Justin Charles Edinburgh (18 December 1969 – 8 June 2019) was an English professional

football manager ''Football Manager'' (also known as ''Worldwide Soccer Manager'' in North America from 2004 to 2008) is a series of football management simulation video games developed by British developer Sports Interactive and published by Sega. The game bega ...

and

player Player may refer to: Role or adjective * Player (game), a participant in a game or sport ** Gamer, a player in video and tabletop games ** Athlete, a player in sports ** Player character, a character in a video game or role playing game who ...

who played as a left back. He notably played in 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 ...

for

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 ...

, where he made 213 league appearances in a decade at the club. He also played in the Football League for

Southend United Southend United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England. As of the 2022–23 season, the team competes in the National League, the fifth tier of English football. Southend are known as ...

and

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...

before finishing his career with non-league side Billericay Town. In 1991 he was part of Spurs

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...

winning side wearing number 2 and he also won the

League Cup In several sports, most prominently association football, a league cup or secondary cup generally signifies a cup competition for which entry is restricted only to teams in a particular league. The first national association football tournament t ...

with the club in 1999, despite being sent off in the final. Following retirement, he managed at non-league level for Fisher Athletic, Grays Athletic and

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 F.C., Ke ...

before taking Newport County to the Football League during a four-year tenure. He went on to manage both Gillingham and

Northampton Town Northampton Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Northampton, England. The team plays in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1897, the club competed in the Midland ...

before once more winning promotion from the

National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team ...

as he guided

Leyton Orient Leyton Orient Football Club is a professional football club based in Leyton, East London, England, who compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. They are the second oldest football club in London to play at a profession ...

back to the EFL In 2019. He remained manager of Orient at the time of his death in June 2019.

Playing career

A defender, usually employed as a left-back, Edinburgh started his career as a trainee with

, turning professional in August 1988. He helped the Shrimpers win promotion from the Football League Fourth Division in 1990. In all competitions he played 47 games for the seaside club, scoring one goal. He moved to

for £150,000 in January 1990, initially on loan. He joined Spurs permanently in July 1990, making his debut for them on 10 November 1990, as a substitute in a 4–2 win at home to Wimbledon. He played for Spurs for most of the 1990s. He won an

winner's medal in

1991 File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phi ...

despite just previously starting only 12 league games. He would also win a

winner's medal with Spurs, in

1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shoot ...

. This second medal was awarded to Edinburgh despite his being sent off in the final for raising his arms to

Robbie Savage Robert William Savage (born 18 October 1974) is a Welsh former professional footballer who played as a midfielder, now a football pundit and director of football at club Macclesfield. During his career he played predominantly as a midfielder, ...

, as the post-match analysis showed that Savage had distinctly over-reacted to a minimal contact and that the red card was unjustly awarded. In total, he made 213 league appearances for Tottenham, scoring once. Edinburgh left London for

in March 2000 for a fee of £175,000, playing 35 league games over the next two years, scoring once against Sheffield United. However, he did not play a single competitive game during Portsmouth's Division One title winning campaign ( 2002–03), and joined non-league Billericay Town as player-manager in July 2003.

Managerial career

Early career

In January 2006, he left Billericay to become manager of semi-professional club Fisher Athletic. Fisher finished third in the Isthmian League Premier Division in season 2005–06 and beat Hampton & Richmond 3–0 in the play-off final to win promotion to Conference South. Edinburgh left Fisher by mutual consent in November 2006. He subsequently joined Grays Athletic as assistant manager to

Andy King Andrew or Andy King may refer to: * Andrew King (astrophysicist) (born 1947), British astrophysicist * Andrew King (architect), Canadian architect and cross-disciplinary artist * Andrew King (mayor) (born 1960 or 1961), former mayor of Hamilton, Ne ...

in December 2006, and took over as manager on 5 January 2007 after King's resignation. However, Edinburgh's first match in charge ended in disappointment as his team lost 3–1 to Southport. His reign as manager of Grays Athletic came to an end on 20 February 2008, when his contract was terminated by mutual consent, leaving the club 14th in the

Conference Premier The National League, known as the Vanarama National League for sponsorship reasons, is the highest level of the National League System and fifth-highest of the overall English football league system. It is the highest league that is semi-professi ...

. On 9 April 2008 it was announced that Edinburgh would become Colin Lippiatt's assistant at Woking following the departure of

Frank Gray Francis Tierney Gray (born 27 October 1954) is a Scottish football manager and former player. He played for Leeds United, Nottingham Forest, Sunderland and Darlington, while he also represented Scotland 32 times. Gray has managed Darlington, ...

and Gerry Murphy.

Rushden & Diamonds

In October 2008, Edinburgh became assistant manager to

Garry Hill Garry Hill is an English football manager who was last the manager of National League club Ebbsfleet United. He previously managed Woking, Heybridge Swifts, St Albans City, Dagenham & Redbridge, Hornchurch, Weymouth and Rushden & Diamond ...

club

. On 10 February 2009 he was appointed as caretaker manager following Hill's resignation and on 24 April 2009, Edinburgh was appointed manager on a permanent basis. He guided the team to a fourth-placed finish in the 2009–10 season securing a play-off spot within the Conference Premier but they were unable to reach the Conference Play-off Final at Wembley after lacklustre performances in both games of the two legged tie against Oxford United. The games finished 1–1 and 2–0 to Oxford. The 2010–11 season saw Rushden & Diamonds secure a mid-table finish in 13th place but they never seriously challenged for promotion. In the summer of 2011, the club was expelled from the Football Conference and subsequently went into

administration Administration may refer to: Management of organizations * Management, the act of directing people towards accomplishing a goal ** Administrative Assistant, traditionally known as a Secretary, or also known as an administrative officer, admini ...

, bringing Edinburgh's time at the club to an end.

Newport County

On 4 October 2011, Edinburgh was appointed manager of Newport County, taking over from Anthony Hudson with the team in 23rd place in the Conference Premier. Jimmy Dack was appointed as his assistant manager on 6 October 2011. Newport County finished the 2011–12 season in 19th position hence avoiding relegation and reached the FA Trophy final at

Wembley Stadium Wembley Stadium (branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE for sponsorship reasons) is a football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the original Wembley Stadium, which was demolished from 2002 to 2003. The stadium ...

on 12 May 2012 which Newport lost 2–0 to

York City York City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of York, North Yorkshire, England. As of the 2022–23 season, the team compete in the National League, at the fifth tier of the English football league sys ...

. In August 2012, Edinburgh was selected as Conference Manager of the Month after Newport County won all five of their opening matches of the 2012–13 season. He led Newport to a 3rd-place finish that season, reaching the Conference Premier play-offs. Newport County won the 2013 Conference Premier play-off Final versus Wrexham at Wembley stadium 2–0 to return to the Football League after a 25-year absence with promotion to

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 ...

. Edinburgh was named the

Manager of the Year. On 2 December 2013, Newport County announced on their official website that, having consulted Edinburgh, they had rejected an approach from Edinburgh's former club

to be interviewed as a successor to

Guy Whittingham Guy Whittingham (born 10 November 1964) is an English football manager and former professional footballer. As a player, he was a striker from 1988 until 2005, notably in the Premier League for Aston Villa and Sheffield Wednesday. Having start ...

as Portsmouth manager. In January 2014 Edinburgh stated he had rebuffed an unofficial approach directly to himself to be considered as manager of

In his first season as a Football League manager Edinburgh led Newport County to a 14th-place finish in League Two for the 2013–14 season.

Gillingham

On 7 February 2015, with Newport County in sixth place in League Two, Edinburgh was appointed manager of

League One The English Football League One (often referred to as League One for short or Sky Bet League One for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League One from 2004 until 2016) is the second-highest division of the English Football Leag ...

club Gillingham, with Gillingham paying Newport compensation as Edinburgh was under contract. Edinburgh led the Gills to a 12th-place finish in the third tier of English football, after a poor start to the season led to the sacking of former manager

Peter Taylor Peter Taylor may refer to: Arts * Peter Taylor (writer) (1917–1994), American author, winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction * Peter Taylor (film editor) (1922–1997), English film editor, winner of an Academy Award for Film Editing Politi ...

on 31 December. Gillingham had won just three of their first 15 league games, and were sitting 20th in League One, just two points above relegation. The 2015–16 was his first full season in charge, Edinburgh led the Gills to a second-place position at Christmas, after a 3–0 victory against

Millwall Millwall is a district on the western and southern side of the Isle of Dogs, in east London, England, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It lies to the immediate south of Canary Wharf and Limehouse, north of Greenwich and Deptford, eas ...

. Gillingham had also managed to defeat League favourites

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 ...

, with a 4–0 victory on the first day of the season. However, after a run of bad injuries to crucial players, Gillingham slipped to a ninth-place finish in League One, after losing on the last day of the season, against Millwall. Edinburgh was sacked on 3 January 2017, along with his entire coaching team, with the club placed 17th in League One.

Northampton Town

On 13 January 2017, Edinburgh was appointed manager of League One club

on a two-and-a-half-year contract, formally taking over on 16 January. Edinburgh was dismissed on 31 August 2017, following a poor run of results including losing the first four matches of the season.

Leyton Orient

On 29 November 2017, Edinburgh was appointed manager of

of the

on a two-and-a-half-year contract. Edinburgh guided Orient to the top of the National League winning the division and promotion back to the Football League in the 2018–19 campaign. On 24 January 2020, Leyton Orient announced that the West Stand at Breyer Group Stadium would be renamed the Justin Edinburgh Stand, which was officially commemorated the next day during the club's home match against Newport County.

Personal life and death

Edinburgh had two children with his wife Kerri. He owned two franchise

Toni & Guy Toni & Guy (stylised as TONI&GUY) is a British international chain of hairdressing salons founded in the UK in 1963 by brothers Toni and Guy Mascolo. History In 1963, Toni Mascolo and his brother Guy opened their first salon in Clapham, Londo ...

hair salons with his business partner, Jim Shaw. On 3 June 2019, Edinburgh went into sudden

cardiac arrest Cardiac arrest is when the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating. It is a medical emergency that, without immediate medical intervention, will result in sudden cardiac death within minutes. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and poss ...

. He died at

Basildon University Hospital Basildon University Hospital is an acute general hospital in Basildon, Essex. It is managed by the Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust. History The hospital opened in 1973. Facilities which it replaced included St. Andrew's Hospital in Bill ...

five days later, aged 49. Leyton Orient announced a period of mourning and opened the stadium to allow supporters to leave tributes.

Managerial statistics

Honours

As a player

Tottenham Hotspur *

1990–91 Year 199 ( CXCIX) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was sometimes known as year 952 '' Ab urbe condita''. The denomination 199 for this year has been used since t ...

* FA Charity Shield:

(shared) * Football League Cup: 1998–99

As a manager

Newport County * FA Trophy runner-up: 2011–12 *

play-offs:

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fa ...

Leyton Orient *

: 2018–19 * FA Trophy runner-up: 2018–19

Individual

* Conference Premier/National League Manager of the Month: April/May 2013, November 2018, March 2019

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Edinburgh, Justin 1969 births 2019 deaths Sportspeople from Basildon English footballers Association football defenders Southend United F.C. players Tottenham Hotspur F.C. players Portsmouth F.C. players Billericay Town F.C. players Place of death missing English Football League players Premier League players English football managers Billericay Town F.C. managers Fisher Athletic F.C. managers Grays Athletic F.C. managers Rushden & Diamonds F.C. managers Newport County A.F.C. managers Gillingham F.C. managers Northampton Town F.C. managers Leyton Orient F.C. managers National League (English football) managers English Football League managers FA Cup Final players