Robinson: Ronald (Ronnie)

1985-1987 (Leeds Player Details)(Player Details)

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Born: Sunderland: 22-10-1966

Debut v Carlisle United (a): 23-11-1985

5’9” 11st 0lb (1986)

A Sunderland and Wearside Schools representative, he played for Vaux Breweries sponsored South Hetton starting in August 1983 and, after the team changed its name to Sporting Club Vaux at the end of the season, he stayed with them until the end of October before going to Ipswich Town as an apprentice but never made the first team at Portman Road. He did, however, play four games for their Junior side in the South East Counties League and scored in each of them. Billy Bremner brought him to Leeds on a free-transfer from the East Anglian team on 25th November 1985, and he made sixteen appearances in his first season. The start of the following season, saw Peter Haddock at left-back and, after getting back for eleven games before December, he had no future at Leeds when Micky Adams and Bobby McDonald were signed. On 25th February 1987 he joined Third Division Doncaster Rovers for £5,000 and switched to a central defensive position. He made his Doncaster debut in a 1-1 home draw with Chester City on 27th February 1987 and played regularly at Belle Vue, making seventy-six League starts and two more from the bench, bagging five goals in his time there. He also started five games in the F.A. Cup, six in the League Cup and three in the Full Members Cup. On 22nd March 1989 he, and Doncaster starlet Paul Raven, joined Second Division West Bromwich Albion in a £200,000 package deal, with Robinson thought to have been valued at £80,000, but he only made one start at the Hawthorns. He then moved to Rotherham United on 18th August 1989 for £40,000, where again he found himself a regular. He missed just three games in his first season and was strong in central defence as the team struggled against relegation. He opened his goalscoring account inthe 5-2 home win over Leyton Orient on 17th October 1989. In the second season of 1990-91, he missed only seven games. He scored twice in eighty-six League starts, together with one goal in nine starts in the League Cup, one in seven starts in the Full Members Cup and also started six F.A. Cup ties without scoring while at Millmoor. Then a free transfer took him to Third Division Peterborough United on 10th December 1991. He made his debut for them as a fifty-second minute substitute for Peter Johnson in a 0-3 away defeat by Stockport County and made his starting debut in a 0-0 home draw with Bury on 1st January 1992. After being on loan with them until the end of February he was finally signed on a permanent basis and he cemented his place in the team. He played his part in the Posh gaining promotion to Division Two, by beating Stockport County 2-1 in the play-off Final at Wembley on 24th May 1992, in front of 35,087. Division Two had been renamed Division One by the time the next season had kicked off. The Posh pocketed a tidy profit when they sold him to Exeter City on 24th July 1993 for £25,000, after forty-seven League games, including three from the bench, three starts in the F.A. Cup, three in the League Cup, six in the Full Members Cup, two in the Anglo Italian Cup and three in the play-offs, all without scoring. Loaned to Huddersfield Town in January 1994, he made two League appearances before returning south and he managed one goal in thirty-seven League starts and two games from the bench, also starting two and playing one from the bench in the F.A. Cup, making four starts in the League Cup and three starts and one game from the bench in other games. He signed on trial with Scarborough on 4th August 1995 but was released after one game and went into Non-League football with Spennymoor United.