- Ken Roberts (footballer)
Infobox Football biography
playername = Ken Roberts
fullname = Kenneth Owen Roberts
dateofbirth = birth date and age|1936|3|27
cityofbirth =Cefn Mawr ,Wrexham
countryofbirth =Wales
nickname =K.O.
position = Winger
years = 1951–1953
1953–58
clubs = Wrexham
Aston Villa
caps(goals) = 1 0 0(0)
38 0 (3)
manageryears = 1968–1976
c.1981–1984
managerclubs = Chester
Oswestry TownKenneth Owen Roberts (born
March 27 1936 ,Cefn Mawr nearWrexham ) was a professional footballer with Wrexham andAston Villa who later achieved managerial success with Chester.Roberts made his solitary
Football League appearance for Wrexham when aged just 15 in 1951-52 during a player availability crisis. At 15 years and 158 days old, he equalled the 1929 record of Bradford Park Avenue'sAlbert Geldard ; this record stood until beaten byReuben Noble-Lazarus of Barnsley in 2008. Two years later he joined Villa and added 38 league outings and three goals to his tally before retiring due to a knee injury.After spells on the coaching staff with Oswestry Town, Wrexham and
Bradford Park Avenue , Roberts became manager of Chester in March 1968 following the departure ofPeter Hauser .Chester's Greatest Season
Chester had never won a
Football League promotion when Roberts arrived and six years later this was still the case, having missed out by a single point in 1970-71. But working alongside shrewd coachBrian Green , all that was to change in 1974-75 as Chester finished fourth inDivision Four and won promotion ongoal average . The season was though best remembered for Chester's incredibleFootball League Cup run, as they disposed ofLeeds United andNewcastle United to reach the semi-finals before suffering a 5-4 aggregate loss to Roberts' former clubAston Villa .Roberts steered the club to a mid-table finish the following season in
Division Three but opted to move upstairs to an administrative role early in the 1976-77, working with new team bossAlan Oakes .Roberts never managed again professionally but he had a spell in charge of Oswestry Town in the early 1980s. He then became an established football scout, for clubs including Chester and Shrewsbury Town.
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.