Stuart Robert Sinclair (born 19 November 1987) 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 lea ...

who played as a

midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...

Career

Bristol Rovers

Sinclair joined newly relegated

Conference Premier The National League, officially known as Vanarama National League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in England. The National League is the first division of the National Leagues and step 1 of the National Le ...

club Bristol Rovers in the summer of 2014. During the 2014–15 season, he helped the club to gain an instant

promotion Promotion may refer to: Marketing * Promotion (marketing), one of the four marketing mix elements, comprising any type of marketing communication used to inform or persuade target audiences of the relative merits of a product, service, brand or i ...

back 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, it is the oldest football league in the world, and was the top-level football league in England from ...

. On 8 August 2015, Sinclair made his Football League debut in a 1–0 home defeat to

Northampton Town Northampton Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Northampton, England. The team competes in EFL League One, League One, the third level of the English football league system. Founded in 1897, the c ...

. During Sinclair's third Football League appearance, he netted a late winner against

Luton Town Luton Town Football Club is a professional association football, football club from Luton, Bedfordshire, England. The club currently competes in EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system. Nicknamed "The Hatters", L ...

on 18 August 2015. Sinclair continued to perform well, picking up various Man of the Match awards. His second and final goal of the season was during a 1–1 draw away to

Exeter City Exeter City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Exeter, Devon, England. The team play in , the third level of the English football league system. Known as "the Grecians", the origin of their nickname is subject to ...

. After picking up an injury which required surgery and saw him out of action for over six weeks, he missed the end of the 2015–16 season, including a dramatic match against Dagenham & Redbridge on the final day, which ended in a 2–1 win, after a 92nd-minute winner earned Sinclair and the club back to back promotions. Sinclair made his first appearance of 2016–17 on the opening day of the season in a 3–1 defeat away to Scunthorpe United. His first goal of the season came in a 2–0 victory away to

Oxford United Oxford United Football Club () is a professional association football, football club based in Oxford, England. The club compete in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football league system, English football. Founded as Headingto ...

on 4 March 2017. Sinclair was sent off in a 3–0 defeat away to Bury on 14 March after being booked twice for simulation. Sinclair was released when his contract expired at the end of the 2018–19 season having become a strong fan-favourite during his time with the club, earning cult hero status. Stuart Sinclair

Walsall

Sinclair signed for

Walsall Walsall (, or ; locally ) is a market town and administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall, in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. Historic counties of England, Historically part of Staffordshire, it is located ...

, who were newly relegated to League Two, on 21 May 2019 on a contract of undisclosed length, effective from 1 July. He made his debut on the opening day of the 2019–20 season as Walsall won 1–0 away to Northampton Town. Towards the end of the 2020–21 season, with Walsall having a limited backroom coaching staff, Sinclair stepped up to help coach some of the younger players in the squad. At the end of the season, after two seasons at the club, Sinclair was one of eight players to not be offered a new contract and would leave Walsall upon the expiration of his contract.

Retirement

Following his departure from Walsall, Sinclair moved to Canada. In 2023, during a short spell back in England, he joined Spartan South Midlands Division One club Real Bedford, managed by brother Rob.

Personal life

Sinclair's brother, Rob Sinclair, also became a professional footballer.

Career statistics

Honours

Arlesey Town * Southern League Division One Central:

2010–11 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...

Salisbury City *

Conference South The National League South, officially Vanarama National League South, is a professional Association football league in England. National League South is the second division of the National Leagues and step 2 of the NLS and sixth-highest ti ...

play-offs: 2012–13 Bristol Rovers *

runner-up: 2014–15 *Conference Premier play-offs: 2014–15

References

External links

Profile
at the Walsall F.C. website {{DEFAULTSORT:Sinclair, Stuart 1987 births Living people People from Houghton Conquest English men's footballers Men's association football midfielders Luton Town F.C. players Cambridge City F.C. players Bedford Town F.C. players Dunstable Town F.C. players Arlesey Town F.C. players Salisbury City F.C. players Bristol Rovers F.C. players Walsall F.C. players Real Bedford F.C. players Southern Football League players National League (English football) players English Football League players Spartan South Midlands Football League players Footballers from Bedfordshire 21st-century English sportsmen