Ronnie Sinclair

Ronald McDonald Sinclair (born 19 November 1964) is a Scottish former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper; he is now the goalkeeping coach at Port Vale.

Ronnie Sinclair
Personal information
Full name Ronald McDonald Sinclair
Date of birth (1964-11-19) 19 November 1964
Place of birth Stirling, Scotland
Height 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)[1]
Position(s) Goalkeeper
Youth career
Stirling Boys Club
1981–1982 Nottingham Forest
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1982–1986 Nottingham Forest 0 (0)
1984 → Wrexham (loan) 11 (0)
1984 → Derby County (loan) 0 (0)
1985 → Sheffield United (loan) 0 (0)
1986 → Leeds United (loan) 0 (0)
1986–1989 Leeds United 8 (0)
1987 → Halifax Town (loan) 4 (0)
1988–1989 → Halifax Town (loan) 10 (0)
1989–1991 Bristol City 44 (0)
1991 → Walsall (loan) 10 (0)
1991–1996 Stoke City 80 (0)
1994 → Bradford City (loan) 0 (0)
1996–1998 Chester City 70 (0)
1998 Stoke City 0 (0)
1999 Leek Town
1999–2000 Witton Albion
Total 237 (0)
National team
Scotland Youth and Schoolboys
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

As a player he made 275 league and cup appearances in a 16-year professional career in the English Football League with Nottingham Forest, Leeds United, Bristol City, Stoke City and Chester City, as well as spells on loan with Wrexham, Derby County, Sheffield United, Halifax Town, Walsall and Bradford City. He won promotion out of the Third Division with Bristol City in 1989–90 and out of the Second Division with Stoke City in 1992–93, and was voted as Chester City's Player of the Season for 1996–97. He later went on to coach at Stoke City, Aston Villa and Port Vale.

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 Fourth Division 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.[1] 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 Third Division 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.[1] Sinclair faced regular competition for the goalkeeper's shirt 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 Third Division play-offs with Sinclair voted the club's Player of the Season. 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. [2] He later played non-league football with Leek Town and Witton Albion.

Coaching career

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 became the assistant academy manager, before moving to become the academy goalkeeping coach at Aston Villa. He was appointed as goalkeeping coach at Port Vale by manager Neil Aspin in December 2017.[3]

Career statistics

Source:[4][5]

Club Season League FA Cup League Cup Other[A] Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Wrexham (loan) 1983–84 Fourth Division 110000010120
Leeds United 1986–87 Second Division 8000100090
Halifax Town (loan) 1986–87 Fourth Division 4000000040
1988–89 Fourth Division 100000010110
Total 140000010150
Bristol City 1989–90 Third Division 270500000320
1990–91 Second Division 170003010210
Total 440503010530
Walsall (loan) 1991–92 Fourth Division 100000010110
Stoke City 1991–92 Third Division 260000020280
1992–93 Second Division 290202050380
1993–94 First Division 0000000000
1994–95 First Division 240200020280
1995–96 First Division 1000001020
Total 8004020100970
Chester City 1996–97 Third Division 370301030440
1997–98 Third Division 330002000350
Total 700303030790
Career total 2370120901702750
A. ^ The "Other" column constitutes appearances and goals in the Anglo-Italian Cup, Football League Trophy, Football League play-offs and Full Members Cup.

Honours
Bristol City
Stoke City
Individual

References
  1. "leeds-fans.org.uk: Leeds United Player Profile: Ronnie Sinclair". www.leeds-fans.org.uk. Retrieved 23 December 2017.
  2. "Sinclair Released by City". chester-city.co.uk (see 29 April). 29 April 1998. Retrieved 4 January 2008.
  3. Baggaley, Michael (4 December 2017). "Former Stoke City keeper Ronnie Sinclair joins Port Vale's coaching staff". Stoke Sentinel. Retrieved 4 December 2017.
  4. Ronnie Sinclair at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)
  5. Ronnie Sinclair at Soccerbase
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