GoS-DB Players

Greens on Screen started its life in 1999 before many of the football sites that we are familiar with today, including Plymouth Argyle's own official site. Greens on Screen is dedicated to the sights, sounds and history of Plymouth Argyle Football club. It is owned and run by the Plymouth Argyle Heritage Archive, a charity dedicated to the promotion, preservation, and display of the heritage of our great football club.

The site owes its existence to Steve Dean.Without Steve's dedication and commitment for over 25 years, GoS would not exist and be the valued and loved resource for all football fans that it is today. The site is truly the envy of many clubs, and we owe a huge debt to Steve for his tireless work, and continued support behind the scenes.

Greens on Screen's first page was published in January 1999. Its early purpose was to bring Plymouth Argyle a little closer to those unable to see their team, and whilst it has changed a great deal over the years, its core themes - sights and sounds for Westcountry exiles - still stand. The site was very lucky to take on the content of Trevor Scallan's Semper Viridis in the summer of 2007, and in 2009 launched GoS-DB, a wealth of facts and figures from PAFC's history. A year later, we embarked on a complete history of Argyle, with much-valued contributions from chapter authors. Greens on Screen was taken over by its new custodians, The Argyle Archive, in 2024.

Greens on Screen is an amateur website and proud of it. It is run by a team of volunteers from the Plymouth Argyle Heritage Archive (Argyle Archive). Without the hard work and much-valued contributions of these volunteers, running the site would not be possible. Greens on Screen is self-taught and as a result, a little bit quirky.

Greens on Screen remains advertisement free, which means we are grateful for the generous support of our donors and the work of our volunteers to help keep it free of promotions. If you would like to support the work of Greens on Screen, please consider donating to the Plymouth Argyle Heritage Archive.

GoS's sole aim is to be a service to fellow supporters, and we look forward to continuing to celebrate Argyle's history for many years to come.

Plymouth Argyle Heritage Archive.
April 2024

Can you help? This page is the result of the best endeavours of all concerned. If you spot a mistake or know of facts to add, or have a better photo, please get in touch using 'Contact Us' (top, right).

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HARRY ROBERTS

Born: 27 June 1904

Came from: Leeds United Went to: Bristol Rovers

First game: 15 November 1930 Last game: 01 May 1937

Appearances: 257 (257/0) Goals: 22

Born in Crofton, near Wakefield, Roberts started out locally with Castleford Town and was duly spotted by Leeds United, signing for the Elland Road club in 1925. He went on to make 84 appearances for The Peacocks, scoring twice in a five year spell. Brought to Home Park in November 1930, Roberts spent seven years as Argyle's first choice right-back and his scoring record was aided by an excellent record as penalty-taker. As well as captaining the side for a number of seasons, he was also one of the characters of the thirties' team. On one occasion, allegedly, he gave an imperious performance somewhat under the influence of alcohol. On another, it was said that he burst the ball with one of his kicks. He was greatly liked within the club - his power and strength earned him the nickname 'Rock of Gibraltar' - but his popularity did not extend to referees; his disciplinary record was not the best.

With the emergence of Sam Kirkwood, Roberts left Home Park in 1937 for a fee of £820. He had two years with Bristol Rovers, playing 77 times across two seasons before his League career was ended by the outbreak of war. He returned, briefly, to the north in 1939 to play for Frickley Colliery, but during the war he settled back in Plymouth and for many years ran a fruit & veg stall, initially in 'Tin Pan Alley', the temporary market stalls erected immediately after the war, and then in the present-day pannier market when it opened in 1959. A keen golfer and bowls player, Harry Roberts died in Plymouth Naval Hospital in May 1968 at the age of 63.

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If you can add to this profile, perhaps with special memories, a favourite story or the results of your original research, please contribute here.

APPEARANCE DETAILS [reselect competitions]

The details below reflect appearances in all first-team competitions.

I'm very grateful to many who have helped write GoS-DB's player pen-pictures, and to Dave Rowntree, the PAFC Media Team and Colin Parsons for their help with photos. Thanks also to staff at the National Football Museum, the Scottish Football Museum and ScotlandsPeople for their valuable assistance.

The following publications have been particularly valuable in the research of pen-pictures: Plymouth Argyle, A Complete Record 1903-1989 (Brian Knight, ISBN 0-907969-40-2); Plymouth Argyle, 101 Golden Greats (Andy Riddle, ISBN 1-874287-47-3); Football League Players' Records 1888-1939 (Michael Joyce, ISBN 1-899468-67-6); Football League Players' Records 1946-1988 (Barry Hugman, ISBN 1-85443-020-3) and Plymouth Argyle Football Club Handbooks.