Robbie Winters Explained

Robbie Winters
Fullname:Robert Winters
Birth Date:1974 11, df=y
Birth Place:East Kilbride, Scotland
Position:Striker
Youthyears1:1991–1992
Youthclubs1:Muirend Amateurs
Years1:1992–1998
Clubs1:Dundee United
Caps1:119
Goals1:26
Years2:1998–2002
Clubs2:Aberdeen
Caps2:132
Goals2:41
Years3:2002
Clubs3:Luton Town
Caps3:1
Goals3:0
Years4:2002–2008
Clubs4:Brann
Caps4:134
Goals4:42
Years5:2009
Clubs5:Clyde
Caps5:6
Goals5:0
Years6:2009
Clubs6:Ayr United
Caps6:1
Goals6:0
Years7:2009–2011
Clubs7:Livingston
Caps7:63
Goals7:18
Years8:2011
Clubs8:Grindavik
Caps8:14
Goals8:3
Years9:2011–2012
Clubs9:Alloa Athletic
Caps9:25
Goals9:5
Years10:2012–2013
Clubs10:Peterhead
Caps10:20
Goals10:3
Years11:2013
Clubs11:Albion Rovers
Caps11:3
Goals11:2
Years12:2013
Clubs12:Dumbarton
Caps12:3
Goals12:0
Years13:2014–2015
Clubs13:Rossvale
Years14:2015
Clubs14:Pollok[1]
Caps14:8
Goals14:3
Years15:2015
Clubs15:East Kilbride
Years17:2015–2016
Clubs17:Pollok
Caps17:17
Goals17:2
Years18:2016
Clubs18:East Kilbride
Years19:2017
Clubs19:Pollok
Caps19:11
Goals19:2
Years20:2017–2018
Clubs20:Cumbernauld United
Nationalyears1:1999
Nationalteam1:Scotland
Nationalcaps1:1
Nationalgoals1:0
Club-Update:01:34, 24 August 2016 (UTC)

Robert Winters (born 4 November 1974) is a Scottish former footballer who played as a striker. He made one appearance for the Scotland national team in 1999.

Winters started his career in Scotland and played for Dundee United between 1992 and 1997 and Aberdeen between 1998 and 2002. After a short spell at English club Luton Town, Winters played for the Norwegian club Brann between 2002 and 2008 where he won the Norwegian Cup and the Norwegian Premier League.

Winters has later played for Clyde, Ayr United, Livingston, Grindavik, Alloa Athletic, Peterhead and Albion Rovers.

Early life

Winters was born in East Kilbride on 4 November 1974, he played as a youth for Mallard Swifts and started his career with amateur club Muirend. His younger brother David, who would also become a professional footballer, was born in 1983.

Career

Club

Winters began his senior career with Dundee United in 1992 and played 118 league games for the club, scoring 27 times.[2] A move to Aberdeen beckoned, which saw Billy Dodds and cash come to Tannadice in exchange for Winters. His time at Pittodrie was fruitful, with 41 goals from 132 league appearances.[2] In the 2000 Scottish Cup Final, Winters came on as a 2nd-minute substitute to replace injured goalkeeper Jim Leighton, who suffered a fractured cheekbone. Playing virtually the whole match in an unfamiliar position, Winters let in four goals as Rangers beat Aberdeen 4–0.[3]

After leaving in 2002 when his contract expired, Winters played one match for Luton Town, appearing in the first half of the first match of the season, before moving to Norway with Brann. After several seasons with hints about leaving Bergen due to family issues, Winters stated on 31 October that he no longer had the motivation needed to play for SK Brann, and that he wished to leave the club in January.[4] He was seeking a club, preferably in Scotland, but he also stated that an English Championship club would be interesting. With no contract offer, Winters returned to SK Brann to make peace with manager Mons Ivar Mjelde and fulfil his contract until December 2007. Winters' Scottish teammate Charlie Miller did leave and subsequently joined Belgian side Lierse.

Winters left Brann after the 2008 season, to join his family who had moved back to Scotland during the summer, due to his children starting school. Winters played 178 matches for Brann, scoring 70 goals.[5] He signed a short-term deal with Clyde until the end of the season in April 2009.[6] Winters was released by Clyde in June 2009 along with the rest of the out of contract players, due to the club's financial position.[7]

After an impressive performance as a trialist against Falkirk, Winters signed a professional contract with Livingston on 28 August 2009.

Winters played for Icelandic club Grindavík in 2011. He scored on his debut against Thor. He then played for Alloa Athletic during the 2011–12 season and helped them win the Scottish Third Division championship. In the summer of 2012, Winters signed for Peterhead,[8] before being released in February 2013 and going on a 3-game trial with Albion Rovers. He chose not to sign a contract at the expiration of the trial.[9] He joined Dumbarton in March 2013.[10]

Winters signed for Rossvale in August 2014 and scored two goals on his debut.[11] He then signed for Pollok in April 2015, where he joined his younger brother David.[12] He joined Lowland League team East Kilbride in July 2015,[13] but left the club the following month after "a difference of opinion" with manager Billy Ogilvie.[14] Returning to Junior football, he made one appearance assisting Kilbirnie Ladeside[15] before rejoining Pollok in September 2015.[16]

Winters came off the substitutes bench and scored with his first touch in the 2015–16 Scottish Junior Cup final for Pollok against Beith Juniors.[17] He also scored in the penalty shootout which Pollok eventually lost. In August 2016, Winters rejoined East Kilbride for a second spell, this time in a player-coach role and was reunited with his former Rossvale manager, Martin Lauchlan.[18] However, similarly to his first spell with the side, Winters time with the club was brief and he left in November 2016, due to a combination of work commitments and a lack of playing time.[19]

Winters joined Cumbernauld United in August 2017.[20] He retired from playing in 2018.[21]

International

Winters made one appearance for Scotland, in a 1–0 friendly win against Germany in Bremen, April 1999.

Career statistics

SeasonClubDivisionLeagueNational CupLeague CupEuropeOtherTotal
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGpalsAppsGoals
1994–95Dundee UnitedScottish Premier Division12200122
1995–96Scottish First Division3873021424710
1996–97Scottish Premier Division36863214412
1997–983083152464217
1998–99SPL31001041
Total11926124104464214942
1998–99AberdeenPremier League2812102912
1999–003374050427
2000–013793111214312
2001–02341331103814
Total13241112712115245
2002–03Luton TownSecond Division100010
2002BrannTippeligaen810081
200316710177
200423136122925
20052684041349
20062573120308
200719543572815
20081713350254
Total13542211916817269
Career total386109432516518942473156

International

Honours

Dundee United

runner-up 1997–98

runner-up 1995–96

runner-up 1995–96

Aberdeen

runner-up 1999–2000[23]

runner-up 1999–2000

SK Brann

2007; runner-up 2006

2004

Livingston

2010–11

2009–10

Alloa Athletic

2011–12

Pollok

Rossvale

2014–15[28]

Individual

Notes and References

  1. https://www.pollokfc.com/player/robbie-winters/ Robbie Winters
  2. Web site: soccerbase.com – The Internet Soccer Database. Soccerbase . 6 September 2008.
  3. Web site: Rangers profit from Dons' misery . BBC News . 27 May 2000. 6 September 2008.
  4. Web site: iBergen.no . Pub.tv2.no . Av Farid Ighoubah . 6 September 2008.
  5. https://translate.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.brann.no%2Findex.php%3Fvalg%3Dspiller%26spiller%3D54&hl=en&ie=UTF8&sl=no&tl=en Official website profile (translated from Norwegian)
  6. Web site: Robbie Winters signs. Clyde F.C.. 31 March 2009. 30 April 2009.
  7. Web site: Players Released. Clyde F.C.. 2 June 2009.
  8. News: Scottish Division Two ins and outs. BBC Sport. 7 August 2012. 7 August 2012.
  9. News: Winters departs Rovers. Scottish Football League. 28 February 2013. 2 March 2013 . dead. 3 March 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130303011911/http://www.scottishfootballleague.com/news/article/winters-departs-rovers.
  10. Web site: Dumbarton Football Club – SONS ADD TO SQUAD.
  11. News: Transfer Talk, August 15: Henrik returns; Lennon, Mackay & Moyes linked with Palace job & McFadden in MLS link. 1 October 2014. Daily Record. 15 August 2014.
  12. http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/local-news/pollok-fc-transfer-coup-glasgow-5448988 Daily Record
  13. News: Thomson. Paul. East Kilbride FC: Robbie Winters to be unveiled as club's latest signing. 21 January 2016. Daily Record. 28 July 2015. Glasgow.
  14. News: Thomson. Paul. East Kilbride FC: Winters walks out on Kilby after 'difference of opinion'. 21 January 2016. Daily Record. 20 August 2015. Glasgow.
  15. News: O'Donnell. Jim. First Robbie Winters helped out at Kilbirnie now he could be about to shoot them down . 21 January 2016. Evening Times. 16 September 2015. Glasgow.
  16. News: Juniors: Pollok skipper hails striker David Winters' return to form . Evening Times. 25 September 2015. Glasgow . 21 January 2016.
  17. News: Macpherson . Graeme . Sunshine on Beith as Ayrshire side win Scottish Junior Cup for first time . 24 August 2016 . The Herald . 29 May 2016.
  18. News: Thomson . Paul . Robbie Winters returns to East Kilbride in player/coach role . 24 August 2016 . Daily Record . 23 August 2016.
  19. Web site: Robbie Winters quits East Kilbride due to work commitments . Paul . Thomson . The Daily Record . Scottish Daily Record and Sunday Mail Ltd . 15 November 2016 . 21 December 2016.
  20. News: O'Donnell. Jim. Juniors: Roy Roy ace Danny Boyle fires back at claims he 'feigned' injury to get Auchinleck striker Graham Wilson red-carded . 23 October 2017. Evening Times. 22 August 2017. Glasgow.
  21. News: Palmer. Ben. Robbie Winters interview: The day a striker went in goal in the cup final. The Times. 7 October 2018. Glasgow.
  22. Web site: Robbie Winters Scotland Scottish FA . 2023-04-12 . www.scottishfa.co.uk.
  23. Web site: Exclusive interview: Robbie Winters on his Scottish Cup final goalkeeping cameo . . 22 May 2017 . 4 June 2021.
  24. Web site: Former Aberdeen striker nets in Scottish Junior Cup final . . 4 June 2021.
  25. Web site: WoSJC: Pollock 2 v 2 Cumnock . 27 May 2017 . Pollock FC . 4 June 2021.
  26. Web site: Greenock no match for rampant Pollok in Euroscot Eng Central Cup Final . . 16 June 2016 . 4 June 2021.
  27. Web site: Pollok 3 Blantyre Victoria 1: Pollok lift Evening Times Champions' Cup . . 13 June 2015 . 4 June 2021.
  28. Web site: Guess where former Dons star Robbie Winters is playing now? . . 13 October 2015 . 4 June 2021.
  29. Web site: A Hat-Trick of Strikers . . 7 May 2010 . 13 April 2017.
  30. Web site: VG Live.