30-08-2020, 19:48
Alright, so the ones I've done before were all from the silent film era. Well here's a player some of you may have actually seen play.
Iwan Roberts was born in 1968 in Bangor, but grew up in the seaside town of Barmouth on the west coast of Wales. He signed for Town at the start of the 1990/91 season, brought in by Eoin Hand to replace Craig Maskell. We paid a record fee for him as well, but it was just the money we had received for Maskell from Reading. We bought him from Watford, where he had been given his debut by Graham Taylor, by which time he had already had his two front teeth knocked out. He scored his first professional goal in a First Division match against Manchester Utd at Vicarage Road, the only goal of a 1-0 win. Taylor left though for Aston Villa and the Hornets got relegated. Iwan took the plunge, dropping yet another league to join us in the 3rd division, in order to get regular first team football.
![[Image: 8979-419Fr.jpg]](https://www.tcdb.com/Images/Cards/Soccer/8979/8979-419Fr.jpg)
His first Town goal came at Leeds Road against Bolton Wanderers, a 4-0 win in which Keith Edwards scored the other three. As well as Edwards, Iwan had plenty of striking experience alongside him in Peter Withe and then Frank Stapleton which helped develop his ruthless streak in front of goal. He finished that first season as joint top scorer with 14, joint with Kieran O'Regan. But the next season, playing alongside Phil Starbuck and Iffy Onuora, he slammed home a post war record of 34 as we made it to the Play Offs for the first time. It would've been 35 but had one chalked off after the one he scored against Blackpool in the Autoglass Trophy got fogged off at half time. He also scored twice in a famous League Cup victory over first division Sunderland, beating them 4-0 at home and 6-1 on aggregate. In the league, he got the first and fourth goals in our remarkable comeback from 0-4 down to draw 4-4 at Gigg Lane against Bury, in the iconic Gola electric hoops kit.
Sunderland got their revenge though, stealing our management team. Legendary Town boss Mick Buxton had come out of retirement to assist Ian Ross, but at the end of the season, after Iwan had once again top scored with 15, the Mackem's lured Buxton back to the north-east and he took Ross with him. Neil Warnock came in and for some reason didn't fancy Iwan. He was sold to 2nd division Leicester City in November and replaced with Exeter's Ronnie Jepson. Iwan left Leeds Road having scored 68 goals in a Town shirt, putting him 12th= in our all time goal scoring charts, level with Kevin McHale. The 66th of his 68 goals can be seen here in a 2-0 away win at York City, in the iconic Vileda rubbing rags kit.
He had already been capped for Wales when we signed him from Watford and he played five times for them as a Huddersfield Town player. He wore the red shirt against Austria, Argentina, Japan (getting sent off), Albania and Moldova.
He made an immediate impact at Filbert Street, scoring twice against Wolves after they were 0-2 down to secure a draw. Later that season, he scored a hat trick against their rivals Derby County and played at Wembley against them as well in a 2-1 Play Off Final win which then saw Iwan playing in by what now was being called the Premier League. He top scored for them in the Prem with 11 but they got relegated. They made the Play Offs again, beating Crystal Palace in the Final. He missed the match though through injury and didn't make it back to the Premier League as Leicester sold him to Wolves.
He only stayed there for one season, scoring a hat trick against West Brom and helping the side reach the Play Offs, which they lost in the semi finals against Palace. Wolves had forked out £1.3m for him, but in the summer of 1997, Mike Walker paid £850,000 to take him to Carrow Road.
It wasn't the best start in a Canary shirt for him though and he struggled in that first season. Walker was sacked to be replaced by Bruce Rioch, who partnered Iwan up front with young Craig Bellamy and the pair were soon banging 'em in. Iwan top scored in that and the next season, winning Player of the Year on both occasions. He had scored five times against us in those three seasons and new manager Steve Bruce tried to re-sign him for Town in 2000 as his contract was due to end, but he decided to sign on again at Norwich.
Iwan helped the Canaries reach the Play Offs in 2002, against Birmingham City in Cardiff. He came off the bench to score the Norwich goal which put them 1-0 up in extra time, only for Birmingham to equalise through Geoff Horsfield and the match went to penalties. Iwan took and scored the first one, but saves from ex Town keeper Nico Vaesen gave the Bluenoses the victory and a place in the Premier League.
Nigel Worthington took over as manager and made Iwan captain, but he only scored 7 times that season and by the next one, he was more on the bench than in the starting line up. However, the Canaries did win the Championship that season, which would be Iwan's last at Carrow Road. His last match was the last match of the season, away at Gresty Road against Crewe. With the title already won, Worthington put Iwan in the starting line up and made him captain. Iwan repaid him by scoring twice in a 3-1 win. He left Norwich as their third highest scorer of all time with 97 goals.
His international caps tally ended on 17, but the Welsh had some really top strikers back then and he was up against the likes of Mark Hughes, Ian Rush, Dean Saunders and his Norwich team mate Bellamy.
![[Image: 1415800052441_wps_16_FILE_PHOTO_Iwan_Roberts_b.jpg]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/11/12/1415800052441_wps_16_FILE_PHOTO_Iwan_Roberts_b.jpg)
He was 35 years old by the end of his Norwich career, but still played on, signing for Gillingham, who were a Championship club then. His debut was against Norwich's arch rivals Ipswich. There must've been a bit of the old East Anglian rivalry still in him as he got yellow carded five seconds into the match!
He had been signed for Gillingham by Andy Hessenthaler, but when he got sacked, some twerp called Stan Ternent took over and didn't get on well with Iwan. He was sent out on loan to Cambridge United, managed by his old Norwich team mate Rob Newman. He scored his 200th league goal on his debut but at the end of the season he decided to retire. He now works in the media, splitting his time between Sky Sports, BBC Wales and the Norfolk local press.
![[Image: image.jpg]](https://www.derehamtimes.co.uk/polopoly_fs/1.3684697!/image/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_490/image.jpg)
Iwan Roberts was born in 1968 in Bangor, but grew up in the seaside town of Barmouth on the west coast of Wales. He signed for Town at the start of the 1990/91 season, brought in by Eoin Hand to replace Craig Maskell. We paid a record fee for him as well, but it was just the money we had received for Maskell from Reading. We bought him from Watford, where he had been given his debut by Graham Taylor, by which time he had already had his two front teeth knocked out. He scored his first professional goal in a First Division match against Manchester Utd at Vicarage Road, the only goal of a 1-0 win. Taylor left though for Aston Villa and the Hornets got relegated. Iwan took the plunge, dropping yet another league to join us in the 3rd division, in order to get regular first team football.
His first Town goal came at Leeds Road against Bolton Wanderers, a 4-0 win in which Keith Edwards scored the other three. As well as Edwards, Iwan had plenty of striking experience alongside him in Peter Withe and then Frank Stapleton which helped develop his ruthless streak in front of goal. He finished that first season as joint top scorer with 14, joint with Kieran O'Regan. But the next season, playing alongside Phil Starbuck and Iffy Onuora, he slammed home a post war record of 34 as we made it to the Play Offs for the first time. It would've been 35 but had one chalked off after the one he scored against Blackpool in the Autoglass Trophy got fogged off at half time. He also scored twice in a famous League Cup victory over first division Sunderland, beating them 4-0 at home and 6-1 on aggregate. In the league, he got the first and fourth goals in our remarkable comeback from 0-4 down to draw 4-4 at Gigg Lane against Bury, in the iconic Gola electric hoops kit.
Sunderland got their revenge though, stealing our management team. Legendary Town boss Mick Buxton had come out of retirement to assist Ian Ross, but at the end of the season, after Iwan had once again top scored with 15, the Mackem's lured Buxton back to the north-east and he took Ross with him. Neil Warnock came in and for some reason didn't fancy Iwan. He was sold to 2nd division Leicester City in November and replaced with Exeter's Ronnie Jepson. Iwan left Leeds Road having scored 68 goals in a Town shirt, putting him 12th= in our all time goal scoring charts, level with Kevin McHale. The 66th of his 68 goals can be seen here in a 2-0 away win at York City, in the iconic Vileda rubbing rags kit.
He had already been capped for Wales when we signed him from Watford and he played five times for them as a Huddersfield Town player. He wore the red shirt against Austria, Argentina, Japan (getting sent off), Albania and Moldova.
He made an immediate impact at Filbert Street, scoring twice against Wolves after they were 0-2 down to secure a draw. Later that season, he scored a hat trick against their rivals Derby County and played at Wembley against them as well in a 2-1 Play Off Final win which then saw Iwan playing in by what now was being called the Premier League. He top scored for them in the Prem with 11 but they got relegated. They made the Play Offs again, beating Crystal Palace in the Final. He missed the match though through injury and didn't make it back to the Premier League as Leicester sold him to Wolves.
He only stayed there for one season, scoring a hat trick against West Brom and helping the side reach the Play Offs, which they lost in the semi finals against Palace. Wolves had forked out £1.3m for him, but in the summer of 1997, Mike Walker paid £850,000 to take him to Carrow Road.
It wasn't the best start in a Canary shirt for him though and he struggled in that first season. Walker was sacked to be replaced by Bruce Rioch, who partnered Iwan up front with young Craig Bellamy and the pair were soon banging 'em in. Iwan top scored in that and the next season, winning Player of the Year on both occasions. He had scored five times against us in those three seasons and new manager Steve Bruce tried to re-sign him for Town in 2000 as his contract was due to end, but he decided to sign on again at Norwich.
Iwan helped the Canaries reach the Play Offs in 2002, against Birmingham City in Cardiff. He came off the bench to score the Norwich goal which put them 1-0 up in extra time, only for Birmingham to equalise through Geoff Horsfield and the match went to penalties. Iwan took and scored the first one, but saves from ex Town keeper Nico Vaesen gave the Bluenoses the victory and a place in the Premier League.
Nigel Worthington took over as manager and made Iwan captain, but he only scored 7 times that season and by the next one, he was more on the bench than in the starting line up. However, the Canaries did win the Championship that season, which would be Iwan's last at Carrow Road. His last match was the last match of the season, away at Gresty Road against Crewe. With the title already won, Worthington put Iwan in the starting line up and made him captain. Iwan repaid him by scoring twice in a 3-1 win. He left Norwich as their third highest scorer of all time with 97 goals.
His international caps tally ended on 17, but the Welsh had some really top strikers back then and he was up against the likes of Mark Hughes, Ian Rush, Dean Saunders and his Norwich team mate Bellamy.
He was 35 years old by the end of his Norwich career, but still played on, signing for Gillingham, who were a Championship club then. His debut was against Norwich's arch rivals Ipswich. There must've been a bit of the old East Anglian rivalry still in him as he got yellow carded five seconds into the match!
He had been signed for Gillingham by Andy Hessenthaler, but when he got sacked, some twerp called Stan Ternent took over and didn't get on well with Iwan. He was sent out on loan to Cambridge United, managed by his old Norwich team mate Rob Newman. He scored his 200th league goal on his debut but at the end of the season he decided to retire. He now works in the media, splitting his time between Sky Sports, BBC Wales and the Norfolk local press.![[Image: 2ZJuVRk.gif]](https://i.imgur.com/2ZJuVRk.gif)
![[Image: aO7W3pZ.png]](https://i.imgur.com/aO7W3pZ.png)