Tony Roberts (footballer)
![]() Roberts with Wales at the 2022 FIFA World Cup | |||
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Anthony Mark Roberts[1] | ||
Date of birth | [1] | 4 August 1969||
Place of birth | Holyhead, Wales | ||
Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)[1] | ||
Position(s) | Goalkeeper | ||
Team information | |||
Current team | |||
Youth career | |||
1979–1982 | Bodedern | ||
1982–1986 | Holyhead United Juniors | ||
1986–1987 | Queens Park Rangers | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
1987–1998 | Queens Park Rangers | 122 | (0) |
1998 | Millwall | 8 | (0) |
1999–2000 | St. Albans City | 44 | (0) |
2000 | Atlanta Silverbacks | ? | (0) |
2000–2012 | Dagenham & Redbridge | 445 | (1) |
Total | 619 | (1) | |
International career | |||
1990–1991 | Wales U21 | 2 | (0) |
1993–1996 | Wales | 2 | (0) |
*Club domestic league appearances and goals |
Anthony Mark Roberts (born 4 August 1969) is a Welsh football coach and former professional footballer, who is the goalkeeping coach at AC Milan and the Wales national team.
As a player, he was as a goalkeeper who notably played in the Premier League for Queens Park Rangers over various seasons before dropping down into the Football League with the club in 1996. He later played for Millwall, St. Albans City, Atlanta Silverbacks and Dagenham & Redbridge. He was capped twice by Wales.
Since retiring, Roberts moved into coaching and returned to Queens Park Rangers before later becoming an academy coach at
Early life
As a child, Roberts attended Ysgol Thomas Elis and
Career
Early career
Roberts first became involved in football with Bodedern before joining Holyhead United Juniors at the age of twelve. After impressing one of the club's scouts, he was offered a trial with Chelsea but was forced to cancel after picking up an injury. Instead he was recommended to Queens Park Rangers by Brian Law at the age of sixteen.[3]
Queens Park Rangers
He progressed through the ranks at Loftus Road, making his debut against Coventry City in December 1987. He served as understudy to David Seaman during his early years with the club before taking over as the club's first choice goalkeeper after a number of years competing with Jan Stejskal, following the departure of Seaman in 1990. A broken finger sustained in a match against Ipswich Town in January 1998 saw Roberts fall out of favour with the club, resulting in a move to Millwall at the end of the 1997–98 season. In 2003, he was given a testimonial match by QPR.[2]
Retirement and return
Roberts played just eight times at
Dagenham & Redbridge
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/be/Roberts%2C_Tony.jpg/175px-Roberts%2C_Tony.jpg)
In 2000, Roberts joined Dagenham & Redbridge, managed by his former St Albans boss Garry Hill. Whilst playing for the club, Roberts became only the second goalkeeper[6] ever to score a goal in an FA Cup tie when he scored against Basingstoke Town in a fourth qualifying round tie in October 2001. Remaining the club's first choice goalkeeper since his arrival, Roberts broke the appearance record at the club and was handed a testimonial match against West Ham United in 2007.[7] Roberts also holds the record for the only goalkeeper ever to be sent off in the FA Cup in the opposing area when he was red carded after a clash with Peter Clarke during a 5–2 defeat to Southend United in the third round of the FA Cup on 5 January 2008.[8]
In the 2006–07 season, Roberts was part of the side that achieved promotion to
Roberts announced his second retirement before a pre-season friendly before West Ham United, on 26 July 2011. It came after Roberts made over 400 appearances for the Daggers between the years of 2000 and 2011 scoring one goal against
International career
Roberts had previously been capped at under-18 level for Wales
During his career, he won two full international caps as a substitute in matches against Republic of Ireland on 17 February 1993 and San Marino on 31 August 1996,[14] as well as being selected 30 times as backup goalkeeper to Neville Southall.[15] He also became the first Welshman to be capped at both full and semi-professional level as he helped his country win the non-league 'Home International' series twice.[16]
Coaching career
Roberts combined goalkeeper duties at Dagenham & Redbridge with a coaching role at Queens Park Rangers, and then at
Honours
Dagenham & Redbridge
- Conference National winner: 2006–07
- 2009–10
References
- General
- Hayes, Dean P. (2004). Wales The Complete Who's Who of Footballers Since 1946. Sutton Publishing Limited. ISBN 0-7509-3700-9.
- Specific
- ^ ISBN 978-1-84596-324-8.
- ^ a b c "QPR honours Holyhead hero". BBC Sport. 4 July 2003. Retrieved 12 August 2008.
- ^ a b c "Biography". keepersworld.com. Archived from the original on 13 July 2011. Retrieved 20 January 2010.
- ^ "Tony Roberts". saintsstatistics.co.uk. Retrieved 16 June 2018.
- ^ Tallentire, Mark (9 April 2007). "Daggers' promotion fills Still with greatest joy". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 20 January 2010.
- ^ "The Third Man". The Football Association. Retrieved 14 September 2010.
- ^ a b "Tony Roberts". Dagenham & Redbridge F.C. Archived from the original on 6 April 2012. Retrieved 20 January 2010.
- ^ "Southend 5–2 Dag & Red". BBC Sport. 5 January 2008. Retrieved 20 January 2010.
- ^ "Roberts tips Daggers to come good". BBC Sport. 5 October 2006. Retrieved 20 January 2010.
- London Evening Standard. 9 May 2003. Archived from the originalon 5 June 2011. Retrieved 20 January 2010.
- ^ "400 up for Roberts". Dagenham & Redbridge F.C. 21 February 2009. Retrieved 20 January 2010.
- ^ "Roberts pens new Daggers contract". BBC Sport. 27 May 2009. Retrieved 20 January 2010.
- ^ "Keeper Tony Roberts to stay at Dagenham & Redbridge". BBC Sport. 15 June 2011. Retrieved 1 November 2011.
- ^ "Wales – International Results 1990–1999 – Details". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 20 January 2010.
- ^ a b Winter, Henry (25 January 2003). "On the Spot: Tony Roberts". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 16 June 2018.
- ^ "Roberts plans to keep on playing". BBC Sport. 22 February 2005. Retrieved 20 January 2010.
- ^ "Tony Roberts has survival and a quadruple on his mind". London Evening Standard. 13 January 2011. Retrieved 16 June 2018.
- ^ "Tony Roberts: Goalkeeper coach joins Swansea from Arsenal". BBC Sport. 19 June 2015. Retrieved 16 June 2018.
- ^ "Wales goalkeeping coach Tony Roberts joins Chris Coleman in China". BBC Sport. 14 June 2018. Retrieved 16 June 2018.
- ^ "Tony Roberts appointed Blues goalkeeper coach". Birmingham City F.C. 26 October 2020. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
- ^ "Football restructure". Birmingham City F.C. 25 June 2021. Retrieved 25 June 2021.
- ^ Edwards, Joe (24 June 2021). "Wolves set to land Wales goalkeeping coach Tony Roberts". www.expressandstar.com. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
External links
- Tony Roberts at Soccerbase
- "Tony Roberts". Barry Hugman's Footballers.