The Thistle Archive

The son of Robert Muir (tramway conductor) and Jessie Hill Muir (née Paterson).

This Stirlingshire lad was reckoned to be the best juvenile ’keeper in the county, and he raised his profile with one full season at Rutherglen Glencairn, where his form in 1933-34 attracted great interest from a number of senior clubs, so much so that he was 'chased down' by a few of them at Sunday church at the end of that season! It was First Division Portsmouth who won his favour, and Bobby relocated to the south coast of England in June 1934. After biding his time in the reserves, Bobby got his big chance in a home League match against Liverpool on 19th January 1935. 14,448 were at Fratton Park on the day and, although Bobby acquitted himself well, the home side lost by the odd goal in three. He made only a handful of appearances for the first team and, by May 1934, was homeward bound, signing with First Division Third Lanark who finally got their man, one year later than planned!

Bobby was a near ever-present for the Hi-Hi in the seasons which followed, although his game time dried up as the decade came to a close. Unwilling to 'waste away' in the reserves, Bobby, in June 1939, made the switch to English football once more, signing with Rochdale of Division 3 North but, like everyone else, his plans were upset with the onset of war, and he quickly returned home, signing with Stirling-outfit King's Park for the large part of the 1939-40 season. War played a hand there too as Forthbank suffered from a Luftwaffe bombing on 20 July 1940. Although temporary repairs were made to the partially destroyed stadium, only two further games were played there before both Forthbank and King's Park F.C. were closed down. The club never returned.

In August 1941, Bobby re-appeared in the Scottish game at St Mirren. During the course of the season he played by consent at Partick Thistle and East Fife. After being released by the Saints at the end of the season, Bobby signed as a Jag, but appeared only once before disappearing from trace.

Away from the football, Bobby was an electrician to trade and also worked as a miner at Plean Colliery and then Kinneil Colliery. At Bannockburn in late 1939, he married Agnes Still, and raised a family of three; Robert, William and Catherine, who was always the bairn by quite a long way. After marriage, they lived in Plean for some time, before settling long-term in Larbert. In February 2024, we were delighted to receive all of this information from Catherine who, sadly, was still a school lass when her Dad passed away at Falkirk Infirmary, Bobby having suffered a heart attack, aged just 57.