He played 30 matches before the Football League started in September 1888.
[2] Robert Smalley made his League Debut on 8 September 1888, playing as goalkeeper, at Anfield, then home of Everton.
Robert Smalley appeared in 18 of the 22 League games played by Everton in season 1888–89.
As a goalkeeper (18 appearances) he played in an Everton defence that kept two clean sheets and restricted the opposition to one–League–goal–in–a–match on five separate occasions.
This biographical article related to association football in England, about a goalkeeper, is a stub.