Jeff Minton

Jeffrey Simon Thompson Minton (born 28 December 1973) is an English former professional footballer who plays as a midfielder. He scored 49 goals in 296 league and cup games in a ten-year career in the Football League.

Jeff Minton
Personal information
Full name Jeffrey Simon Thompson Minton[1]
Date of birth (1973-12-28) 28 December 1973
Place of birth Hackney, England
Height 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)[2]
Position(s) Midfielder
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1992–1994 Tottenham Hotspur 2 (1)
1994–1999 Brighton & Hove Albion 174 (31)
1999–2001 Port Vale 36 (4)
2001 Rotherham United 9 (2)
2001–2002 Leyton Orient 33 (5)
2002 Grays Athletic
2002–2006 Canvey Island
2006–2009 Chelmsford City
2009 Welling United 3 (0)
2012–201? Ware
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

He began his career at Tottenham Hotspur, but only made two Premier League appearances before being allowed to join Brighton & Hove Albion in July 1994. He made 199 appearances for the "Seagulls", and was voted onto the PFA Team of the Year (Third Division) in 1998–99. He moved on to Port Vale in June 1999, but did not establish himself in the first team. He was transferred to Rotherham United in March 2001, and helped the "Millers" to win promotion out of the Second Division, before signing with Leyton Orient in July 2001. He joined non-league Grays Athletic in August 2002, before quickly moving on to Canvey Island. He helped the "Gulls" to the Isthmian League title in 2003–04, following their second-place finish in 2002–03, and also played in the 2004 FA Trophy Final. He moved onto Chelmsford City in August 2006, and helped his new side to the Isthmian League title in 2007–08. He signed with Welling United in July 2009, but left the club a month later. He joined amateur side Ware in November 2012.

Playing career

Minton began his professional career as a trainee with Tottenham Hotspur in 1992.[3] He scored on his debut, a 3–3 draw with Everton at White Hart Lane, which was also Gary Lineker and Paul Gascoigne's last home game for "Spurs".[4] He was only to make two further appearances however, one Premier League and one League Cup game.

He was released in July 1994 and joined Brighton & Hove Albion of the Second Division on a free transfer. The "Seagulls" finished 16th in 1994–95 under the stewardship of Liam Brady. However rookie boss Jimmy Case could not prevent the club from suffering relegation to the Third Division at the end of the 1995–96 season; they were 12 points short of the safety mark set by York City. Brighton continued to decline under Steve Gritt, and only avoided losing their Football League status on the last day of the 1996–97 season with a dramatic final day draw with Hereford United. Minton finished as the club's top scorer in 1997–98 with seven goals in 39 appearances, as Albion again finished second-from-bottom, though this time were 15 points clear of last place Doncaster Rovers. New manager Brian Horton had a brief spell in charge, before the club finished 1998–99 in 17th place under Micky Adams; Minton scored nine goals in 38 games, and was voted onto the PFA Team of the Year. In total Minton made 199 league and cup appearances, scoring 32 goals, in five seasons, during a poor time in the club's history which saw them forced to sell the Goldstone Ground and temporarily reside at Gillingham's Priestfield Stadium.

He joined Port Vale on a free transfer in June 1999, in a move that reunited him with Brian Horton.[3] He scored four goals in 26 games in 1999–2000, as the "Valiants" were relegated out of the First Division. Following a 2–1 defeat to non-league Canvey Island at Vale Park in the FA Cup, he and four other players were placed on the transfer list in December 2000;[5] this was despite him scoring twice in the original 4–4 draw at Park Lane. He scored four goals in 29 games in 2000–01. He struggled to hold down a place in the first team in the New Year and entered talks with Rotherham United in March 2001.[6] He was signed to provide cover for the suspended Stewart Talbot.[7] Minton scored twice on his debut for the "Millers" in a 3–0 win over Bristol City at Millmoor.[8] He made eight further appearances in the remainder of the 2000–01 season as Ronnie Moore's side secured promotion to the First Division with a second-place finish, just two points behind champions Millwall.

Minton joined Third Division side Leyton Orient in July 2001.[3] He made 39 league and cup appearances in the 2001–02 season and was part of the team that beat First Division Portsmouth in the third round of the FA Cup in January 2002.[9] He was offered a two-year extension to his contract in January 2002 by manager Paul Brush,[10] but left the club in August 2002 and joined Isthmian League club Grays Athletic.[11] Two weeks later, he moved to Jeff King's Canvey Island in a player exchange deal for midfielder Adam Miller.[12]

He scored nine goals in 41 starts in 2002–03, and was voted as Supporters Player of the Year, as Canvey finished second in the Isthmian League.[13] He scored five goals in 38 starts in 2003–04, as the "Gulls" won the Isthmian League title and promotion into the Conference National.[14] He also featured in the final of the FA Trophy in 2004, where they were beaten 3–2 by Hednesford Town.[15][16] He scored once in 20 games in 2004–05, as Canvey finished 18th.[17] He scored six goals in 40 games in 2005–06, however Canvey chose to be demoted into the Isthmian League despite a mid-table finish.[18]

Minton joined Chelmsford City in August 2006,[19] and went on to score seven goals in 43 appearances in 2006–07.[20] He then helped the "Clarets" to the Isthmian League championship in 2007–08. They reached the Conference South play-offs following a fifth-place finish in 2008–09, but lost out to Hampton & Richmond Borough. Minton was released in June 2009,[21] and joined Welling United the following month. He was subsequently made team captain, however after three appearances he was released after just a month.[22]

After taking a break from the game, he signed for Isthmian League club Ware in November 2012.[23]

Style of play

According to the Rotherham United website, Minton was a "dynamic midfielder" and "was a player with a good passing ability with a liking to push forward".[7]

Statistics

Source:[24][25][26]

Club Season Division League FA Cup Other Total
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Tottenham Hotspur 1991–92 First Division 21000021
1992–93 Premier League 00001010
1993–94 Premier League 00000000
Total 21001031
Brighton & Hove Albion 1994–95 Second Division 3951060465
1995–96 Second Division 3983040468
1996–97 Third Division 2531020283
1997–98 Third Division 3661021397
1998–99 Third Division 3590030389
Total 174316017119732
Port Vale 1999–2000 First Division 2331021264
2000–01 Second Division 1312241194
Total 3643262458
Rotherham United 2000–01 Second Division 92000092
Leyton Orient 2001–02 Third Division 335402139
Canvey Island 2004–05 Conference National 1910000191
2005–06 Conference National 4060000406
Chelmsford City 2007–08 Isthmian League Premier Division 2440000244
2008–09 Conference South 3210000321
Welling United 2009–10 Conference South 30000030
Career total 4725513226451161

Honours
Rotherham United
Canvey Island
Chelmsford City
Individual

References
  1. Hugman, Barry J., ed. (2002). The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2002/2003. Queen Anne Press. p. 287. ISBN 9781852916480.
  2. "FootballSquads - Port Vale - 2000/01". www.footballsquads.co.uk. Retrieved 24 June 2019.
  3. "Jeff Minton". Soccerbase. Racing Post. Retrieved 5 March 2008.
  4. "jeff minton – fact file 1992–1994". mehstg.com. Retrieved 3 July 2009.
  5. "Five up for sale at Vale". BBC Sport. 4 December 2000. Retrieved 5 March 2008.
  6. "Millmoor beckons for Minton". BBC Sport. 15 March 2001. Retrieved 5 March 2008.
  7. "Past Players". .themillers.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2 August 2000. Retrieved 14 October 2012.
  8. "Rotherham 3–0 Bristol Rovers". BBC Sport. 17 March 2001. Retrieved 5 March 2008.
  9. "Orient crush Pompey". BBC Sport. 5 January 2002. Retrieved 5 March 2008.
  10. "Orient keen to keep Minton". BBC Sport. 17 January 2002. Retrieved 5 March 2008.
  11. "Edwards snap up Minton". Non-League Daily. 11 August 2002. Archived from the original on 4 June 2012. Retrieved 5 March 2008.
  12. "Ryman clubs swap players". Non-League Daily. 26 August 2002. Archived from the original on 4 June 2012. Retrieved 5 March 2008.
  13. "Appearances for Jeff Minton". soccerfactsuk.co.uk. Retrieved 18 March 2012.
  14. "Appearances for Jeff Minton". soccerfactsuk.co.uk. Retrieved 18 March 2012.
  15. "Canvey Island 2–3 Hednesford". BBC Sport. 23 May 2004. Retrieved 5 March 2008.
  16. Milledge, Adrian (24 May 2004). "Canvey fall to long in the tooth ex-Wolf". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 March 2012.
  17. "Appearances for Jeff Minton". soccerfactsuk.co.uk. Retrieved 18 March 2012.
  18. "Appearances for Jeff Minton". soccerfactsuk.co.uk. Retrieved 18 March 2012.
  19. "Jeff Minton". Soccerbase. Racing Post. Retrieved 5 March 2008.
  20. "Appearances for Jeff Minton". soccerfactsuk.co.uk. Retrieved 18 March 2012.
  21. "Duo depart Clarets". Non-League Daily. 23 June 2009. Archived from the original on 17 September 2012. Retrieved 24 June 2009.
  22. "Wings sign Rocastle". wellingunited.com. 26 August 2009. Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 22 August 2010.
  23. Kuhn, Kevin (25 November 2012). "Jeff Minton signs for Ware". warefc.co.uk. Retrieved 27 November 2012.
  24. Jeff Minton at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)
  25. Jeff Minton at Soccerbase
  26. "Jeff Minton Profile | Aylesbury United FC". www.aylesburyunitedfc.co.uk. Retrieved 4 January 2020.
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