Isaiah Marcus Rankin (born 22 May 1978) is an English former professional
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 ...
who played as a
forward from 1996 to 2014.
He started his professional career with
Arsenal where he came through the club's youth setup. He appeared once for the Gunners, was loaned out to
Colchester United
Colchester United Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Colchester, Essex, England. The team competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system.
Founded in 1937, the club spent its earl ...
, then sold to
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.
...
in 1998 where he was part of the squad that gained promotion to the
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 Fo ...
. Bradford loaned him to
Bolton Wanderers, then
Birmingham City
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943. Sin ...
, before moving him to
Barnsley on a permanent deal in 2001. In 2004, he joined
Grimsby Town
Grimsby Town Football Club is a professional football club based in Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire, England, that in the 2022–23 season will compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system, following the victory in t ...
and then
Brentford where he remained for two years before returning to Grimsby. During his second spell with The Mariners he spent a month on loan with
Macclesfield Town
Macclesfield Town Football Club was an English professional football club based in Macclesfield, Cheshire, that was wound-up after a High Court ruling on 16 September 2020.
Initially known as Macclesfield F.C., the club was formed in 1874 ...
before being released. He then joined
Stevenage Borough
Stevenage Football Club (known as Stevenage Borough Football Club until 2010) is a professional association football club based in the town of Stevenage, Hertfordshire, England. The team competes in EFL League Two, League Two, the fourth tier o ...
for the remainder of the 2007–08 season. He subsequently played
non-league football for
Crawley Town
Crawley Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Crawley, West Sussex, England. The club was founded as Crawley Football Club in 1896, changed its name to Crawley Town Football Club in 1958. The team com ...
,
Forest Green Rovers
Forest Green Rovers Football Club are a professional football club based in Nailsworth, Gloucestershire, England. The team compete in , the third tier of the English football league system, and have played their home games at The New Lawn since ...
,
Ashford Town and
Hendon.
Career
Arsenal
Rankin started his career playing for
Arsenal as a youngster, and he was promoted to be the first team squad in the summer of 1996. Rankin went on to feature once for The Gunners, coming on as a late substitute in a 1–1 draw with rivals
Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as Tottenham () or Spurs, is a professional football club based in Tottenham, London, England. It competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English football. The team has playe ...
in December 1997. Arsenal went on to win the
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 Fo ...
that season but Rankin didn't feature enough times (once) for a medal. While with the club he had a brief loan spell with
Colchester United
Colchester United Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Colchester, Essex, England. The team competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system.
Founded in 1937, the club spent its earl ...
. In 1998, he was transfer listed by the club, and shortly afterwards he was to leave
Highbury
Highbury is a district in North London and part of the London Borough of Islington
in Greater London that was owned by Ranulf brother of Ilger and included all the areas north and east of Canonbury and Holloway Roads.
The manor house was sit ...
with
Yorkshire
Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other English counties, functions have ...
his destination. Manager
Arsène Wenger said he sold Rankin "Because he had in front of him too many players who were in to play in the top team. He was impatient. I thought that he wouldn't naturally make it this season, and he needed some first-team games. He was one of the players where, if you keep him, he drops; if he drops, his value goes down and he isn't happy and he hasn't improved. If you are sure he won't play for you this season, you give him a chance to make a career somewhere else. I'm happy for him."
Bradford City
Rankin was signed by
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.
...
for £1.3 million helping them earn promotion to the Premier League in his first season. Rankin was not considered a first team regular during Bradford's two-year stay in the top flight and featured in only ten of their Premiership matches during that time. However, he was on the pitch when Bradford memorably secured safety on the last day of the 1999–2000 season with a win against
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...
. Rankin was loaned out twice by Bradford, firstly to
Birmingham City
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943. Sin ...
and then
Bolton Wanderers, before finally leaving the club permanently to join
Yorkshire
Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other English counties, functions have ...
rivals
Barnsley.
Barnsley
Rankin joined Barnsley for £350,000 on 19 January 2001, and would go on to play in three different seasons for the
Oakwell club. During the 2003–04 season, with Barnsley rooted in the middle of the
Division Two table, he was made available for transfer after losing his place in the team. Barnsley attempted to sign
Grimsby Town
Grimsby Town Football Club is a professional football club based in Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire, England, that in the 2022–23 season will compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system, following the victory in t ...
striker
Michael Boulding
Michael Thomas Boulding (born 8 February 1976) is an English former professional footballer and tennis player. As a footballer he was a forward and winger from 1998 to 2011. Prior to his football career, he was a promising young tennis player ...
, who had wanted to leave the club following the dismissal of Town's manager
Paul Groves. Barnsley offered Town £50,000 for Boulding with the option of taking Rankin on a one-month loan as part of the deal. The offer was accepted by caretaker manager
Graham Rodger and Rankin signed for The Mariners initially for a one-month loan period.
Grimsby Town
Rankin scored two goals in his first six games. In a match against his parent club Barnsley at
Blundell Park, Rankin scored a goal in a 6–1 victory for Grimsby, but controversially upset Barnsley manager
Gudjon Thordarson for what he called an unprofessional goal celebration. Thordarson stated that Rankin would never play for Barnsley again, and the player had his contract terminated with immediate effect, which allowed him to sign for Grimsby on a permanent basis until the end of the season. Grimsby appointed
Nicky Law as manager but he could not prevent the club's relegation, despite Rankin's goal in a 1–0 win against
Brentford on the second-last game of the season. Following the club's relegation, Rankin was out of contract and decided not to stay at Blundell Park in favour to stay playing his football in League One.
Brentford
Brentford came in for the striker, and signed him on a two-year deal. Rankin joined the club along with fellow Grimsby player
Jamie Lawrence. During his spell at the
Griffin Park club, his goal against
Southampton
Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...
in the
2004–05 FA Cup
The 2004–05 FA Cup was the 124th season of the world's oldest football competition, the FA Cup. The competition began on 28 August 2004, with the lowest-ranked of the entrants competing in the Extra Preliminary Round. For England's top 44 clubs, ...
Fifth Round was nominated on
Match of the Day
''Match of the Day'' (abbreviated to ''MOTD'') is a football highlights programme, typically broadcast on BBC One on Saturday nights, during the Premier League season. The show's current presenter is former England international striker Gary ...
's 'Goal of the Month' competition, but did not win the top prize. Rankin was released by Brentford in May 2006 after two years.
Return to Grimsby Town
Rankin re-joined Grimsby Town in July 2006 but despite much expectations, he made a slow start to the new spell, despite scoring on his second debut in the 3–2 win over
Boston United, a game in which he and
Peter Bore
Peter Charles Bore (born 4 November 1987) is an English former professional footballer who played as a defender, winger and striker.
He began his career with his hometown club Grimsby Town, having been promoted to the first team for the begi ...
helped Grimsby come back from 2–0 down. With favoured goalscoring partner
Michael Reddy injured, Rankin struggled with fitness problems and by the end of the season the pair had only scored three goals between them. Rodger was sacked as manager and
Alan Buckley
Alan Peter Buckley (born 20 April 1951) is an English former professional footballer and football manager who now works as a sports co-commentator for BBC Humberside.
As a player, he was a forward from 1967 to 1987 for Nottingham Forest, ...
came in to take his place. With the loan signing of
Martin Paterson
Martin Andrew Paterson (born 10 May 1987) is a former professional footballer and assistant head coach of club Barnsley.
Born in Stoke-on-Trent, he played as a forward he began his career with Stoke City, making his senior debut in April 20 ...
a favoured starter it meant when fit Rankin would often have to settle for a place on the bench. Buckley made Rankin available for loan and in March 2007 he was loaned out to
Macclesfield Town
Macclesfield Town Football Club was an English professional football club based in Macclesfield, Cheshire, that was wound-up after a High Court ruling on 16 September 2020.
Initially known as Macclesfield F.C., the club was formed in 1874 ...
for the remainder of the season.
He made only four appearances and failed to score. Rankin remained at
Blundell Park for the beginning of the 2007–08 season but his contract was eventually terminated by mutual consent during the January 2008 transfer window.
Stevenage Borough
Upon his release from Grimsby, he signed with
Conference club
Stevenage Borough
Stevenage Football Club (known as Stevenage Borough Football Club until 2010) is a professional association football club based in the town of Stevenage, Hertfordshire, England. The team competes in EFL League Two, League Two, the fourth tier o ...
on a short-term deal until the end of the 2007–08 season. He was one of several players released at the end of the season.
Crawley Town
His next club was
Crawley Town
Crawley Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Crawley, West Sussex, England. The club was founded as Crawley Football Club in 1896, changed its name to Crawley Town Football Club in 1958. The team com ...
, with whom he signed in July 2008 having featured in a number of pre-season friendlies whilst on trial with the
West Sussex
West Sussex is a county in South East England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the shire districts of Adur, Arun, Chichester, Horsham, and Mid Sussex, and the boroughs of Crawley and Worthing. Covering an ...
club. In January 2009, Crawley were deducted four league points and fined after failing to register Rankin with the Conference at the start of the 2008–09 campaign, despite the fact that
the Football Association
The Football Association (also known as The FA) is the governing body of association football in England and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. Formed in 1863, it is the oldest football association in the world a ...
received his papers. Following the conclusion of the season, Crawley decided against offering Rankin a new deal, and he was released from the club. Rankin made 18 league appearances for Crawley, scoring three times.
Forest Green Rovers
Following his release from Crawley, Rankin remained out of the game up until December 2009, when he signed for fellow Conference National team
Forest Green Rovers
Forest Green Rovers Football Club are a professional football club based in Nailsworth, Gloucestershire, England. The team compete in , the third tier of the English football league system, and have played their home games at The New Lawn since ...
on a non-contract basis. He was given the number 33 shirt. Rankin scored his first goal for the club in a 3–1
Boxing Day victory over
Salisbury City, and his second in a 1–0 win over Gateshead at
the New Lawn on 16 January 2010. He netted Forest Green's only goal in their 2–1 loss to
Notts County
Notts County Football Club is a professional association football club based in Nottingham, England. The team participate in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. Founded on the 25 November 1862, it is the ...
at
Meadow Lane
Meadow Lane Stadium is a football stadium in Nottingham, England. It is the home ground of Notts County, who have played there since it opened in 1910. The stadium was also home to Notts County Ladies F.C. from 2014 until 2017.
It currently h ...
in the third round of the FA Cup. He was released at the end of the season having scored three goals in 19 league appearances.
Ashford Town
In September 2010, Rankin signed for
Southern Football League Division One Central side
Ashford Town, in Middlesex, a team managed by his former Bradford City, Grimsby Town and Brentford teammate
Jamie Lawrence.
Hendon
Rankin joined
Isthmian League Premier Division side
Hendon on 16 August 2011. In July 2012, he signed a new one-year contract. Rankin made 76 appearances and scored 15 goals before departing at the end of the
2013–14 season and subsequently retired from competitive football.
Career statistics
Honours
Arsenal
*
FA Youth Cup:
1993–94
Bradford City
*
Football League First Division second-place promotion:
1998–99
References
External links
*
Hendon profileat Greensnet
Profile of Isaiah Rankinat codalmighty.com
Isaiah Rankinat arsenal.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rankin, Isaiah
1978 births
Living people
Footballers from Edmonton, London
English men's footballers
Men's association football forwards
Premier League players
English Football League players
National League (English football) players
Isthmian League players
Southern Football League players
Arsenal F.C. players
Colchester United F.C. players
Bradford City A.F.C. players
Birmingham City F.C. players
Bolton Wanderers F.C. players
Barnsley F.C. players
Grimsby Town F.C. players
Brentford F.C. players
Macclesfield Town F.C. players
Stevenage F.C. players
Crawley Town F.C. players
Forest Green Rovers F.C. players
Hendon F.C. players
Ashford Town (Middlesex) F.C. players