Neville Roach

Neville Roach (born 29 September 1978) is an English former professional footballer.

Neville Roach
Personal information
Date of birth (1978-09-29) 29 September 1978
Place of birth Reading, Berkshire, England
Position(s) Forward
Club information
Current team
 Basingstoke Town (U21 Manager)
Youth career
?–1996 Reading
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1996–1999 Reading 16 (1)
1998 → Kingstonian (loan) 11 (4)
1998 → Slough Town (loan) 11 (2)
1999 → Wycombe Wanderers (loan)[1] 0 (0)
1999–2000 Southend United 16 (2)
2000 → Stevenage Borough (loan) 0 (0)
2000 Kingstonian 1 (0)
2000–2001 Eastern Pride[2] 12 (5)
2001 St Albans City[3] 4 (0)
2001 Frickley Athletic 1 (0)
2001 Oldham Athletic 1 (0)
2001 Torquay United 12 (1)
2001 Stevenage Borough 0 (0)
2001–2002 Slough Town 23 (14)
2002–2005 Basingstoke Town 125 (47)
2005–2006 Eastleigh 23 (7)
2005–2006 → Oxford United (loan) 7 (0)
2006 → Maidenhead United (loan) 9 (5)
2006–2007 Basingstoke Town 16 (2)
2007 Maidenhead United 25 (8)
2007 → Harrow Borough (loan) 7 (1)
2007–2008 Farnborough[4] 10 (7)
2008 Uxbridge 21 (7)
2008–2009 Didcot Town ? (15)
Teams managed
2010–2012 Hartley Wintney
2012 Thatcham Town
2016 Badshot Lea
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of He's now a bus driver

Biography

Roach was born in Reading and began his career as an apprentice with Reading, turning professional in August 1996. His league debut came on 26 April 1997, when he scored the first goal in a 2–0 victory home over Oldham Athletic. Despite this impressive start, he found it difficult to establish himself and joined Kingstonian on loan in January 1998.

In August 1998, out of favour at the start of the new season, he joined Slough Town on loan, scoring twice in 11 Isthmian League games. His debut goal for Reading turned out to be his only goal for the club, as he failed to find the net in four other starts, or 11 substitute appearances.

In January 1999, Roach was told by Reading manager Tommy Burns that he was free to leave and began talks with Conference side Stevenage Borough. On 23 February 1999 he joined Wycombe Wanderers on loan,[5] playing for their reserves the following day.[6]

This was to be his only appearance for Wycombe as on 26 February he joined Southend United on loan, with the move being made permanent on 3 March,[1] costing the Shrimpers £30,000.[7] He made his Southend debut on 27 February in a 3–0 defeat away to Cambridge United and scored on his home debut on 6 March as Southend beat Swansea City 2–0. Despite this start he found it difficult to keep his place and was loaned to Stevenage Borough.

In February 2000, knowing that he would be released at the end of the season,[8] Roach was allowed to join Chester City on trial, followed by a further one-week trial at Scarborough in March 2000. Nothing came of the trials, and at the end of the season he was released by Southend, having played only five games. In March 2000 he was called up by the Cayman Islands for their World Cup Qualifiers, but flew home from Cuba after FIFA blocked Roach and six other British-based players from playing.[9]

He returned to Kingstonian on trial, playing in a friendly against Reading on 1 August 2000, but nine days later had signed for Australian side Eastern Pride. In February 2001, with the demise of Eastern Pride, he returned to the UK, joining St Albans City, making his debut in the Isthmian League Cup tie at home to Hampton & Richmond Borough.[3] He played six further times,[3] scoring twice (both against Chesham United in the Full Members Cup on 20 February[10] before joining Frickley Athletic in March 2001.

On 22 March, within two weeks of joining Frickley, Roach left to join Oldham Athletic.[11] He made only one appearance, as a second-half substitute for Carlo Corazzin, for Oldham, on the final day of the season, a 5–0 defeat away to Millwall,[12] before being released.

In the 2001 close-season he joined Torquay United on trial, impressing manager Roy McFarland sufficiently to be signed on non-contract terms on 9 August which allowed him to make his debut two days later on the opening day of the season, playing as a late substitute for Eifion Williams in the 1–0 defeat away to Bristol Rovers. He remained on non-contract terms for the next two months, leaving the club by his own choice in November 2001 to join Stevenage Borough. The following month he joined Slough Town on a match to match basis,[13] but left the same month to join Basingstoke Town.[14] The 2002–2003 season was a great success for Roach, he scored 25 goals, earned a trial with Football League side Boston United and won the Basingstoke supporters player of the year award.[15]

In the summer of 2005, after scoring 62 times in 162 first team appearances,[16] he left Basingstoke to join local rivals Eastleigh. In November 2005 he joined struggling League Two side Oxford United on loan, returning to Eastleigh in February 2006 after Oxford had signed two new strikers (Yemi Odubade and Tim Sills).[17]

Roach was transfer-listed by Eastleigh in October 2005[18] and spent the end of the 2005–06 season on loan at Maidenhead United, but returned to Basingstoke in June 2006.[19] In January 2007, Roach returned to Maidenhead on loan from Basingstoke,[20] extending his loan two further times,[21][22] before signing on a permanent basis in mid-April.[23]

He suffered a viral illness during the 2007 close season,[24] and was loaned to Harrow Borough and then Farnborough to regain fitness.[24] He was released by Maidenhead in October 2007 and joined Farnbrough,[24] where he scored regularly[4] before moving on to Uxbridge in January 2008.[25]

On 16 July 2008, Roach joined Didcot Town.[26]

Management

In 2010, a knee ligament injury forced him to stop playing and so he moved into management, taking over Hartley Wintney in May 2010.[27] He remained at the club until the summer of 2012, when he was appointed manager of Thatcham Town. However, he left Thatcham in October 2012.[28]

In May 2013 he became a part of the coaching set-up at Hellenic League side Highmoor Ibis. At the end of the 2013–14 season he became assistant manager at Marlow, although he left the club in September 2014.[29] In July 2016 he was appointed manager of Badshot Lea.[30] However, he resigned from the position in November and joined Basingstoke Town as manager of their U21 team.[31]

References
  1. "Reserves win again". Chairboys on the net. 3 March 1999. Retrieved 26 January 2009.
  2. "Eastern Pride Roster 2000–2001". Oz Football. Retrieved 26 January 2009.
  3. "Neville Roach Profile..." St Albans City F.C. Retrieved 26 January 2009.
  4. "Neville Roach". Farnborough F.C. Archived from the original on 23 July 2011. Retrieved 26 January 2009.
  5. "New Loaners". Chairboys on the net. 23 February 1999. Retrieved 26 January 2009.
  6. "Reserves beat QPR". Chairboys on the net. 24 February 1999. Retrieved 26 January 2009.
  7. "Neville Roach". Southend United Database. Archived from the original on 26 August 2016. Retrieved 26 January 2009.
  8. Roach free to leave Shrimpers
  9. "Roach's world cup adventure ends". The Gazette. 10 March 2000. Retrieved 26 January 2009.
  10. "Chesham United 0–2 St Albans City". St Albans City F.C. 20 February 2001. Retrieved 26 January 2009.
  11. Parkin makes Oldham move
  12. "Millwall 5–0 Oldham". SoccerBase. 5 May 2001. Retrieved 26 January 2009.
  13. "Browne makes more Rebels changes". NonLeagueDaily. 12 December 2001. Retrieved 26 January 2009.
  14. Howe makes Roach his first signing Archived 30 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  15. "Roach receives award for great season". NonLeagueDaily. 29 April 2003. Retrieved 26 January 2009.
  16. "Neville Roach". Basingstoke Town F.C. Archived from the original on 15 October 2008. Retrieved 26 January 2009.
  17. Striker Neville ends time at U's
  18. "Roach listed – Tarr released". NonLeagueDaily. 7 October 2005. Retrieved 26 January 2009.
  19. "Roach makes 'Stoke return". NonLeagueDaily. 13 June 2006. Retrieved 26 January 2009.
  20. "Roach returns". NonLeagueDaily. 15 January 2007. Retrieved 26 January 2009.]
  21. "Roach extends Magpies stay". NonLeagueDaily. 15 February 2007. Retrieved 26 January 2009.
  22. "'Stoke strikers out on loan". NonLeagueDaily. 20 February 2007. Retrieved 26 January 2009.
  23. "Roach seals permanent Magpies deal". NonLeagueDaily. 14 April 2007. Retrieved 26 January 2009.
  24. "Roach joins Boro on a permanent basis". NonLeagueDaily. 16 October 2007. Retrieved 26 January 2009.
  25. "Oxford buy big to climb". The Non-League Paper. 6 January 2008. Archived from the original on 17 July 2011. Retrieved 26 January 2009.
  26. Steve Whitney (20 July 2008). "Roach is a top catch for Stu". NonLeagueToday. Retrieved 26 January 2009.
  27. Wright, David (7 May 2010). "Neville Roach new Hartley Wintney boss". Get Reading. Retrieved 16 August 2010.
  28. Roach eased out at Thatcham Newbury Today, 20 Oct 2012
  29. Roach leaves Marlow post Southern League, 25 September 2014
  30. Friendlies: Downes double for Bracknell and ten goal Wokingham thriller Football in Bracknell, 24 July 2016
  31. We have today sadly accepted the resignation of manager Neville Roach Badshot Lea F.C.
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