[2] It was not until 28 February 1931, 18 months after joining the "Saints", that he made his debut (at right-back in a 2–1 defeat against Swansea Town), with Arthur Bradford moving to the left as a replacement for Keeping.
[6] He soon established a reputation as a consistent, reliable full-back[2] as Saints ended the season in 14th position in the Second Division.
[7] Once he regained his place in the side, Roberts became the preferred left-back, although he missed substantial parts of each of the seasons from 1935 to 1938 through injury.
After leaving the Saints, Roberts spent one season with Swansea Town, but was unable to displace Len Emanuel at left-back.
After World War II, Roberts made one appearance for York City in 1946, before settling in South Yorkshire where he died in 1957, on his fiftieth birthday.