Bobby Almond

Bobby Almond

Personal information
Full name	Robert Ronald Almond
Date of birth	(1952-04-16) 16 April 1952
Place of birth	London, England
Height
Position(s)	Centre Back
Youth career
	Leyton Orient
	Tottenham Hotspur
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
	Walthamstow Avenue
	Christchurch United
	Invercargill Thistle
International career
1979–1982	New Zealand	28	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Robert "Bobby" Ronald Almond (born 16 April 1951 in England) was an association football player who represented New Zealand and was part of the first New Zealand side to contest a FIFA World Cup in 1982.

Career

Almond was a part of the Leyton Orient and Tottenham Hotspur youth set-ups and a first team player for Walthamstow Avenue in the Isthmian League before he emigrated to New Zealand in 1973.

Almond made his New Zealand debut in a 1-0 win over Australia on 13 June 1979. He pulled on the All White strip a total of 49 times between 1978 and 1982, although only 28 were full A-internationals.

He was a member the All Whites squad at the 1982 FIFA World Cup in Spain, playing in all 15 qualifiers, and started two games at the finals, the 5-2 loss to Scotland and 4-0 loss to Brazil, having to sit out the game against USSR with an Achilles tendon injury. Almond retired from international football following their elimination.

Almond co-authored a book, To Spain the Hard Way, with Steve Sumner and Derrick Mansbridge, chronicling the experience.

External links

• Bobby Almond – FIFA competition record