Robert William Thomas Stokes (30 January 1951 – 30 May 1995)[2] was an English footballer, best known for scoring the winning goal in the 83rd minute of the FA Cup Final for Southampton against Manchester United in 1976.
[3][1] Following a successful period of boyhood football at schoolboy and county level, he quickly became a target for a number of clubs and looked likely to sign for Portsmouth.
Stokes had an average league campaign that season, scoring just eight goals and he nearly left The Dell before the cup final as part of an exchange deal with Portsmouth for Paul Went.
[1] He played alongside fellow imports Jim Steele, his teammate in the 1976 final, Tommy O'Hara, Wim Jansen and Johan Cruyff.
[citation needed] The pub was not a success though and Stokes took a job in the Harbour View Cafe belonging to his cousin down at The Hard in Portsmouth.
He died on 30 May 1995, aged 44, after contracting bronchial pneumonia, on the same day as Ted Drake, another footballer who started his professional career at Southampton.
[14] He has been honoured by having one of the luxury hospitality suites at the St Mary's Stadium named after him, and Stokes Court, one of the buildings on the site of Southampton's former ground, The Dell.