Kevin Sandwith (born 30 April 1978) is an English retired 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 ...
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 ...
for
Northern Premier League Premier Division
The Northern Premier League is an English football league that was founded in 1968. It has four divisions: the Premier Division (which stands at level 7 of the English football league system), Division One East, Division One West and Division ...
side
Buxton
Buxton is a spa town in the Borough of High Peak, Derbyshire, England. It is England's highest market town, sited at some above sea level.Carlisle United, Telford United,
Doncaster Rovers
Doncaster Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. The team compete in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. The club play their home games at ...
,
Halifax Town
FC Halifax Town is a professional association football club based in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England. They currently compete in and play at the Shay. They replaced Halifax Town A.F.C., which went into administration in the 2007–08 season. ...
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 ...
Oxford United
Oxford United Football Club is a professional football club in the city of Oxford, England. The team plays in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. The chairman is Grant Ferguson, the manager is Karl Robinson and t ...
,
Mansfield Town
Mansfield Town Football Club is a professional 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 play in a blue and ...
and
Gainsborough Trinity
Gainsborough Trinity Football Club is a football club based in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, England. Established in 1873, the club became members of the Football League in 1893 and remained members of the Second Division until 1912, making Gainsbo ...
.
Career
Sandwith began his career as a Youth Trainee at Carlisle United and went on to sign professional terms with them, making his league debut in October 1997. However, after only three further appearances, he was released by the Cumbrians in May 1998 and joined non-league Barrow. He made 14 appearances for Barrow, scoring three times, before moving to join Telford United. Comfortable either at left-back or in midfield, Sandwith stayed at Telford until the summer of 2001 without every really fully establishing himself. He moved on to
Doncaster Rovers
Doncaster Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. The team compete in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. The club play their home games at ...
but, after starting the season as the regular left-back, a broken foot kept him on the sidelines for three months and he found it hard to regain a regular starting position. In November 2002, he moved on to
Halifax Town
FC Halifax Town is a professional association football club based in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England. They currently compete in and play at the Shay. They replaced Halifax Town A.F.C., which went into administration in the 2007–08 season. ...
and cemented a regular starting berth. A series of impressive performances began to draw attention and, having scored against them in the Football League Trophy earlier in the season, Lincoln City paid £10,000 for his services in March 2004. He spent a season and a half at Sincil Bank before a move 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 ...
where he spent a season before joining Chester City. His first Chester goal ironically came against Macclesfield in September 2006.
Ex-Chester manager Mark Wright was a big admirer of Sandwith, stating that he is "undoubtedly one of the best players in this league at delivering a ball with his left foot, from free-kicks and corners".
On 28 December 2007, it was announced Sandwith was no longer in the club's plans and was available for sale. However, he returned to the starting line-up against
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 ...
on 19 January 2008 and he regularly figured in the first–team in the closing months of the season, leading to him being offered a new contract at the end of the campaign. But he turned down the contract and left the club. Sandwith signed for Weymouth on 1 July 2008, before moving to Oxford United in February 2009. Sandwith joined
Mansfield Town
Mansfield Town Football Club is a professional 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 play in a blue and ...
by signing a one-year deal on 28 May 2010 after his release from
Oxford United
Oxford United Football Club is a professional football club in the city of Oxford, England. The team plays in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. The chairman is Grant Ferguson, the manager is Karl Robinson and t ...
. Sandwith was released on 31 May 2011.
After spending the pre-season training with
Eastwood Town
Eastwood Town Football Club was an English football club based in Eastwood, Nottinghamshire. The club last participated in the Northern Premier League Division One South, the eighth tier of English football.
A new club, Eastwood C.F.C., was f ...
, Sandwith joined
Gainsborough Trinity
Gainsborough Trinity Football Club is a football club based in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, England. Established in 1873, the club became members of the Football League in 1893 and remained members of the Second Division until 1912, making Gainsbo ...
in August 2011, debuting in the club's 3–1
Conference North
The National League North, formerly Conference North, is a division of the National League in England, immediately below the National League division. Along with the National League South, it is at the second level of the National League Syst ...
victory at home to Solihull Moors on 13 August 2011. Sandwith was not amongst those players retained at the end of the 2011–12 season and thus left the club.
In June 2012 he joined
Worcester City
Worcester City Football Club is an English football club based in Worcester, Worcestershire. The club play in the Midland Football League, the ninth tier of English football. Established in 1902, the club play at Claines Lane.
Worcester City's ...
on trial but opted not to sign a new deal because of the distance the city is from his home. On 17 July he joined
Buxton
Buxton is a spa town in the Borough of High Peak, Derbyshire, England. It is England's highest market town, sited at some above sea level.AFC Wulfrunians.