Alex Robertson

NSL Career: Sydney City 169 (0) / 1977 - 1986

Socceroos Career: 8 (0) B Internationals

Successful teams not only have players up front who score crucial goals, but defenders that can repel a goal scoring threat in pressure games. Alex Robertson was one of the best one-on-one defenders in the NSL during the first half of the 1980s. Robertson returned to Scotland following Sydney City's first NSL title before bringing back valuable professional experience and became the sweeper next to defensive rock Steve O'Connor in the all-conquering Sydney City side during the early era of the NSL.

Robertson started his career at Scottish side Dundee but couldn't break in to the first team before moving to Australia in 1974 and joined Sydney Hakoah. With Hakoah, Robertson won the 1976 NSW Federation Cup and remained with the club as they joined the Phillips Soccer League in 1977. 

In the last round of the 1977 season, Hakoah needed at least a draw to win the championship as Marconi topped the ladder by a point, and Robertson helped the side keep a clean sheet against Sydney Olympic to claim the championship on goal difference. At the end of the season, Robertson returned to Scotland where he joined Scottish League Second Division side Dunfermline. 

In his first two seasons, Robertson was used sporadically, but helped the club gain promotion to the Scottish League First Division. In the First Division, Robertson managed to get more game time and helped the club win the Fife Cup (regional cup competition). During the 1980/81 season, Robertson was again a fringe player in the Dunfermline side and decided to return to Australia.

Robertson returned to Sydney City halfway through the 1981 season and formed part of the City defence that won back-to-back championships in 1981 and 1982 - along with Socceroos Kevin Mullen and Steve O'Connor, NSL U-21 Player of the Year John Spanos and Scottish full-back Ian Bruce.

The talented defender continued to perform in the City side that finished runners-up in the 1983 season before making his Socceroos B debut in 1984. Robertson went on to earn eight caps for the B side, including matches against: Rangers, Juventus, Aston Villa, Udinese and Tottenham. City finished minor premiers of the 1984 NSL Northern Conference before progressing to the conference final where they lost to Sydney Olympic.

City were minor premiers again in 1985 and Robertson was key in keeping two clean sheets in the lead up to the NSL Grand Final where City lost two-nil on aggregate to Brunswick. In 1986, the one title (NSL Cup) that eluded the dominant Sydney City team was finally achieved when Frank Farina scored both the equaliser and the winner in extra time against West Adelaide. 

As NSL Cup winners, City competed for the Oceania Cup Winners' Cup in 1987, defeating New Zealand's North Shore United two-nil. Following City's decision to pull-out of the NSL after the first round of the 1987 season, the 32 year old defender decided to play on with Melita Eagles in the NSW Division One in the hope that the club would get promoted back to the NSL. 

Melita eventually won promotion to the NSL in the 1989/90 season, but Robertson had become semi-retired as a player-coach in the NSW Division One before hanging up the boots at the age of 35. The Robertson family has seen Alex's son Mark represent the Socceroos during a career in Australia and the UK, and grandson Alexander, who is part of the Manchester City's reserve team, made his professional debut in Scotland and has represented both Australia and England at youth level.