Jack Roberts

Who was Jack Roberts?

John Edgar "Jack" Roberts was an English footballer. He had the nickname of "Nipper" Roberts.

A forward, he played amateur football for Marine, Orrell, Blundellsands, and the Northern Nomads. He represented England amateurs, before entering the Football League with Southport. He joined Liverpool in May 1933, but left the club the following June after playing just one league game. He spent 18 months with Cheshire League champions Wigan Athletic, scoring 54 goals in 59 league appearances. He returned to the Football League with Port Vale in December 1935. He twice finished as the club's top-scorer, and no Football League player scored more league goals than Roberts in the 1937–38 season. He retired as a professional player to serve in the Irish Guards in World War II. He was captured by enemy forces, but escaped from captivity to walk 400 miles back to Allied territory in 1944.