Ronnie Sinclair

Infobox Football biography
playername = Ronnie Sinclair


fullname = Ronald McDonald Sinclair
dateofbirth = birth date and age|1964|11|19|df=y
cityofbirth = Stirling
countryofbirth = England
height = height|ft=5|in=11
currentclub = Stoke City (academy coach)
nickname =
clubnumber =
position = Goalkeeper
youthyears =
1981–1982
youthclubs = Stirling Boys Club
Nottingham Forest
years = 1982–1986
1984
1984
1985
1986
1986–1989
1987
1988–1989
1989–1991
1991
1991–1996
1994
1996–1998
1998
1999
1999–?
clubs = Nottingham Forest
→ Wrexham (loan)
→ Derby County (loan)
→ Sheffield United (loan)
→ Leeds United (loan)
Leeds United
→ Halifax Town (loan)
→ Halifax Town (loan)
Bristol City
→ Walsall (loan)
Stoke City
→ Bradford City (loan)
Chester City
Stoke City
Leek Town
Witton Albion
caps(goals) = 00 (0)
11 (0)
00 (0)
00 (0)
00 (0)
08 (0)
04 (0)
10 (0)
44 (0)
10 (0)
80 (0)
00 (0)
70 (0)
00 (0)

nationalyears =
nationalteam = Scotland Youth and Schoolboys
nationalcaps(goals) =

Ronnie Sinclair (born 19 November 1964, Stirling) is a former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. Although born in Scotland, Sinclair spent his career in England, with the majority of his appearances coming with Bristol City, Stoke City and Chester City. He is now a coach with Stoke.

Playing career

Capped by Scotland at youth and schoolboy level, Sinclair joined Nottingham Forest as an apprentice from Stirling Boys Club and he signed professional forms in November 1982. However he failed to make a first-team appearance for the City Ground club and it was in a loan spell with Division Four side Wrexham in the closing stages of the 1983–84 season that Sinclair gained his first Football League action. Over the following two seasons he spent time on loan with Derby County, Sheffield United and Leeds United without making the first-team, but he was snapped up on a permanent basis by Leeds in June 1986 for £10,000. He made eight league appearances the following season before twice joining Halifax Town on loan.

In September 1989 Sinclair moved to Bristol City, who he helped win promotion from Division Three in his first season at Ashton Gate. By the early stages of the 1991–92 campaign he was out on loan again though, spending time with Walsall before beginning a five year stay with Stoke City in a £25,000 move in November 1991. Sinclair faced regular competition for the goalkeeper’s jersey with Stoke but played more than 20 games in his first three seasons at the club.

After falling out of favour, Sinclair joined Chester City on a free transfer in August 1996. After conceding just 43 goals in 1996–97, Chester qualified for the Division Three play-offs with Sinclair voted the club’s player of the season. Unfortunately the Blues lost to Swansea City in the semi-finals and the following season saw Sinclair miss 13 league games following the emergence of Wayne Brown. He was not selected again after a 5–0 thrashing at Exeter City on 4 April 1998 and manager Kevin Ratcliffe announced later in the month that Sinclair’s contract would not be renewed. [Cite news
title= Sinclair Released by City
url= http://www.chester-city.co.uk/april98news.asp
publisher= chester-city.co.uk (see 29 April)
date= 1998-04-29
accessdate= 2008-01-04]

Coaching

Sinclair never played professionally again after leaving Chester and has spent most of his time working as goalkeeping coach with Stoke City (where he initially was registered again as a player). He now is an academy coach with the club. [Cite news
title= Where is Ronnie?
url= http://www.clubfanzine.com/stoke_city/showNews.php?id=5115&loc=1
publisher= BoothenEnd.com
date= 2007-10-30
accessdate= 2008-01-04]

He has also played non-league football with Leek Town and Witton Albion. [Cite news
title= Ronnie sizes up challenge to keep Witton at the top
url= http://archive.runcornandwidnesworld.co.uk/1999/12/8/225968.html
publisher= Guardian Series
date= 1999-12-08
accessdate= 2008-01-04] Sinclair in recent times has continued to pull on his gloves and regularly appears in charity games [Cite news
title= Former Stoke and Vale players got Happy
url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/stoke/content/articles/2007/11/07/happy_football_tournament_feature.shtml
publisher= BBC Stoke & Staffordshire
date= 2007-11-16
accessdate= 2008-01-04] and alongside former team-mates in the Masters series. [Cite news
title= Central Masters
url= http://www.mastersfootball.com/masterscup2007_central.htm
publisher= Masters Football (see squad lists)
date=
accessdate= 2008-01-04]

Honours

Bristol City

• Football League Division Three runners-up: 1989–90

Chester City

• Player of the Season: 1996–97

External links

*soccerbase|id=7317|Ronnie Sinclair

References