Adrian Sylvester Littlejohn (born 26 September 1970) is an English former
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...
who played as a
midfielder
A midfielder is an outfield position in association football.
Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...
and a
striker. He scored 74 goals in 425 league appearances in an 18-year career in the
English Football League
The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engl ...
.
He began his professional career at
Walsall
Walsall (, or ; locally ) is a market town and administrative centre in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands County, England. Historic counties of England, Historically part of Staffordshire, it is located north-west of Birmingham, east ...
, after moving from
West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion Football Club () is an English professional football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. The club was formed in 1878 and has pla ...
in 1989. He moved on to
Sheffield United
Sheffield United Football Club is a professional football club in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . They are nicknamed "the Blades" due to Sheffield's history of cutlery production. The team have played home games at ...
two years later, before making a £100,000 move to
Plymouth Argyle
Plymouth Argyle Football Club is a professional football club based in the city of Plymouth, Devon, England. As of the 2021–22 season, the team are competing in League One, the third tier of English football. They have played at Home Park, ...
in September 1995. He helped Plymouth to win promotion out of the
Third Division in
1996
File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A Centennial Olympic Park bombing, bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical Anti-abortion violence, anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 8 ...
, before moving on to
Oldham Athletic
Oldham Athletic Association Football Club is a professional football club in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system.
The history of Oldham Athletic ...
in March 1998. Eight months later he was sold on to
Bury
Bury may refer to:
*The burial of human remains
*-bury, a suffix in English placenames
Places England
* Bury, Cambridgeshire, a village
* Bury, Greater Manchester, a town, historically in Lancashire
** Bury (UK Parliament constituency) (1832–19 ...
for £75,000. He returned to Sheffield United in October 2001, before transferring to
Port Vale
Port Vale Football Club are a professional football club based in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, England, which compete in . Vale are the only English Football League club not to be named after a place; their name being a reference to the valley o ...
in February 2003. In August 2004 he switched to
Lincoln City, before ending the season at
Rushden & Diamonds
Rushden & Diamonds Football Club was an association football club based in Irthlingborough, Northamptonshire, England. Nicknamed "The Diamonds", the club played at Nene Park. The club's main rivals were county neighbours Kettering Town.
The cl ...
. In September 2005 he signed with
Mansfield Town
Mansfield Town Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in the town of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England. The team competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Nicknamed 'The Stags', they ...
before moving on to non-league club
Leek Town the following year. He retired in 2008 following a brief spell at
Retford United
Retford United Football Club (also known as the Badgers) are an English football club based at Cannon Park in Retford, Nottinghamshire. They currently play in the .
History
The club was founded in 1987 by Retfordian Brian Jackson to give the ...
.
Playing career
Walsall
Littlejohn started his footballing career at
West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion Football Club () is an English professional football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. The club was formed in 1878 and has pla ...
, but failed to play a match and was released at the end of the
1988–89 season to find first team football elsewhere. He did though win six caps for the
England U16 team. He stayed in his native
West Midlands
West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth.
Etymology
The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some ...
and joined
Walsall
Walsall (, or ; locally ) is a market town and administrative centre in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands County, England. Historic counties of England, Historically part of Staffordshire, it is located north-west of Birmingham, east ...
prior to the
1989–90 season; the "Saddlers" finished bottom of the
Third Division under
John Barnwell
John Barnwell (born 24 December 1938) is an English former football player and manager. He was the chief executive of the League Managers Association.
Career Arsenal
Born in Newcastle, Barnwell first played as an amateur for Whitley Bay and B ...
's stewardship and were relegated into the
Fourth Division
Fourth or the fourth may refer to:
* the ordinal form of the number 4
* ''Fourth'' (album), by Soft Machine, 1971
* Fourth (angle), an ancient astronomical subdivision
* Fourth (music), a musical interval
* ''The Fourth'' (1972 film), a Sovie ...
. They then finished a disappointing 16th in
1990–91 under
Kenny Hibbitt
Kenneth Hibbitt (born 3 January 1951) is an English former professional footballer who played in the Football League for Bradford Park Avenue, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Coventry City and Bristol Rovers, and in the North American Soccer League for ...
. Littlejohn played 54 games, scoring one goal, in his two seasons with the club.
Sheffield United
Prior to the
1991–92 season, Littlejohn was signed by
Dave Bassett
David Thomas Bassett (born 4 September 1944 in Stanmore) is an English football manager and a former player. During his career he has managed Wimbledon, Watford, Sheffield United, Crystal Palace, Nottingham Forest, Barnsley, Leicester City and ...
of
Sheffield United
Sheffield United Football Club is a professional football club in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . They are nicknamed "the Blades" due to Sheffield's history of cutlery production. The team have played home games at ...
. He played a part in the "Blades" first ever
Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...
season in
1992–93, scoring eight goals in 27 games. He scored three goals in 19 top-flight games in
1993–94, as United were relegated into the
First Division. He appeared just 18 times in
1994–95, before he moved to
Plymouth Argyle
Plymouth Argyle Football Club is a professional football club based in the city of Plymouth, Devon, England. As of the 2021–22 season, the team are competing in League One, the third tier of English football. They have played at Home Park, ...
for a £100,000 fee in September 1995.
Plymouth Argyle
Bagging 18 goals, he was the club's
top scorer in his
debut season at
Home Park
Home Park is a football stadium in Plymouth, England. The ground has been the home of Football League One club Plymouth Argyle since 1901. , which helped Plymouth finish fourth in the Third Division. They were just one point short of automatic promotion, but managed to gain promotion via the play-offs with a
1–0 win over
Darlington
Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, County Durham, England. The River Skerne flows through the town; it is a tributary of the River Tees. The Tees itself flows south of the town.
In the 19th century, Darlington underwen ...
.
The
1996–97 and
1997–98 seasons saw the club involved in relegation battles; Littlejohn had escaped the cycle however, joining
Second Division
In sport, the Second Division, also called Division 2 or Division II is usually the second highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Following the rise of Premier League style compet ...
side
Oldham Athletic
Oldham Athletic Association Football Club is a professional football club in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system.
The history of Oldham Athletic ...
in March 1998.
Oldham Athletic to Bury
At Oldham he joined
Neil Warnock
Neil Warnock (born 1 December 1948) is an English former football manager and player. He is also a television and radio pundit. In a managerial career spanning five decades, Warnock has managed sixteen different clubs from the Premier League to ...
, the manager who had signed him at Plymouth. Littlejohn scored his début against
Watford
Watford () is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, 15 miles northwest of Central London, on the River Colne.
Initially a small market town, the Grand Junction Canal encouraged the construction of paper-making mills, print works, a ...
, however both men's stay at
Boundary Park
Boundary Park is a football stadium in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England. Its name originates from the fact that it lies at the northwestern extremity of Oldham, with Royton and Chadderton lying immediately north and west respectively.
Bound ...
was brief;
Bury
Bury may refer to:
*The burial of human remains
*-bury, a suffix in English placenames
Places England
* Bury, Cambridgeshire, a village
* Bury, Greater Manchester, a town, historically in Lancashire
** Bury (UK Parliament constituency) (1832–19 ...
appointed Warnock manager in May 1998, and six months later he bought Littlejohn for £75,000. The "Shakers" occupied the final relegation place in the First Division in
1998–99, finishing behind
Port Vale
Port Vale Football Club are a professional football club based in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, England, which compete in . Vale are the only English Football League club not to be named after a place; their name being a reference to the valley o ...
on goals scored. They finished 15th in
1999–2000 under new boss
Andy Preece
Andrew Preece (born 27 March 1967) is an English football manager and former professional footballer who is currently the manager of Chorley.[Gigg Lane
Gigg Lane is a football ground in Bury, Greater Manchester, England, built for Bury F.C. in 1885. The first match was played on 12 September 1885 between Bury and a team from Wigan. One of the world's oldest professional football stadiums, Gig ...]
club in
2000–01, and in total scored 16 goals in 112 games in close to three seasons at the club.
Sheffield United to Port Vale
In December 1999, Warnock was made manager of Sheffield United and in October 2001 he brought Littlejohn back to the club, on a non-contract basis. He remained loyal to Warnock, refusing to sign a permanent contract with
Carlisle United
Carlisle United Football Club ( , ) is a professional association football club based in Carlisle, Cumbria, England. The team compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. They have played their home games at Brunton Par ...
, though he was to only play three competitive matches for the first team in
2001–02, two of those coming from
off the bench. Leaving the club in February 2003 he rejected the chance to sign with
Bradford City
Bradford City Association Football Club is an English professional football club in Bradford, West Yorkshire. The team competes in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system and are currently managed by Mark Hughes.
Th ...
, and instead signed with Port Vale. After impressing manager
Brian Horton
Brian "Nobby" Horton (born 4 February 1949) is an English former footballer and manager. He spent 16 years as a professional player and 22 years as a manager, making 689 appearances and managing 1,098 matches. In addition to this he spent four ...
, his initial one-month deal was extended to the end of
the season. He then went on to score seven goals in 41 appearances in the
2003–04 campaign.
Later career
In August 2004 he put pen to paper with
League Two
The English Football League Two (often referred to as League Two for short or Sky Bet League Two for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League Two from 2004 until 2016) is the third and lowest division of the English Football Lea ...
side
Lincoln City. Failing to make at impact at
Sincil Bank
Sincil Bank Stadium, known for sponsorship reasons as LNER Stadium, is a football stadium in Lincoln, England which has been the home of Lincoln City since 1895. Previously, Lincoln City had played at the nearby John O'Gaunts ground since th ...
, he was released by manager
Keith Alexander in January 2005. He then joined
Rushden & Diamonds
Rushden & Diamonds Football Club was an association football club based in Irthlingborough, Northamptonshire, England. Nicknamed "The Diamonds", the club played at Nene Park. The club's main rivals were county neighbours Kettering Town.
The cl ...
on a contract expiring at the end of
the season. The ageing striker made fifteen appearances for the club and also gave the younger players the benefit of his experience. In September 2005 he signed with
Mansfield Town
Mansfield Town Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in the town of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England. The team competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Nicknamed 'The Stags', they ...
, making seven substitute appearances in the league over the course of the
2005–06 season for
Peter Shirtliff
Peter Andrew Shirtliff (born 6 April 1961) is an English football coach and former player. As a player, he made more than 500 appearances in the Football League playing as a central defender for Sheffield Wednesday, Charlton Athletic, Wolverham ...
's "Stags". He wound his career down with a few games for non-league
Leek Town, playing for the club from March
to October in 2006. In June 2007, Littlejohn agreed to return to playing at
Retford United
Retford United Football Club (also known as the Badgers) are an English football club based at Cannon Park in Retford, Nottinghamshire. They currently play in the .
History
The club was founded in 1987 by Retfordian Brian Jackson to give the ...
for his old teammate
Peter Duffield
Peter Duffield (born 4 February 1969) is an English former professional Association football, footballer. A Forward (association football), striker, he played for sixteen league clubs in 17 years.
Duffield began his career as an 18-year-old wit ...
, before leaving the club at the end of the season.
Coaching career
Towards the end of his playing days, Littlejohn began working at the
Sheffield United
Sheffield United Football Club is a professional football club in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . They are nicknamed "the Blades" due to Sheffield's history of cutlery production. The team have played home games at ...
academy
An academy ( Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy ...
.
Littlejohn ventured into physiotherapy in 2014, and took up a position as academy
physiotherapist
Physical therapy (PT), also known as physiotherapy, is one of the allied health professions. It is provided by physical therapists who promote, maintain, or restore health through physical examination, diagnosis, management, prognosis, patient ...
at
Rotherham United
Rotherham United Football Club, nicknamed The Millers, is a professional football club based in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . The club's colours were initially yellow and black, but changed to red and white around 1 ...
. By September 2019, he was working as
Cardiff City
Cardiff City Football Club ( cy, Clwb Pêl-droed Dinas Caerdydd) is a professional association football club based in Cardiff, Wales. It competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1899 as R ...
's first-team physio.
Career statistics
Source:
Honours
Plymouth Argyle
*
Football League Third Division
The Football League Third Division was the third tier of the English football league system in 1920–21 and again from 1958 until 1992. When the FA Premier League was formed, the division become the fourth tier level. In 2004, following the f ...
play-offs:
1996
File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A Centennial Olympic Park bombing, bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical Anti-abortion violence, anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 8 ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Littlejohn, Adrian
1970 births
Living people
Footballers from Wolverhampton
English footballers
England youth international footballers
Association football midfielders
Association football forwards
Black British sportsmen
West Bromwich Albion F.C. players
Walsall F.C. players
Sheffield United F.C. players
Plymouth Argyle F.C. players
Oldham Athletic A.F.C. players
Bury F.C. players
Port Vale F.C. players
Lincoln City F.C. players
Rushden & Diamonds F.C. players
Mansfield Town F.C. players
Leek Town F.C. players
Retford United F.C. players
Premier League players
English Football League players
Northern Premier League players
Sheffield United F.C. non-playing staff
Rotherham United F.C. non-playing staff
Cardiff City F.C. non-playing staff
Association football coaches
Association football physiotherapists