John Robertson was born in Newton Mearns, Scotland, on 6th June 1877. He played for Edinburgh St Bernard's before joining Hibernian in May 1894.

A right-back, Robertson was transferred to Stoke City for £90 in May 1897. After playing 88 games in the Football League he joined Liverpool in April 1900.

Liverpool won the First Division championship in the 1900-01 season. The stars of the side included Sam Raybould, John Walker, Jack Cox, Alex Raisbeck, Rab Howell and William Dunlop. According to Tony Matthews (Who's Who of Liverpool): "Robertson was a reliable full-back, brave and daring, strong in the tackle with good positional awareness."

Robertson moved to Southampton in May 1902. He also played for Brighton and Hove Albion (June 1904 - May 1906). After retiring from football he ran a public house in Hove.

John Robertson died in Brighton in 1948.