Robert W. Gardner

Robert W. Gardner was an important figure in football history. He was match arranger, goalkeeper and team captain for Queen's Park during the 1860s up till 1874, and a letter of his, dated 1868, is the oldest surviving letter pertaining to soccer. He holds the unassailable record of being the first goalkeeper to captain an international side.

Personal Details

Information about the life of Gardner is scant, but he is believed to have been born 1847 or 1848, may have been a highlander who lived in Glasgow, is thought to have worn a full beard, and was evidently very well educated. According to a contemporary cartoon, he may have relieved the boredom of long periods of inactivity by smoking his pipe on the field. He died before he was 40, on February 27, 1887. Gardner was one of the original members of Queen's Park Football Club. He was originally a forward but switched to goalkeeper in 1872. Apart from four goals conceded in an international match in 1873, Gardner did not concede a goal until January 1874 - phenomenal when one considers that he may not have been allowed to use his hands for much of that time, and that goalkeeping technique would have been in a primitive state. However, although nineteenth century goalkeeping seems to have been almost entirely "on the goal line", the basic stalwart technique of "narrowing the angle" seems to have been used by Gardner. He was almost certainly the best goalkeeper of his time.

International career

Gardner was instrumental in arranging the first official international football match, Scotland versus England in 1872, called by many "the most important game in football history," because the English played a style based on individual dribbling, while the Scots played a passing style; and the rules for the match were standardised (the Scottish rules). The Scottish side for this match comprised entirely of Queen's Park players. Robert W Gardner was Scotland's first ever team captain, picked the team, and kept goal during the 0-0 draw, although some accounts say he swapped places with forward Robert Smith and played some or all of the latter part of the match up front.

Gardner kept goal and captained Scotland against England the following year, but lost to England 4-2 in London in a Scottish side, which partly composed of English-based levies, when the Scottish Football Association budget only stretched to the rail fares of eight players. Gardner's switch of club to Clydesdale in 1874 lost him the Scottish captaincy when the Queen's Park players refused to be captained by a player from another club. He still kept goal for Scotland against old enemies England for the following two years, with a 2-1 win and a 2-2 draw. Gardner kept goal and captained Clydesdale in the very first Scottish cup final in 1874, playing against Queen's Park. Although his side lost 2-0, contemporary accounts of the match home in on Gardner's magnificent display of goalkeeping against his old club. In 1878 he made his fifth and last appearance as Scotland's last line of defence, and had the satisfaction of taking part in Scotland's 7-2 drubbing of England. Robert W Gardner also served as referee, was a founding member of the Scottish Football Association and served as its President 1877-1878.