Mark Alan Roberts (born 16 October 1983) 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 le ...
who played as a
defender.
Roberts started his career at
Crewe Alexandra
Crewe Alexandra Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Crewe, Cheshire, that competes in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. Nicknamed 'The Railwaymen' because of ...
at the age of 11, and progressed through the club's academy; signing a professional contract at the age of 19. He played six times during his seven years for Crewe's first team, and was sent out on
loan
In finance, a loan is the lending of money by one or more individuals, organizations, or other entities to other individuals, organizations, etc. The recipient (i.e., the borrower) incurs a debt and is usually liable to pay interest on that d ...
six times during his spell at the club. Following a loan spell at his hometown club,
Northwich Victoria
{{Infobox UK place
, static_image_name = Northwich - Town Bridge.jpg
, static_image_caption = Town Bridge, the River Weaver and the spire of Holy Trinity Church
, official_name = Northwich
, country ...
, he joined the club on a permanent basis in 2007. Roberts played 20 games for the
Cheshire
Cheshire ( ) is a ceremonial and historic county in North West England, bordered by Wales to the west, Merseyside and Greater Manchester to the north, Derbyshire to the east, and Staffordshire and Shropshire to the south. Cheshire's county t ...
club during the second half of the
2006–07 season, before returning to
the 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 Engla ...
with
Accrington Stanley
Accrington Stanley Football Club is a professional association football club based in Accrington, Lancashire, England. The club competes in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. They have spent their complete history ...
in summer 2007. He played 37 games for the club, before being loaned back to Northwich Victoria, a move which was later made permanent.
During the
2008–09 season, Roberts joined
Stevenage
Stevenage ( ) is a large town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, about north of London. Stevenage is east of junctions 7 and 8 of the A1(M), between Letchworth Garden City to the north and Welwyn Garden City to the south. In 1946, Stevena ...
on an initial one-month loan agreement, before signing permanently in January 2009 for an undisclosed fee. That season, he was part of the team that won the
FA Trophy
The Football Association Challenge Trophy, commonly known as the FA Trophy, is a men's football knockout cup competition run by and named after the English Football Association and competed for primarily by semi-professional teams. The compet ...
in May 2009. Roberts was made
team captain
In team sport, captain is a title given to a member of the team. The title is frequently honorary, but in some cases the captain may have significant responsibility for strategy and teamwork while the game is in progress on the field. In eithe ...
ahead of the
2009–10 season, a season in which Roberts would help lead the team to the Football League for the first time in the club's history. The following season, the club earned back-to-back promotions following their sixth-place finish and subsequent
League Two play-off victory in May 2011. He also spent two spells as caretaker manager of the club, once in January 2012 and again in March 2013.
After a successful four-and-a-half-year spell at Stevenage, Roberts joined
Fleetwood Town
Fleetwood Town Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Fleetwood, Lancashire. Established in 1997, the current Fleetwood Town F.C. is the fourth incarnation of the club; it was originally formed in ...
on a free transfer in July 2013. He captained Fleetwood to promotion via the
play-offs
The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...
during his first season with the club. After two seasons at Fleetwood, Roberts joined League Two club
Cambridge United
Cambridge United Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Cambridge, England. They compete in EFL League one , the 3rd tier of the English football league system. The club is based at the Abbey Stadium on N ...
in May 2015, where he spent two seasons. He subsequently spent the
2017–18 season at fellow League Two club
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 ...
, before signing for
Warrington Town of the
Northern Premier League
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 Divisio ...
in August 2018. Roberts captained Warrington as
they won the Northern Premier League play-offs in his first season there, although the club would ultimately be defeated in the
step three super play-off final. He made 144 appearances over four years at Warrington, before announcing his retirement from playing in June 2022.
Early life
Born in
Northwich
{{Infobox UK place
, static_image_name = Northwich - Town Bridge.jpg
, static_image_caption = Town Bridge, the River Weaver and the spire of Holy Trinity Church
, official_name = Northwich
, country ...
, Cheshire,
Roberts also grew up in Cheshire.
He was a
season ticket holder at
Old Trafford
Old Trafford () is a football stadium in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, and the home of Manchester United. With a capacity of 74,310 it is the largest club football stadium (and second-largest football stadium overall after Wemb ...
during his childhood years, where he sat in the
Stretford End
The Stretford End, also known as the West Stand, at Old Trafford, the stadium of Manchester United Football Club, takes its name from nearby Stretford. The stand is divided into two tiers and, in common with the rest of the stadium, has a cantile ...
supporting
Manchester United
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...
.
Roberts started playing football for his local team Northwich Town at the age of seven.
Career
Early career
Roberts signed for
Crewe Alexandra
Crewe Alexandra Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Crewe, Cheshire, that competes in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. Nicknamed 'The Railwaymen' because of ...
at the age of 11. After progressing through the club's academy, he signed a professional contract with the club on 6 July 2003 at the age of 19.
Roberts signed for
Northern Premier League Division One
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 ...
club
Leek Town on a two-month
loan
In finance, a loan is the lending of money by one or more individuals, organizations, or other entities to other individuals, organizations, etc. The recipient (i.e., the borrower) incurs a debt and is usually liable to pay interest on that d ...
agreement in November 2003.
He made his debut in the club's 3–1 victory over
Lincoln United
Lincoln United Football Club is a football club based in Lincoln, Lincolnshire, England. They are currently members of the and play at Ashby Avenue. Nicknamed the Whites after their home kit colours, they have played at Ashby Avenue since thei ...
on 22 November 2003.
Roberts scored his first goal in senior football in Leek's 2–1 home defeat to
Kidsgrove Athletic on 26 December 2003.
He played 10 times during the loan spell, scoring two goals.
A week after returning to Crewe from his loan spell at Leek, Roberts was loaned out once again, this time joining
Vauxhall Motors
Vauxhall Motors LimitedCompany No. 00135767. Incorporated 12 May 1914, name changed from Vauxhall Motors Limited to General Motors UK Limited on 16 April 2008, reverted to Vauxhall Motors Limited on 18 September 2017. () is a British car compa ...
of the
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 ...
.
He made his debut in a 3–2 victory at home to
Southport
Southport is a seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. At the 2001 census, it had a population of 90,336, making it the eleventh most populous settlement in North West England.
Southport lies on the Irish ...
on 31 January 2004.
His first goal came in a 2–0 home victory over
Alfreton Town
Alfreton Town Football Club is a football club based in Alfreton, Derbyshire, England. The club are currently members of and play at North Street.
History
The club was formed in 1959 following the merger of Alfreton Miners Welfare and Alfr ...
on 6 March 2004, and finished the loan with 19 appearances, scoring three goals, before the end of the
2003–04 season.
Roberts impressed for Crewe in several pre-season
friendlies
An exhibition game (also known as a friendly, a scrimmage, a demonstration, a preseason game, a warmup match, or a preparation match, depending at least in part on the sport) is a sporting event whose prize money and impact on the player's or ...
before the
2004–05 season,
and played his first full 90 minutes for the club in Crewe's 2–1 friendly win against
Everton. Roberts' pre-season performances led to Crewe assistant manager, Neil Baker, saying "Mark's a player that I felt could bridge the gap, having worked with him more than the other coaches. The way he coped should give him the belief to go on now."
He subsequently made his Crewe debut in September 2004, starting in a
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 ...
match against
Sunderland
Sunderland () is a port city in Tyne and Wear, England. It is the City of Sunderland's administrative centre and in the Historic counties of England, historic county of County of Durham, Durham. The city is from Newcastle-upon-Tyne and is on t ...
, a game that Crewe won 4–2 in a
penalty shoot-out
The penalty shootout is a method of determining a winner in sports matches that would have otherwise been drawn or tied. The rules for penalty shootouts vary between sports and even different competitions; however, the usual form is similar to pen ...
after playing out a 3–3 draw after
extra time
Overtime or extra time is an additional period of play specified under the rules of a sport to bring a game to a decision and avoid declaring the match a tie or draw where the scores are the same. In some sports, this extra period is played onl ...
.
He made his Football League debut for Crewe in a 1–0 defeat at
Preston North End
Preston North End Football Club, commonly referred to as Preston, North End or PNE, is a professional football club in Preston, Lancashire, England, who currently play in the EFL Championship, the second tier of the English football league syste ...
on 25 September 2004,
and made five more appearances before his run was curtailed by injury.
After struggling to establish himself at Crewe Alexandra, Roberts joined
Merseyside
Merseyside ( ) is a metropolitan county, metropolitan and ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North West England, with a population of List of ceremonial counties of England, 1.38 million. It encompasses both banks of the Merse ...
based club
Southport
Southport is a seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. At the 2001 census, it had a population of 90,336, making it the eleventh most populous settlement in North West England.
Southport lies on the Irish ...
on loan.
Roberts made his Southport debut in a 4–0 away defeat to
Accrington Stanley
Accrington Stanley Football Club is a professional association football club based in Accrington, Lancashire, England. The club competes in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. They have spent their complete history ...
on 26 November 2005.
He played six games for Southport,
before joining
Chester City on a one-month loan agreement.
Roberts started one game for Chester in a 5–0 defeat at
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 ...
,
and did not play again for the Cheshire club subsequent to this match.
After his loan spell at Chester, Roberts was loaned out to Southport for a second time in March 2006,
making his second debut for the club in a 2–1 victory away to
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 ...
, in which he was sent off in the 88th-minute for two bookable offences.
He played 12 times during his second loan spell at the club, playing his final game in Southport's 1–0 home defeat to
Aldershot Town
Aldershot Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Aldershot
Aldershot () is a town in Hampshire, England. It lies on heathland in the extreme northeast corner of the county, southwest of London. The area i ...
in April 2006.
Despite still being under contract at Crewe, Roberts had not made a first-team appearance for the club since 2004 and was again loaned out ahead of the
2006–07 season, this time to
Conference National
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-profes ...
club
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. ...
.
He played his first game for Halifax in the club's first game of the 2006–07 season, starting in a 2–0 away defeat to
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 th ...
.
He scored his first goal for Halifax in a 2–1 victory over
Cambridge United
Cambridge United Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Cambridge, England. They compete in EFL League one , the 3rd tier of the English football league system. The club is based at the Abbey Stadium on N ...
, the first goal of the game.
Roberts played 13 matches for Halifax, scoring once, before his loan agreement concluded.
![Mark Roberts 2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f0/Mark_Roberts_2.png)
Roberts joined his hometown club
Northwich Victoria
{{Infobox UK place
, static_image_name = Northwich - Town Bridge.jpg
, static_image_caption = Town Bridge, the River Weaver and the spire of Holy Trinity Church
, official_name = Northwich
, country ...
on another loan deal on 3 January 2007.
He made his debut for Northwich in a 3–1 away victory at
St Albans City at
Clarence Park,
and after playing in three matches, signed for the club on a permanent basis.
He played regularly during the second half of the 2006–07 season, which saw an up-turn in form for Northwich.
Roberts returned to the Football League with Accrington Stanley on 3 July 2007, joining the club for a fee set by a tribunal.
He started the first 30 games for the
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 ...
club, whilst playing in a further three as a
substitute.
He returned to Northwich Victoria on loan on 28 March 2008, on a one-month agreement.
He helped Northwich to
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-profess ...
safety towards the end of the season, scoring his only goal in a match against fellow relegation candidates
Stafford Rangers
Stafford Rangers Football Club is a semi-professional English football team from Stafford which plays in the Northern Premier League Premier Division.
The team wear black and white stripes with black shorts. Stafford Rangers' rivals include T ...
on 5 April 2008,
and played nine times during the loan spell.
Despite making a further appearance for Accrington towards the end of the season,
Roberts re-joined Northwich on a permanent deal after his loan spell.
During the 2008–09 season, Roberts continued to play regularly in the centre of Northwich's defence, scoring once in a 3–2 home defeat against
Weymouth in September 2008.
He made 20 appearances for Northwich during the first three months of the season.
Stevenage
![Mark Roberts York City v](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ac/Mark_Roberts_York_City_v._Stevenage_Borough_03-10-09.png)
Roberts started for Northwich in a 1–1 draw at
Broadhall Way
Broadhall Way, known as the Lamex Stadium for sponsorship purposes, is an association football stadium in Stevenage, Hertfordshire. It has been the home ground of Stevenage (formerly Stevenage Borough and Stevenage Town) since the early 1960s, an ...
in a match between Northwich and
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 15 November 2008,
and he subsequently joined the
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is one of the home counties in southern England. It borders Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire to the north, Essex to the east, Greater London to the south, and Buckinghamshire to the west. For govern ...
club on loan a week after the match.
After impressing Stevenage manager
Graham Westley
Graham Neil Westley (born 4 March 1968) is an English former professional footballer and manager who was most recently manager of League Two club Stevenage.
Westley's playing career, spent mostly as a striker in non-League football, was curta ...
during his one-month loan agreement, Roberts signed for the club on a permanent basis.
He scored his first Stevenage goal in a 2–0
FA Trophy
The Football Association Challenge Trophy, commonly known as the FA Trophy, is a men's football knockout cup competition run by and named after the English Football Association and competed for primarily by semi-professional teams. The compet ...
victory away to
Farnborough Farnborough may refer to:
Australia
* Farnborough, Queensland, a locality in the Shire of Livingstone
United Kingdom
* Farnborough, Hampshire, a town in the Rushmoor district of Hampshire, England
** Farnborough (Main) railway station, a railw ...
on 14 January 2009.
Roberts scored his first league goal for the club in a 2–1 victory away to
Altrincham
Altrincham ( , locally ) is a market town in Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, south of the River Mersey. It is southwest of Manchester city centre, southwest of Sale and east of Warrington. At the 2011 Census, it had a population o ...
on 28 February 2009, scoring a
stoppage time
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...
goal to give Stevenage the victory at
Moss Lane
Moss Lane (currently known as the J. Davidson Stadium for sponsorship purposes) is a multi-purpose stadium in Altrincham, Greater Manchester, England. It is currently used primarily for football matches and is the home ground of Altrincham. The ...
.
Roberts continued to play regularly as Stevenage made the play-offs as a result of finishing in the final play-off place.
He scored in the semi-final first leg against Cambridge United, with a header from
Steve Morison
Steven William Morison (born 29 August 1983) is a football manager and former professional footballer who played as a striker. He was most recently the manager of EFL Championship club Cardiff City.
Morison started his career at Northampton T ...
's ball across goal, as Stevenage would go on to lose 4–3 on aggregate over the two legs.
Roberts was awarded Stevenage's Player of the Year at the end of the season.
He also started in all seven of the club's successful FA Trophy run during that season, scoring twice and playing in the team's 2–0 victory against
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 the
Final
Final, Finals or The Final may refer to:
*Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event
** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...
on 9 May 2009.
In May 2009, Roberts was named as Stevenage
team captain
In team sport, captain is a title given to a member of the team. The title is frequently honorary, but in some cases the captain may have significant responsibility for strategy and teamwork while the game is in progress on the field. In eithe ...
for the
2009–10 season.
On Roberts' appointment as captain, Westley stated "Roberts is a natural leader who leads in the best way – by example. He is the obvious choice."
Roberts scored his first goal of the
2009–10 season on his 50th appearance for the club, giving Stevenage the lead in a 3–1 victory over
Salisbury City
Salisbury City Football Club was an English football club based in Salisbury, Wiltshire. They were formed in 1947 and played at The Raymond McEnhill Stadium. Salisbury had gained back-to-back promotions in recent years, first to the Conference S ...
on 17 October 2009.
He captained the team in their 2–0 victory against
Kidderminster Harriers
Kidderminster Harriers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Kidderminster, Worcestershire, England. The team compete in the National League North, at the sixth tier of the English football league system. Formed in ...
at
Aggborough
Aggborough Stadium is a association football, football stadium in Kidderminster, England. It is the home ground of Kidderminster Harriers F.C., Kidderminster Harriers, and has a capacity of 7,000, of which 3,140 can be Seating capacity, seated. ...
on 17 April 2010; the match that secured promotion to the Football League for the first time in the club's history.
Roberts played 49 times during the season, scoring five times from defence.
He was also named as the Conference Premier Player of the Month for April 2010.
During the season, Roberts formed a centre-back partnership with
Jon Ashton
Jonathan James Ashton (born 4 October 1982) is an English former professional footballer who played as a defender. He is a first-team fitness coach at League One club Ipswich Town.
A product of Leicester City's youth academy, Ashton made sev ...
, with Stevenage having the best defensive record in the league, conceding 24 goals in 46 league matches.
The team ended the season having not conceded in their last six games; and conceded two goals in their last 15 league matches.
In May 2010, Roberts signed a new two-year contract with Stevenage. On signing the new deal, Roberts said "there was never any doubt that I wanted to stay here, I love the club and love the fans. It will be a privilege to lead the team in the Football League".
At the
Football Conference
The National League (named Vanarama National League for sponsorship reasons) is an association football league in England consisting of three divisions, the National League, National League North, and National League South. It was called the ...
's Annual Presentation Dinner, he was named in the Team of the Year, alongside fellow Stevenage defenders
Ronnie Henry
Ronnie Stephen Henry (born 2 January 1984) is an English professional footballer who plays as a defender for Southern League Premier Central club Royston Town. Henry is also a youth academy coach for Stevenage. He is the first player to lift ...
and
Scott Laird
Scott Benjamin Laird (born 15 May 1988) is an English professional footballer who plays as a left back and midfielder for Southern League Premier Division South club Weston-super-Mare. He is also the club's assistant manager.
Laird began his ...
.
Roberts captained the team in the club's first match in the Football League at the beginning of the
2010–11 season, playing the whole game in a 2–2 home draw with
Macclesfield Town
Macclesfield Town Football Club was an English professional association football, football club based in Macclesfield, Cheshire, that was liquidation, wound-up after a High Court of Justice, High Court ruling on 16 September 2020.
Initially kno ...
.
He scored his first goal of the season in Stevenage's 3–0 away victory at local rivals
Barnet
Barnet may refer to:
People
*Barnet (surname)
* Barnet (given name)
Places United Kingdom
*Chipping Barnet or High Barnet, commonly known as Barnet, one of three focal towns of the borough below.
*East Barnet, a district of the borough below; an ...
on 2 November 2010.
He scored twice against Macclesfield Town on 26 March 2011, taking his goal tally for the season to five goals.
Roberts scored his sixth goal of the season, his highest seasonal goal tally during his three years at Stevenage, in the club's 2–2 draw at
Stockport County
Stockport County Football Club are a professional association football, football club in Stockport, England, who compete in EFL League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1883 as Heaton Norris Rovers, they wer ...
on 9 April 2011.
The goal, a half-volley at the back post, gave Stevenage a brief lead in the match just after half-time.
Stevenage faced one of Roberts' former employers,
Accrington Stanley
Accrington Stanley Football Club is a professional association football club based in Accrington, Lancashire, England. The club competes in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. They have spent their complete history ...
, in the
2010–11 League Two play-off semi-finals as a result of the club's sixth-place finish.
Roberts played in both games, which Stevenage won by a 3–0 aggregate scoreline.
He captained the team at
Old Trafford
Old Trafford () is a football stadium in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, and the home of Manchester United. With a capacity of 74,310 it is the largest club football stadium (and second-largest football stadium overall after Wemb ...
for the
final
Final, Finals or The Final may refer to:
*Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event
** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...
against Torquay United on 28 May 2011, playing the whole match as Stevenage went on to win 1–0.
This meant that Roberts had captained the club to back-to-back promotions, earning a place in
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 ...
for the first time in their history.
Stevenage also had the best defensive record in League Two during the 2010–11 season, conceding 45 goals.
That season, Stevenage progressed to the
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 ...
Fourth Round, with Roberts playing in all five matches,
including the club's 3–1 home victory against
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 ...
club
Newcastle United
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, that plays in the Premier League – the top flight of English football. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End ...
.
Roberts made 52 appearances in all competitions throughout the season, scoring six times.
Roberts captained the team in their match in League One to start the
2011–12 season, a 0–0 draw against
Exeter City
Exeter City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Exeter, Devon, England. The team play in , the third tier of the English football league system. Known as "the Grecians", the origin of their nickname is subject to ...
on 6 August 2011.
He signed a two-year contract extension with the club on 26 August 2011.
Two weeks later, Roberts scored his first competitive goal of the season in Stevenage's 1–1 away draw against
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 ...
on 10 September 2011.
Roberts' goal came in the fourth minute of the match, heading in
Michael Bostwick
Michael Paul Trevor Bostwick (born 17 May 1988) is an English professional footballer who plays as a defender for National League North club Boston United.
Bostwick started his career at Millwall, and played regularly for the club's under-18 ...
's shot to give Stevenage the lead.
His second goal of the season came in the club's exit from the
Football League Trophy
The English Football League Trophy, known for sponsorship purposes as the Papa Johns Trophy after restaurant chain Papa John's Pizza, is an annual English association football knockout competition open to all clubs in EFL League One and EFL Leag ...
on 4 October, with Roberts scoring a 20-yard volley in injury-time to take the game to penalties, which Stevenage subsequently lost 4–3.
He described the volley as "easily the best goal of his career".
Following Graham Westley's departure to
Preston North End
Preston North End Football Club, commonly referred to as Preston, North End or PNE, is a professional football club in Preston, Lancashire, England, who currently play in the EFL Championship, the second tier of the English football league syste ...
on 13 January 2012, Roberts was made
player-manager
A player-coach (also playing coach, captain-coach, or player-manager) is a member of a sports team who simultaneously holds both playing and coaching duties. A player-coach may be a head coach or an assistant coach. They may make changes to the sq ...
for Stevenage's away match to
Rochdale
Rochdale ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, at the foothills of the South Pennines in the dale on the River Roch, northwest of Oldham and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough ...
on 14 January 2012,
with the club securing a 5–1 victory at
Spotland
Spotland ( ) is a district of Rochdale in Greater Manchester, England. The Rochdale ward name is Spotland and Falinge. The population of this ward at the 2011 census was 10,805. It lies on the River Spodden, and is the home of Spotland Stadium ...
.
He remained in the position for two further matches, a 1–1 draw at
Scunthorpe United
Scunthorpe United Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire, England. The side currently competes in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. The tea ...
,
and a 4–2 home victory against
Milton Keynes Dons
Milton Keynes Dons Football Club (), usually abbreviated to MK Dons, is a professional association football club based in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England. The team competes in , the third tier of the English football league system. The ...
,
until the appointment of manager
Gary Smith allowed Roberts to concentrate on the playing side of the game.
He scored in successive games towards the latter stages of the season; a late equaliser against Preston North End,
as well as the fifth goal in the club's 6–0 away victory against
Yeovil Town Yeovil Town may refer to:
* Yeovil Town F.C., an English football team based in Yeovil, Somerset
* Yeovil Town L.F.C.
Bridgwater United Women's Football Club are an English women's association football club based in Bridgwater, Somerset who wer ...
on 14 April 2012.
Roberts played every minute of Stevenage's 56 games during the season, scoring seven goals from defence, with the club losing out in the play-off semi-finals.
Stevenage also progressed to the Fifth Round of the FA Cup that season, the furthest the club had reached in the competition; with Roberts playing in all six cup matches, including two matches against
Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as Tottenham () or Spurs, is a professional association football, football club based in Tottenham, London, England. It competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English footba ...
as the team took the Premier League club to a replay.
He was also named as Stevenage's Player of the Year at the end of the season, becoming only the third player to win the award twice.
In the summer of 2012, Stevenage stated that they had rejected several bids for Roberts, along with fellow Stevenage centre-back Jon Ashton, from League One club
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 ...
.
He captained the team in Stevenage's first game of the
2012–13 season, scoring the third goal in a 3–1 victory against AFC Wimbledon in the League Cup on 14 August 2012.
Two days after the game, Stevenage released a statement announcing they would not be selling Roberts during the season.
Roberts scored his first league goal of the season in Stevenage's 4–1 defeat to Sheffield United at
Bramall Lane
Bramall Lane is a association football, football stadium in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, which is the home of Sheffield United F.C., Sheffield United.
The stadium was originally a cricket ground, built on a road named after the Bramal ...
, scoring an equaliser just before half-time, heading in
Filipe Morais
Filipe Alexandre Major Morais (born 21 November 1985) is a Portuguese former professional footballer who played as a winger.
Morais began his career at Chelsea, progressing through the youth system before signing a professional deal in 2005. H ...
's corner.
In February 2013, Roberts was one of three players shortlisted by the Football League for the Player in the Community award as a result of his work in the local community over the past few years.
The club stated – "we are extremely proud that Mark has been shortlisted for this award, he is a credit to the football club and his day to day work and support of the community scheme and the club's community work is due worthy recognition".
Following the departure of manager Gary Smith in March 2013, Roberts was again appointed as caretaker manager while the club searched for a new manager.
He managed the team for Stevenage's televised away match against
Tranmere Rovers
Tranmere Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Birkenhead, Merseyside, England. The team compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1884 as Belmont Football Club, they adop ...
, which ended in a 3–1 defeat on 24 March 2013.
In Stevenage's next match, on 29 March 2013, Roberts scored a first-half header in a 1–1 away draw with
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 co ...
, briefly giving Stevenage the lead with the team having to play with 10 men for most of the match following
Miguel Comminges
Miguel Gregory Comminges (born 16 March 1982) is a Guadeloupean former professional Association football, footballer. He also represented the Guadeloupe national football team. A versatile player, Comminges played on either side of defence, as ...
' early red card.
In what was his last match in caretaker charge, Roberts stated he was "proud of the phenomenal performance", and that "the attitude, the way the lads reacted to the adversity we faced was probably something I haven't seen all season, to that level anyway".
A day later, Graham Westley was re-appointed as Stevenage manager, who brought Roberts to the club in 2008, and as a result Roberts was able to concentrate solely on his playing role.
He played 48 times during the season, scoring four goals.
During his four-and-a-half-year spell at Stevenage, Roberts made 239 appearances in all competitions, an appearance record that places him sixth on the club's all-time appearance list, and scored 27 goals.
Fleetwood Town
Following the expiry of his contract at Stevenage, rejecting the club's offer of a new contract, Roberts signed for League Two club
Fleetwood Town
Fleetwood Town Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Fleetwood, Lancashire. Established in 1997, the current Fleetwood Town F.C. is the fourth incarnation of the club; it was originally formed in ...
on a free transfer on 3 July 2013.
On joining Fleetwood, Roberts stated – "I was massively impressed with this club from the first moment. Joining Fleetwood is an exciting prospect and I jumped at the chance after seeing the plans and hearing the chairman's vision".
Shortly before the start of the
2013–14 season, Roberts was named as Fleetwood's new captain, stating it was a "massive honour to be named as club captain for the season".
He scored six minutes into his Fleetwood debut, also the first League Two goal of the new season, with a header in a 3–1 home victory against
Dagenham & Redbridge
Dagenham & Redbridge Football Club is a professional association football club based in Dagenham, Greater London, England. The team competes in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. Often known simply as Dag ...
.
As a result of Fleetwood's fourth-place finish in League Two, the club competed in the League Two play-offs.
Roberts played in all three matches, with the team keeping three consecutive clean sheets,
as Fleetwood won promotion to League One for the first time in the club's history after a 1–0 victory over
Burton Albion
Burton Albion Football Club is a professional association football club in the town of Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, England. The team compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. The club moved its home groun ...
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 Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Stadium, which was demolished from 200 ...
in
the final
Final, Finals or The Final may refer to:
*Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event
** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...
.
Roberts made 45 appearances in all competitions during his first season with the club, scoring three goals.
He remained at Fleetwood for the club's
first season in League One, starting the season playing a peripheral role, featuring in just one match in the opening two months of the season.
Roberts made his first league appearance of the season on 4 October 2014, playing the whole match as Fleetwood secured a 1–0 win against
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 ...
at
Highbury Stadium
Arsenal Stadium was a football stadium in Highbury, London, which was the home of Arsenal Football Club between 6 September 1913 and 7 May 2006. It was popularly known as "Highbury" due to its location and was given the affectionate nickname ...
.
After playing the whole 90 minutes in a 1–0 away win at
Yeovil Town Yeovil Town may refer to:
* Yeovil Town F.C., an English football team based in Yeovil, Somerset
* Yeovil Town L.F.C.
Bridgwater United Women's Football Club are an English women's association football club based in Bridgwater, Somerset who wer ...
, he was a regular in the starting line-up for the remainder of the season.
Similarly to a year earlier, he scored in an away victory at Rochdale, scoring a header from
Stephen Dobbie
Stephen Dobbie (born 5 December 1982) is a Scottish former professional footballer. He is Senior Professional Development Phase coach at his former club Blackpool.
Dobbie is Queen of the South's second-highest goalscorer of all time (166 goa ...
's free-kick in a 2–0 win on 28 December 2014.
On the final day of the regular season, he scored Fleetwood's second goal in the club's 2–1 victory against Port Vale on 3 May 2015, with Roberts scoring from a yard out after
David Ball centred Josh Morris' cross.
The game was Roberts' final game for Fleetwood, as the club consolidated their place in League One after finishing in 10th place.
He made 72 appearances for Fleetwood in all competitions over his two years with the club, scoring six times.
Roberts was released by Fleetwood upon the expiry of his contract in May 2015, one of 14 first team players to be released, with Fleetwood manager
Graham Alexander
Graham Alexander (born 10 October 1971) is a professional football manager and former player who was most recently the manager of Scottish Premiership club Motherwell. In a lengthy playing career, Alexander represented Scunthorpe United, Luton ...
stating the club's "drive had shifted to focus on youth development".
Cambridge United
Roberts joined League Two club
Cambridge United
Cambridge United Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Cambridge, England. They compete in EFL League one , the 3rd tier of the English football league system. The club is based at the Abbey Stadium on N ...
on 25 May 2015, signing a two-year deal.
He was named as the club's captain, a position he had previously held at both Stevenage and Fleetwood Town. Roberts made his debut for Cambridge on the opening day of the
2015–16 season, playing the full 90 minutes as Cambridge defeated
Newport County 3–0 at the
Abbey Stadium
Abbey Stadium is a association football, football stadium in Cambridge, England. It has been the home ground of Cambridge United F.C. since 1932, and currently has a maximum Seating capacity, capacity of 8,127 spectators. Cambridge Regional Coll ...
.
He scored his first goal for the club in a 2–2 draw at
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 ...
on 3 October 2015, scoring from close range as Cambridge fought back from two goals down to earn a point.
A week later, Roberts was sent-off for violent conduct in Cambridge's 3–1 home defeat to
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 ...
.
He was a regular starter for Cambridge up until the end of January 2016,
when he was dropped ahead of an away match at
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 professio ...
.
He was subsequently replaced as captain by
Luke Berry
Luke David Berry (born 12 July 1992) is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for club Luton Town.
Career Cambridge City and Cambridge United
Born in Cambridge, Berry played for Comberton Crusaders before joining Cambrid ...
, with manager
Shaun Derry
Shaun Peter Derry (born 6 December 1977) is an English former professional footballer and manager. He previously managed Notts County and Cambridge United, and played for Crystal Palace, Leeds United and Queens Park Rangers among other clubs. De ...
stating "I've spoken to Mark and he's accepted it as a man. He'll respond in the right way because he's a leader of men".
He made 34 appearances for Cambridge in his first season with the club, scoring twice.
Roberts remained at Cambridge for the
2016–17 season, making his first start a month into the new season, helping Cambridge earn their first victory of the season, 2–1 away at Newport County on 24 September 2016.
Three days later, he scored the only goal of the game from close range after 65 minutes in a 1–0 win against
Yeovil Town Yeovil Town may refer to:
* Yeovil Town F.C., an English football team based in Yeovil, Somerset
* Yeovil Town L.F.C.
Bridgwater United Women's Football Club are an English women's association football club based in Bridgwater, Somerset who wer ...
.
The victory meant Cambridge moved off the bottom of the league table.
Roberts' return to the first team coincided with an upturn in form for the team and he remained a regular in the starting line-up in the centre of defence for the following five months of the season.
He scored his second goal of the season with a 92nd-minute equaliser in an eventual 4–2 extra-time
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 ...
victory at
Dover Athletic
Dover Athletic Football Club is a semi-professional association football club based in the town of Dover, Kent, England. The club currently competes in the National League South, the sixth tier of English football. The club was formed in 198 ...
on 17 November 2016,
with Roberts playing all four FA Cup games as Cambridge progressed to the Third Round and faced
Leeds United
Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire in England. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of England's football league system, and plays its home matches at Elland Road S ...
live on
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...
.
His third goal of the season was a 93rd-minute winning goal in a 3–2 victory over Newport County in February 2017, scoring from a rebound in a game Cambridge had trailed by two goals.
Roberts did not make an appearance beyond March 2017, and played 31 games during the season, scoring three times.
At the end of the season, Cambridge announced their released and retained list, stating that Roberts had been placed on the transfer-list with a year remaining on his contract.
Having made no appearances for Cambridge in the opening weeks of the
2017–18 season, Roberts' contract with the club was cancelled by mutual consent on 24 August 2017.
Forest Green Rovers
On the same day as his departure from Cambridge was announced, Roberts signed for fellow League Two club
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 one-year contract.
He made his Forest Green debut on 26 August 2017, playing the whole match in a 5–1 away defeat 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 ...
.
Despite initially being a regular in the centre of defence for Forest Green, Roberts did not play in the first team from the start of 2018,
his last appearance for the club coming in a 2–0 defeat to Yeovil Town in the Football League Trophy on 9 January 2018.
Having not played first-team football for four months,
Roberts left Forest Green upon the expiry of his contract in May 2018.
He made 20 appearances during his time with Forest Green.
Warrington Town
Roberts joined
Northern Premier League
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 Divisio ...
Premier Division club
Warrington Town on a free transfer ahead of the
2018–19 season.
He made his Warrington debut in the club's opening league match of the season, a 2–0 home defeat to
Farsley Celtic
Farsley Celtic Football Club is a football club based in Farsley, West Yorkshire, England. The club was founded in 1908, but folded in 2010 and were reformed as Farsley AFC before returning to the name Farsley Celtic in 2015. .
Roberts was appointed as club captain ahead of Warrington's next fixture away at
Lancaster City
Lancaster City Football Club is an English semi-professional non-League football club based in the northern city of Lancaster, Lancashire. They currently compete in and play at Giant Axe. They are full members of the Lancashire County Footb ...
, in what turned out to be their first victory of the season.
He scored his first goal for Warrington in the club's 3–3 draw with
Nantwich Town
Nantwich Town Football Club is a semi-professional football club based in Nantwich, Cheshire, England. The club was founded in 1884 and is nicknamed ''The Dabbers'', a reference to the town's tanning industry. They currently compete in and play ...
on 23 February 2019.
Roberts played regularly throughout the season as Warrington finished the season in third place in the Northern Premier Division.
He played in all of the club's three play-off fixtures, winning the Northern Premier Division play-offs,
before losing 3–2 after extra-time to
King's Lynn Town in the
step three super play-off final on 11 May 2019.
Roberts made 49 appearances during the season, scoring twice.
He signed a one-year contract extension with Warrington on 24 May 2019.
Roberts played regularly for Warrington during the
2019–20 and
2020–21
The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen b ...
seasons, with both campaigns ultimately being curtailed due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
.
Warrington were positioned in third and fourth place respectively in the Northern Premier League Premier Division in each season at the time of suspension.
He signed a new one-year contract to remain at Warrington on 9 July 2021,
playing 47 times during the
2021–22 season as Warringon were defeated in the Northern Premier League play-off final at the end of that season.
Roberts announced his retirement from playing on 20 June 2022.
Style of play
Described as a "commanding
centre-back
In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring.
Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...
",
Roberts was deployed in central defence throughout his career.
Appointed as
club captain
The team captain of an association football team, sometimes known as the skipper, is a team member chosen to be the on-pitch leader of the team; they are often one of the older or more experienced members of the squad, or a player that can heavi ...
at Stevenage, Fleetwood, Cambridge United and Warrington, his leadership skills have been highlighted as one of his main strengths.
During his playing career, he was described as a "goalscoring threat" from
set-pieces,
having scored the majority of his goals from attacking
free kick
A free kick is an action used in several codes of football to restart play with the kicking of a ball into the field of play.
Association football
In association football, the free kick is a method of restarting the game following an offence ...
and
corner kick
A corner kick is the method of restarting play in a game of association football when the ball goes out of play over the goal line, without a goal being scored and having last been touched by a member of the defending team. The kick is taken ...
set-pieces.
Personal life
Roberts studied
professional sports writing and broadcasting at
Staffordshire University
, mottoeng = Dare to know
, type = Public
, endowment = £70 million (2015)
, administrative_staff = 1,375
, chancellor = Francis Fitzherbert, 15th Baron Stafford
, vice_chancellor = Professor Martin Jones
, ...
, graduating in 2012.
He continued his studies after graduating from university, gaining two further football-based business qualifications at the Sports Business Institute.
Roberts has stated he has a keen interest in "what goes on behind the scenes" in football, particularity at boardroom level, gaining his ACGP accreditation after enrolling himself in a corporate governance programme.
He completed a
Master of Business Administration
A Master of Business Administration (MBA; also Master's in Business Administration) is a postgraduate degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration such as accounti ...
degree at the
University of Salford
, caption = Coat of ArmsUniversity of Salford
, mottoeng = "Let us seek higher things"
, established = 1850 - Pendleton Mechanics Institute 1896 – Royal Technical Institute, Salford 1967 – gained ...
in 2020, with the degree focussed on
CEO
A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...
s in sport.
Roberts is a personal development mentor for League Football Education (LFE), where he is mentoring first-year apprentices at six professional clubs.
Career statistics
:A. The "Other" column constitutes appearances and goals in the
FA Trophy
The Football Association Challenge Trophy, commonly known as the FA Trophy, is a men's football knockout cup competition run by and named after the English Football Association and competed for primarily by semi-professional teams. The compet ...
,
EFL Trophy
The English Football League Trophy, known for sponsorship purposes as the Papa Johns Trophy after restaurant chain Papa John's Pizza, is an annual English association football knockout competition open to all clubs in EFL League One and EFL Le ...
,
English Football League play-offs
The English Football League play-offs are a series of play-off matches contested by the four association football teams finishing immediately below the automatic promotion places in the second, third and fourth tiers of the English football league ...
and
Northern Premier League
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 Divisio ...
play-offs.
Honours
Stevenage
*
FA Trophy
The Football Association Challenge Trophy, commonly known as the FA Trophy, is a men's football knockout cup competition run by and named after the English Football Association and competed for primarily by semi-professional teams. The compet ...
:
2008–09;
runner-up:
2009–10
*
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-profess ...
:
2009–10
*
League Two play-offs
The EFL League Two play-offs are a series of play-off matches contested by the association football teams finishing from fourth to seventh in EFL League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. They are part of the annual Engli ...
:
2010–11
1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...
Fleetwood Town
*League Two play-offs:
2013–14
Warrington Town
*
Northern Premier League
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 Divisio ...
Premier Division play-offs:
2018–19;
runner-up:
2021–22
*
Step Three Super play-offs runner-up:
2018–19
Individual
*
Stevenage Player of the Year: 2008–09,
2011–12
*Conference Premier Team of the Year:
2008–09, 2009–10
*Conference Premier Player of the Month:
April 2010
*
Northern Premier League
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 Divisio ...
Premier Division Team of the Year:
2018–19
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Roberts, Mark
1983 births
Living people
Sportspeople from Northwich
English footballers
Association football defenders
Crewe Alexandra F.C. players
Leek Town F.C. players
Vauxhall Motors F.C. players
Southport F.C. players
Chester City F.C. players
Halifax Town A.F.C. players
Northwich Victoria F.C. players
Accrington Stanley F.C. players
Stevenage F.C. players
Fleetwood Town F.C. players
Cambridge United F.C. players
Forest Green Rovers F.C. players
Warrington Town F.C. players
English Football League players
National League (English football) players
Northern Premier League players
English football managers
Stevenage F.C. managers
English Football League managers