up where he finished and missed only one game for the remainder of the calendar year, scoring all four goals in a September 1954 victory over Ipswich Town. As the season progressed City’s form faded under manager Bob Jackson and Crosbie’s goals dried up. In March 1955 Crosbie scored twice in Jackson’s penultimate game, punishing Swansea Town again, but scored only once for new manager Bob Brocklebank after he took the City helm later in March 1955. Crosbie left Hull City in the 1955 close season.

Robert Crichton Crosbie was born in the Calton district of Glasgow, he came of age during World War Two and played for Glasgow Churches League side Dennistoun Parish as the war drew to a close. In February 1947 he signed for Division Two side Bury after scoring eleven goals in four starts for his church team. he made his senior debut for Bury in April 1947 against Luton Town, scoring two goals in his first start as a professional footballer. He had to wait until November 1947 for more first team action and he rewarded Bury manager Norman Bullock with two goals against Barnsley and a third a week later against Grimsby Town. His last match for Bury on Christmas Day 1948 took his Shakers’ tally to five goals in 9 appearances.

Crosbie joined Division Two side Bradford Park Avenue in May 1949, the £11,000 fee paid was a record for Bradford at the time. He made his Park Avenue debut against Plymouth Argyle in August 1949 and scored his first goal for the club four days later against Leicester City. Crosbie was in and out of the first team during the 1949/50 season that ended with relegation to Division Three North. The 1950/51 season was Bob’s most successful in England, he scored 28 goals that included a December 1950 hattrick against Crewe Alexandra as Bradford finished in the top six. For the next two seasons he again scored double figures for goals as his side compiled two more top half finishes – in November 1951 he scored a second hattrick against Crewe Alexandra in eleven months. In April 1953 Crosbie hit a rich vein of form, netting ten goals in six starts including a hattrick against Workington. This form continued at the start of the 1953/54 season, he scored nine goals in 13 starts that took his Bradford Park Avenue tally to 75 goals in 149 appearances. It was this form that encouraged Hull City to pay £4,000 for his signature in October 1953.

In July 1955 Crosbie crossed the Humber Estuary signed for Division Three North side Grimsby Town. Back in the third tier, Crosbie again found his shooting boots and netted 38 goals as the Mariners lifted the Division Three North title. He made his Grimsby debut in August 1955 against Rochdale, three days later against Chester he struck four goals in a 6-1 victory. He added further hattricks on Christmas Eve against Chesterfield, Oldham Athletic in February 1956 and Crewe Alexandra in March 1956 – his third treble against the Railwaymen in six years. Elevated to Division Two for the 1956/57 season, Crosbie was a first team starter up to Christmas but was used less regularly in the second half of the season, netting ten goals. His final senior appearance in England came against Sheffield United in March 1957, by which time he was linked to transfers to Workington and Notts County, neither of which came to pass. This final appearance took his Grimsby Town tally to 48 goals in 68 starts.

In August 1957 a homesick Crosbie returned to Scotland and signed part-time professional terms at Dumfries-based Scottish Division One side Queen of the South. He scored eleven league goals during the 1957/58 season before hanging up his boots. Crosbie then returned to live in Glasgow, dying in the city in February 1994.

Details

Nationality: Scotland
Date/Place of Birth: 2 September 1925, Glasgow
Hull City First Game: 17 October 1953, Plymouth Argyle H (Division Two), 28 years, 45 days old
Hull City Final Game: 23 April 1955, Doncaster Rovers H (Division Two), 29 years, 233 days old

Clubs

Dennistoun Parish, Bury (1947-1949), Bradford Park Avenue (1949-1953), Hull City (1953-1955), Grimsby Town (1955-1957), Queen of the South (1957-1958)

Hull City Record

Career: 68 apps, 26 goals