Alex Rhodes (footballer)

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Alex Rhodes
Rhodes playing for Grays Athletic in 2007
Personal information
Full name Alexander Graham Rhodes
Date of birth (1982-01-23) 23 January 1982 (age 42)
Place of birth Cambridge, England
Height 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Position(s)
winger
Youth career
Newmarket Town
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1999–2003 Newmarket Town
2003–2007 Brentford 57 (5)
2006 → Swindon Town (loan) 4 (0)
2007 → Grays Athletic (loan) 12 (1)
2007–2008 Bradford City 28 (3)
2008–2009 Rotherham United 18 (2)
2009 → Woking (loan) 3 (1)
2009 Oxford United 4 (0)
2009–2010 Braintree Town
2010 Grays Athletic 15 (0)
2010–2012 Canvey Island 52 (10)
2012–2013 Margate 21 (4)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Alexander Graham Rhodes (born 23 January 1982) is an English former professional

striker.[1][2]

Rhodes started his career with

Football League clubs, he joined Brentford in November 2003[4] and scored the goal that ensured they were not relegated six months later. Rhodes scored five goals during his four seasons at Brentford, which were hampered by injury and included loan spells at Swindon Town and Grays Athletic. He signed for Bradford City in August 2007 but was released after one season, before joining Rotherham United. A loan spell at Woking was followed by his release from Rotherham in May 2009, when he dropped back out of the Football League to join Oxford United. He played just four games before leaving Oxford by mutual consent, and moved to Braintree Town
, initially on a short-term deal. Rhodes rejoined Grays Athletic in January 2010, but was released at the end of the 2009–10 season.

Personal life

Rhodes was born on 23 January 1982 in Cambridge, Cambridgeshire.[5][6] He first attended a football game at his hometown side Cambridge United but grew up as a Liverpool fan. As well as football, he played cricket as a youngster.[7] Rhodes is nicknamed "Tiger",[8] because of his likeness to golfer Tiger Woods.

Rhodes had a tattoo of a 142-word quotation inked onto his leg in November 2008; the passage was originally written by peace activist Marian Williamson. It took five hours to inscribe onto Rhodes' leg. Rhodes said he had the tattoo done because "I had a few knock-backs when I was younger, when people were telling me I was too small, but I've always been determined to prove them wrong and I just feel this quotation is appropriate for me and my life."[9][10]

Career

Newmarket Town

Rhodes started his football career at

hat-tricks in September 2003 attracted the attention of league scouts, including Norwich City, Cambridge United and Yeovil Town.[13][14] He scored 21 goals for Newmarket in the Eastern Counties League during the first four months of the 2003–04 season. After trials with Yeovil, Norwich and Ipswich Town, Rhodes signed with Brentford in November 2003 for £10,000.[15][16] It was the first time Brentford had paid a transfer fee for a player since Jean-Philippe Javary three years earlier, with the money donated by the club's fans.[8] In his final game with Newmarket, he scored a hat-trick in a 4–3 victory against Great Yarmouth Town.[17]

Brentford

Rhodes made his Brentford debut on Boxing Day 2003 in a 2–1 defeat to Bristol City but had to wait more than four months for his second game.[18] He scored his first senior goal in his third game to ensure Brentford avoided relegation from the Second Division when they defeated AFC Bournemouth 1–0.[19]

Rhodes returned to Newmarket Town for a pre-season friendly game with Brentford in August 2004, during which he scored a hat-trick in a 5–0 win.[20] It helped him to win a place in the first team, and he scored on the first day of the 2004–05 season when Brentford lost 3–1 to Chesterfield.[21] It was not until November 2004 that he scored his second goal in another defeat—2–1 to Bradford City.[22] Five days later, he scored the winning penalty against Bristol City to take Brentford through to the second round of the FA Cup.[23] In December, Rhodes scored in successive games, first in the league against Sheffield Wednesday,[24] then another penalty in the FA Cup as Brentford's 2–1 victory against Hinckley United set up a third round tie with Luton Town.[25] He was unable to play in the third round tie after he suffered a serious knee injury against Walsall in January 2005, which kept him out of action until September 2005.[26][27] Although Rhodes had been a regular in the Brentford squad, his 22 league games included just four starts.[28]

Injury again hit Rhodes'

Swansea City denied them a place in the final.[32]

He made 11 appearances for Brentford at the start of the

Conference side Grays Athletic for seven weeks.[37] He played 12 league games and twice in the FA Trophy during his spell at Grays, scoring once in each competition,[35] before he returned to Brentford in time to play in their final game of the season.[38] Rhodes was offered a new contract by new Brentford manager Terry Butcher but turned it down and left the club on 25 June 2007.[39] He played 65 games in all competitions for Brentford, but two-thirds of those were as substitute, scoring just six goals.[5]

Bradford City

After trials with

League Two sides Darlington and Bradford City,[40] Rhodes signed for the latter on a short-term deal.[1] He made his debut in City's first game of the season when they drew 1–1 with Macclesfield Town in a team featuring six new players.[41] He scored his first goal in a 2–1 win over Chester City on 6 November 2007.[42] He extended his stay at Bradford City until the end of the season in January 2008.[43] Despite signing a new contract, injury kept Rhodes out of the side at the start of 2008 until 23 February when he scored his second Bradford goal in a 3–1 victory at Notts County after coming on as substitute.[44][45] His performance in the Notts County victory earned him a place in the starting side three days later when he again scored in a 3–2 win against Rotherham United.[46][47] On 29 April, he was one of 13 players released by manager Stuart McCall.[48] Rhodes played a total of 30 games for Bradford, but started only 11 of those, scoring three goals.[5]

Rotherham United

In June 2008, Rhodes returned to League Two, when he signed a one-year deal with Rotherham United,

Football League Trophy area semi-final with Darlington, which Rotherham won on penalties,[55] but did not play again until the two sides met once more in a league game at the end of January 2009.[56]

It was only a brief return to the side and two months later Rhodes joined

Conference National side Woking on loan for the rest of the season.[57][58] His debut for Woking came two days later in the club's 1–1 draw with Wrexham, with Rhodes being substituted towards the end of the second half by Joel Ledgister.[59] He played three games for Woking, scoring one goal.[56] Rhodes returned to Rotherham but was released by the club having played 18 games and scoring four goals during his one season stay.[56][60]

Return to non-League

Having been released, Rhodes returned to the Conference by joining Oxford United on a free transfer in May 2009.[61] Rhodes made his Oxford debut in their opening game of the season against York City as a second-half substitute for Jack Midson to help his team come from 1–0 down to win 2–1.[56][62] However, after he had played just four games, Rhodes left by mutual consent.[56][63]

Rhodes immediately joined

Conference South side Braintree Town, initially on a contract until the start of January. His new assistant manager Jason Broom described Rhodes as an "exciting" talent.[64] He made his debut against St Albans City helping to create his new side's goal in a 1–1 draw.[65]
Rhodes failed to impress and was released after Christmas 2009.

Rhodes rejoined former club Grays Athletic, where he had played on loan in 2007, on 19 January 2010.[66] He scored a goal on his debut in a hastily arranged friendly, after their league game with Kidderminster Harriers was postponed, later in the week during a 4–1 victory against Aveley.[67] Rhodes' senior debut came at the end of the same week, when he was one of six new members of manager Julian Dicks' side, only for them to lose 4–0 to Rhodes' former team Oxford United. Rhodes was substituted by Harry Agombar during the second half.[68][69] He was released at the end of the 2009–10 season, having made 15 appearances.[70]

Rhodes instead started to train with

Isthmian League Premier Division side Canvey Island[73] and immediately went into the first-team to make his debut on 28 August in a home league match against Carshalton Athletic, which finished 1–1, with Rhodes close to scoring what would have been a late winning goal for his new club.[74] Rhodes' first goals for Canvey Island came in a FA Cup first round qualifying match against Newport Pagnell Town, scoring twice in a 4–1 victory.[75][76] He scored again in the next round to put Canvey into the third qualifying round.[77] Rhodes signed a contract to keep him with the club until the end of the season[78] and scored two more in Canvey's ultimate exit from the FA Cup.[79]

Career statistics

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season Division League FA Cup League Cup Other[80] Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Newmarket Town 2003–04[81]
Eastern Counties League
Premier Division 		11 14 0 0 — 0 0 11 14
Brentford 2003–04[18] Second Division 3 1 0 0 — 0 0 3 1
2004–05[27] League One 22 3 4 1 1 0 1 0 28 4
2005–06[30] 17 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 18 1
2006–07[35] 15 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 16 0
Total 57 5 4 1 2 0 2 0 65 6
Swindon Town (loan) 2006–07[35] League Two 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 0
Grays Athletic (loan) 2006–07[35]
Conference Premier
 12 1 0 0 — 2 1 14 2
Bradford City
2007–08[82]
 League Two 28 3 1 0 1 0 0 0 30 3
Rotherham United 2008–09[83] League Two 18 2 2 0 4 1 3 0 27 3
Woking (loan) 2008–09[83] Conference Premier 3 1 0 0 — 0 0 3 1
Oxford United
2009–10[84]
 Conference Premier 4 0 0 0 — 0 0 4 0
Braintree Town 2009–10[85]
Conference South
 6 0 0 0 — 0 0 6 0
Grays Athletic 2009–10[86] Conference Premier 15 0 0 0 — 0 0 15 0
Canvey Island 2010–11[87]
Isthmian League Premier Division
 38 8 4 5 — 1 0 43 13
2011–12[87] 14 2 2 0 — 2 1 18 3
Total 57 5 4 1 0 0 2 0 65 6
Career total 210 36 13 6 7 1 10 2 240 45

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External links

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