*Indicates unconfirmed information. Figures in brackets after English team names indicate all appearances made and goals scored in competitive matches for Football League clubs from 1888 onwards. For Scottish League clubs the figures show details of all competitive appearances and goals scored from 1946/47 onwards.
Bob Moffat
Appearances: 30 Goals: 11
Date / Year of birth: 7th October 1945
Position: Striker / Midfielder
Season of first appearance: 1968/69
Season of last appearance: 1968/69
Also played for: Portsmouth (0), Gillingham (23+1,1), Chelmsford City, Dallas Tornado (USA), Club America (Mexico), Yeovil Town, Weymouth and Waterlooville
Lean and wiry Portsmouth-born player who started his career with his hometown club aged 15 in 1961 and spent four years with Pompey before joining Gillingham in May 1965.
Bob made 24 first team appearances for the Gills, scoring once, between 1965/66 and 1967/68. He then moved to Margate in July 1968.
Bob made his debut on 10.8.68, the opening day of the 1968/69 season, and scored as Margate drew 2-2 with Weymouth in a Southern League game at Hartsdown Park. He went on to make a total of 30 appearances in the months that followed and scored 11 goals. Bob generally played as a striker, although he was essentially a midfielder, and impressed with his intelligent style and what the local press referred to as his "gliding movement". Between 19.8.68 and 9.9.68 (inclusive) Bob scored in seven consecutive games. However on 2.11.68 he was sent off for kicking an opponent during an FA Cup 4th Qualifying Round tie against visitors Walton & Hersham and the local press said it was a totally out of character for Bob to have done. On 16.11.68 he was in the side that lost 3-1 at Northampton in the FA Cup 1st Round.
In December 1968 Bob was sold to Chelmsford for a fee of approximately £800 and he spent most of the 1969/70 season there too before signing for Dallas Tornado in the USA. He'd scored 29 times from 61 outings for Chelmsford.
Bob went on to spend almost eight years with Dallas up to 1977 although he returned home to England and had loan spells with several Southern League sides during the early 1970's. That was possible because the National American Soccer League campaign in the USA lasted from March to August / September each year. He also had a short stint with Mexican outfit Club America between NASL seasons.
Bob was part of the Yeovil side that won the Southern League during 1970/71 and the club also reached the semi finals of the FA Trophy that season with Bob scoring in every round up to that stage. In addition Yeovil beat Bournemouth in the FA Cup and lost 3-0 to Arsenal in the 3rd Round but Bob missed the big game because Yeovil couldn't get clearance from the US Soccer Federation for him to play.
During 1971/72 Bob played for Weymouth and he then spent the 1972/73 campaign with Waterlooville, his last season in England.
Bob's spell with Dallas was extremely successful and coincided with the 'boom' period for football in the USA. During his time with the club the North American Soccer League (NASL) expanded from eight to 24 teams as the game went 'big time'. In 1971 Dallas won the NASL title and a year later Bob played in a game against Moscow Dynamo at the Texas Stadium that was watched by over 25,000 fans. It was a challenge match between the champions of the USA and the USSR. In 1975 Bob played against Pele when the Brazilian legend made his NASL debut for New York Cosmos. The match was broadcast live on national television and was also shown in 23 other countries. By the time Bob retired in 1977 he'd made 123 appearances for Dallas, many as a defender, and scored 12 goals. During his time with the club Dallas' average attendance had risen from around 2,000 in 1970 to a figure in the region of 16,500.
From the end of 1975 to 1978 Bob worked in Dallas' front office and during that time he was the publication director and editor of "Surge", a free football magazine for the Dallas area with a circulation of 50,000 per month.
Bob had previously hosted a television programme about football called "Soccer Locker" which was broadcast to the North Texas region during 1973 and 1974. He also wrote and directed the show.
Bob was also a successful author and his 1973 book called "Basic Soccer Guide" sold 50,000 copies whilst his 1982 publication "Intermediate Soccer" achieved sales of 10,000. In 1994 he produced "Soccer Pouch" which was a coaching system including a booklet, skills card and a small magnetic field with players on it.
As a qualified coach with a Football Association preliminary badge and an American "A" badge license Bob began a coaching school after he retired as a player. By 2005 that had expanded into a business attracting between 2,300 and 3,200 youngsters to coaching camps each year. At that time Bob was also running a company offering football tours and had taken over 6,000 Americans to Europe since 1979. Another branch of his company, Moffat Enterprises Inc., was "Rent-a-Coach" and Bob's business had a website located at http://www.soccermoffat.com He'd also found time to coach Flame Soccer Club at some stage.
Moffat Enterprises was still going strong in Dallas in 2011.
Bob's grandfather Billy Moffat made 130 Football League appearances for Portsmouth during the 1920's.
|
SEASON (CLUB) |
FULL (MAX) |
SUB |
GLS |
|
FAC |
SLC |
KSC |
KFC |
SLCH |
|
1968/69 (MFC) |
30 (75) |
0 |
11 |
SOUTHERN LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION (18TH OF 22) |
1R |
3R |
RU |
W |
W |
| Played in FA Cup 1st
Round (16.11.68 - lost 3-1 at Northampton
Town). Played and scored in Southern League Championship Match (12.08.68 - won 4-1 at Chelmsford City). | |||||||||