Bob McSkimming


Robert McSkimming was a Scottish footballer who played in the English Football League for Stoke.

Playing career

McSkimming played for Kilmarnock and Hurlford before moving down to England with Stoke in time for the first season of the Football League becoming the first Scottish footballer to sign for Stoke. He made his League debut on 8 September 1888, as a forward for Stoke in a 2–0 defeat by West Bromwich Albion at the Victoria Ground. When he made his debut he was 18 years and approximately 85days old; that made him, on that first day of League football, Stoke's youngest player. He was top scorer in the 1888–89 season with six as Stoke endured an awful start to league football finishing bottom of the table. McSkimming was one of two Stoke players to play in all 22 League games in the 1888-89 season. As a forward he played in a front-line that scored three League goals or more on three separate occasions. He found the net in three of the club's four league wins; his goals at the Victoria Ground came against Notts County, Accrington, Blackburn Rovers, and away from home in the return fixtures with Notts County and Blackburn.
He joined nearby Burslem Port Vale in the summer of 1889. His appearances were mostly limited to friendlies, his business commitments helping to restrict his playing opportunities. He was released, most likely in 1891 and later played for Stone Town.

Style of play

One source describes McSkimming as "a fine sprinter, he competed at various Scottish athletic meetings, collecting a handful of medals.

Career statistics

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