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Rob Lainton

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Rob Lainton
Lainton playing for Bolton Wanderers during pre-season in 2011
Personal information
Full name Robert Paul Lainton[1]
Date of birth (1989-10-12) 12 October 1989 (age 35)[1]
Place of birth Ashton-under-Lyne, England[1]
Height 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)[2]
Position(s) Goalkeeper
Youth career
2004–2010 Bolton Wanderers
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2010–2013 Bolton Wanderers 0 (0)
2013–2016 Bury 31 (0)
2014 → Burton Albion (loan) 14 (0)
2016–2017 Bury 7 (0)
2017 → Cheltenham Town (loan) 1 (0)
2017–2018 Port Vale 6 (0)
2018 → Wrexham (loan) 20 (0)
2018–2024 Wrexham 124 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 09:34, 25 January 2024 (UTC)

Robert Paul Lainton (born 12 October 1989) is an English professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper.

He turned professional at Bolton Wanderers in March 2011 but never played a first-team game for the club. He joined Bury in July 2013 and would go on to play 45 games for the club over the next four seasons, 22 of which came in their 2014–15 promotion campaign out of League Two; he was a free agent for the first half of the 2016–17 season in between being released and re-signed by Bury. He also played 14 games on loan at Burton Albion in the second half of the 2013–14 season and played one game on an emergency loan at Cheltenham Town in April 2017. He signed with Port Vale in June 2017. After struggling with injury during his first season at the club, he was allowed to sign with Wrexham after a spell on loan at the Welsh club. He was named Wrexham's Player of the Season for the 2018–19 campaign. Wrexham won the National League title at the end of the 2022–23 campaign.

Career

[edit]

Bolton Wanderers

[edit]

Lainton came through the Academy at Bolton Wanderers, and began the 2009–10 season as the club's first choice goalkeeper in the Premier Reserve League under coach Alan Cork.[3] In March 2011, Lainton signed his first (two-year) professional contract with the club.[4] Although a regular in the first-team squad and on the bench, he never made a senior appearance for the "Trotters". Lainton was also listed on loan on two occasions, but no clubs were interested.[5][6] Speaking in July 2012, manager Owen Coyle said that Lainton "had a terrible time with injuries last year".[7] Following nine years at the Reebok Stadium, Lainton was released by manager Dougie Freedman in summer 2013.[8]

Bury

[edit]

After leaving Bolton Wanderers, Lainton had a trial spell at Championship side Doncaster Rovers.[9] In July 2013, he signed a two-year contract at League Two club Bury after a successful trial to become "Shakers" boss Kevin Blackwell's sixth summer signing.[10] He made his Football League debut in a 2–0 home to Chesterfield at Gigg Lane on 3 August.[11] After making six straight appearances in all competitions from the start of the 2013–14 season, Lainton suffered a shoulder injury.[12] After recovering from his injury, Lainton struggled to make a return to the first-team after being dislodged by newly signed goalkeeper Brian Jensen.[13]

Lainton remained as a second-choice goalkeeper at Bury until 8 February 2014, when he joined divisional rivals Burton Albion on a one-month loan to fill in for injured custodian Dean Lyness; he kept a clean sheet on his debut in a 1–0 victory at Morecambe later that same day.[14][15] However, ten days later he punched a high ball into his own net to gift Rochdale the equaliser in a 1–1 draw at Spotland; manager Gary Rowett backed Lainton, saying "we write it off and move on".[16] On 11 March, Lainton extended his loan stay with the "Brewers" until the end of the 2013–14 season.[17] Lainton remained the first choice goalkeeper at the Pirelli Stadium, making fourteen appearances until he came off as a substitute at half-time after dislocating his thumb during a 1–0 defeat to Northampton Town on 12 April.[18] The injury caused him to miss the last seven matches of the campaign, including the play-off final defeat to Fleetwood Town.[19]

Upon his return to Bury, Lainton competed with Shwan Jalal for the position of first-choice goalkeeper and made his first appearance against his former club Bolton in the opening round of the League Cup, coming on as a substitute for Jalal after he was injured during the match; the game ended in a 3–2 defeat following extra time.[20] Lainton continued to be the first choice goalkeeper for the club until the arrival of Scott Loach and Nick Pope, at which point manager David Flitcroft placed Lainton as second-choice goalkeeper and listed him as available to be loaned out.[21] He stayed put however and made a total of 17 league appearances during the 2014–15 campaign as Bury secured automatic promotion to League One.[22] He signed a new one-year contract in May 2015.[23] He began the 2015–16 season in excellent form after taking over from the injured Christian Walton, and was named in the Football League Team of the Week after making "a number of superb stops" in a 1–0 win at Colchester United on 3 October.[24] However, he was sidelined with a groin tear he picked up in October.[25][26] He failed to win back his first-team spot after recovering from his injury.[27]

In April 2016, he was told that his Bury contract would not be renewed.[28] He was however, re-signed on a pay-as-you-play deal by Chris Brass in December, and was described as looking "surprisingly sharp" as he kept a clean sheet in a 0–0 draw at Fleetwood Town on Boxing day.[29] The next month he signed a contract to keep him at the club until the end of the 2016–17 season.[30] However, he picked up another injury and lost his first-team place to new signing Joe Murphy.[31] On 7 April 2017, he joined Gary Johnson's Cheltenham Town on a seven-day emergency loan deal, as Calum Kitscha was injured and loanee Scott Brown was unavailable to play against his parent club Wycombe Wanderers.[32] He did not feature at Bury after Lee Clark was appointed manager in February, and was released by the club for a second time three months later.[33]

Port Vale

[edit]

Lainton signed a two-year contract with newly-relegated League Two side Port Vale in June 2017.[34] He started the 2017–18 season as the club's first choice goalkeeper, but had to be taken off with a thigh injury at half-time during the opening round of the EFL Cup and was ruled out of action for four weeks.[35] He returned to action for two more games before he was forced to leave a 1–0 defeat at Coventry City early in the second half after damaging his ankle; he was subsequently ruled out of action for two months.[36][37] Following his return to fitness he found himself on the bench behind Ryan Boot.[38] Manager Neil Aspin put him back into the starting eleven on 27 January in a 2–2 draw with Colchester United at Vale Park, and though Lainton put in a poor display he kept his place for the following home game with Morecambe, and rewarded Aspin's faith in him with an excellent performance a clean sheet in a 0–0 draw.[39] However, after picking up yet another injury he dropped behind Sam Hornby and Ryan Boot in the first-team pecking order by the end of the 2017–18 season and was transfer-listed in May 2018.[40][41]

Wrexham

[edit]

On 6 July 2018, Lainton signed for National League side Wrexham on a season-long loan, where he was expected to compete with Christian Dibble for the first-team spot.[42] He made his debut for Sam Ricketts's "Dragons" on the opening day of the 2018–19 season, and kept a clean sheet after saving a penalty from Inih Effiong during a 1–0 victory at Dover Athletic.[43] On 22 November 2018, Lainton made his move a permanent one as he enjoyed a successful start to life at Wrexham, keeping 14 clean sheets in all competitions in the opening three months of the campaign [44] He was named Wrexham's Player of the Season for 2018–19 after keeping 25 clean sheets in all competitions, with 21 of those being in the league, which equalled the club record.[45] Wrexham qualified for the play-offs under manager Bryan Hughes, where they were knocked out following a home defeat to Eastleigh.[46]

He struggled with injuries in the 2019–20 season, leaving deputy Christian Dibble a chance to stand in his place for some matches.[47] Speaking in March, manager Dean Keates said that "Rob has been outstanding for us, he has made good saves and stuff like that".[48] He made 26 appearances in the 2019–20 season, which was permanently suspended on 26 March due to the COVID-19 pandemic in England, with Wrexham in 20th-place.[49] He featured 26 times in the 2020–21 season as Wrexham missed out on a play-off place after drawing with Dagenham & Redbridge on the last day of the season.[50][51] He was offered a new contract.[52] He featured 33 times in the 2021–22 campaign, but was ruled out for the rest of the season after undergoing an operation following a wrist fracture and dislocation in March.[50][53] Manager Phil Parkinson signed Lee Camp to act as back-up to Christian Dibble during Lainton's absence.[54] Lainton made his third appearance of the 2022–23 season in Wrexham's 3–1 replay loss to Sheffield United in the fourth round of the FA Cup.[55]

In February 2023, his contract was extended to the end of the 2023–24 season, with the possibility for it to be further extended for an additional year depending on number of appearances.[56] However, he picked up a knee ligament injury the following month that saw him ruled out of action for six weeks.[57] Wrexham won the National League title to secure a place in the EFL at the end of the 2022–23 season.[58] He missed the entirety of the 2023–24 season with what Parkinson described as "an unusual injury" which was corrected with a knee operation.[59] The team secured promotion into League One, and Lainton was released upon the expiry of his contract.[60]

Style of play

[edit]

Speaking in May 2010, Bolton Wanderers reserve team manager John Henry described Lainton as "an infectious character and a real grafter", "a good all-round keeper... a great shot-stopper and kicks well".[61]

Career statistics

[edit]
As of match played 18 March 2023
Club Season League FA Cup EFL Cup Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Bolton Wanderers 2010–11[62] Premier League 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2011–12[63] Premier League 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2012–13[64] Championship 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Bury 2013–14[65] League Two 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 0
2014–15[66] League Two 17 0 2 0 3 0 0 0 22 0
2015–16[67] League One 10 0 0 0 0 0 2[a] 0 12 0
2016–17[68] League One 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 0
Total 38 0 2 0 3 0 2 0 45 0
Burton Albion (loan) 2013–14[65] League Two 14 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 14 0
Cheltenham Town (loan) 2016–17[68] League Two 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
Port Vale 2017–18[69] League Two 6 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 7 0
2018–19[70] League Two 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 6 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 7 0
Wrexham 2018–19[50] National League 45 0 5 0 0 0 1[b] 0 51 0
2019–20[50] National League 21 0 4 0 0 0 1[c] 0 26 0
2020–21[50] National League 25 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 26 0
2021–22[50] National League 28 0 2 0 0 0 3[d] 0 33 0
2022–23[50] National League 6 0 1 0 0 0 2[d] 0 9 0
2023–24[71] League Two 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 125 0 13 0 0 0 7 0 145 0
Career total 184 0 15 0 4 0 9 0 212 0
  1. ^ Appearance/s in the EFL Trophy
  2. ^ Appearance(s) in the National League play-offs
  3. ^ Appearance(s) in the Scottish Challenge Cup
  4. ^ a b Appearance(s) in the FA Trophy

Honours

[edit]

Bury

Wrexham

Individual

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c "Rob Lainton". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 23 June 2015.
  2. ^ "Rob Lainton". Wrexham F.C. Retrieved 13 September 2018.
  3. ^ "Bolton Wanderers Reserves 1 Manchester United Reserves 3". The Bolton News. 25 August 2009. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
  4. ^ "Quartet Agree Professional Deals". Bolton Wanderers F.C. 14 March 2011. Archived from the original on 17 March 2011. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
  5. ^ "Trotters keeper set for loan". Sky Sports. 14 November 2011. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
  6. ^ "Wanderers plan loan switch for young keeper Lainton". The Bolton News. 10 January 2013. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
  7. ^ Iles, Marc (12 July 2012). "Whites target top class keeper". The Bolton News. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
  8. ^ "Lainton to depart". Bolton Wanderers F.C. 25 June 2013. Archived from the original on 27 June 2013. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
  9. ^ "Rob Lainton gets Doncaster Rovers trial". The Bolton News. 4 July 2013. Retrieved 3 August 2013.
  10. ^ "Bury: Rob Lainton signs after Bolton Wanderers departure". BBC. 8 July 2013. Retrieved 3 August 2013.
  11. ^ "Bury 0 – 2 Chestefield". BBC. 3 August 2013. Retrieved 3 August 2013.
  12. ^ "Bury boss Kevin Blackwell open to offers for fringe players". The Bolton News. 1 September 2013. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
  13. ^ "Beast will be hard to dislodge at Bury". Manchester Evening News. 5 September 2013. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
  14. ^ "Albion complete Lainton deal". Burton Albion FC. 8 February 2014. Archived from the original on 22 February 2014.
  15. ^ "Morecambe 0 – 1 Burton Albion". BBC Sport. 8 February 2014. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
  16. ^ "Gary Rowett backs Rob Lainton to recover from Spot of bother". 20 February 2014. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
  17. ^ "Lainton extends loan deal". Burton Albion FC. 11 March 2014. Archived from the original on 11 March 2014.
  18. ^ "Match Report: Northampton Town 1–0 Burton Albion". Burton Albion F.C. 12 April 2014. Archived from the original on 31 March 2015. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
  19. ^ "Rowett: It's All About Us". Burton Albion F.C. 18 April 2014. Archived from the original on 31 March 2015. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
  20. ^ "Shakers bow out". Bury F.C. 13 August 2014. Archived from the original on 31 March 2015. Retrieved 9 January 2016.
  21. ^ "Transfer news: Bury ready to let goalkeeper Rob Lainton leave on loan". Sky Sports. 18 November 2014. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
  22. ^ "The Retained List". Bury F.C. 14 May 2015. Archived from the original on 14 May 2015. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  23. ^ "Rob Lainton signs". Bury F.C. 21 May 2015. Archived from the original on 22 May 2015. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  24. ^ Butcher, Alex (5 October 2015). "Sky Bet Football League Team of the Week". www.efl.com. Retrieved 9 October 2019.
  25. ^ Nelson, Craig (3 September 2015). "Christian Walton injury gives Rob Lainton an opportunity, says Bury manager David Flitcroft". Bury Times. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
  26. ^ Collins, Ben (28 October 2015). "Bury boss David Flitcroft laments Rob Lainton loss". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
  27. ^ Baggaley, Mike (20 June 2017). "Scouting report on Port Vale signing Rob Lainton". Stoke Sentinel. Retrieved 22 June 2017.
  28. ^ Nelson, Craig (29 April 2016). "Ryan Lowe offered new Bury deal but Chris Eagles and Rob Lainton among six players released". Bury Times. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
  29. ^ McKenzie, Mikael (27 December 2016). "Lainton return inspires Shakers to end dire run". Bury Times. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
  30. ^ "CONFIRMED: Keeper commits to Shakers". buryfc.co.uk. 30 January 2017. Retrieved 22 June 2017.
  31. ^ Baggaley, Mike (23 June 2017). "Pope on Port Vale: Glad to be reunited with Lainton and Davis". Stoke Sentinel. Retrieved 23 June 2017.
  32. ^ "Rob Lainton: Cheltenham Town sign Bury keeper on emergency loan deal". BBC Sport. 7 April 2017. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
  33. ^ "Andrew Tutte and Craig Jones sign new Bury deals while 11 players released". BBC Sport. 5 May 2017. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
  34. ^ Baggaley, Mike (20 June 2017). "Port Vale sign ex Bolton Wanderers and Bury keeper Rob Lainton". Stoke Sentinel. Retrieved 20 June 2017.
  35. ^ Baggaley, Mike (12 August 2017). "Port Vale fear lengthy injury lay-off for Anton Forrester". Stoke Sentinel. Retrieved 13 August 2017.
  36. ^ Baggaley, Michael (9 September 2017). "Injury update on Port Vale's Rob Lainton". Stoke Sentinel. Retrieved 10 September 2017.
  37. ^ Baggaley, Michael (11 September 2017). "Port Vale expect Rob Lainton to be out for two months". Stoke Sentinel. Retrieved 11 September 2017.
  38. ^ Baggaley, Michael (7 December 2017). "Port Vale boss Neil Aspin backing Ryan Boot". Stoke Sentinel. Retrieved 16 December 2017.
  39. ^ Baggaley, Michael (4 February 2018). "Comment as Hugill jackpot contrasts with Port Vale's bog-standard Morecambe draw". Stoke Sentinel. Retrieved 5 February 2018.
  40. ^ Baggaley, Michael (23 April 2018). "The transfer decisions for Port Vale's Neil Aspin this summer". Stoke Sentinel. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
  41. ^ Baggaley, Michael (8 May 2018). "Port Vale retained list RECAP as Valiants release 10 and transfer list four". Stoke Sentinel. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
  42. ^ "Rob Lainton: Wrexham sign keeper on loan from Port Vale". BBC Sport. 6 July 2018. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
  43. ^ "Dover 0–1 Wrexham". BBC Sport. 4 August 2018. Retrieved 4 August 2018.
  44. ^ "Wrexham FC: Goalkeeper Rob Lainton signs permanent contract". BBC Sport. 22 November 2018. Retrieved 22 November 2018.
  45. ^ a b "Rob Lainton wins the Wrexham AFC player of the season award". Leader Live. 28 April 2019. Retrieved 28 April 2018.
  46. ^ Sheehan, Rory (9 May 2019). "Wrexham AFC fans have targeted their anger over season at the wrong people". The Leader. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  47. ^ Williams, Richard (29 March 2020). "Mark Griffiths' column: The Wrexham AFC Player of the Year award is surely Luke Young's when he gets it". The Leader. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
  48. ^ Williams, Richard (6 March 2020). "Wrexham AFC boss Dean Keates gives Rob Lainton his full backing". The Leader. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
  49. ^ "National League clubs vote to end regular season immediately". BBC Sport. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
  50. ^ a b c d e f g Rob Lainton at Soccerway
  51. ^ Williams, Richard (30 May 2021). "How the Wrexham AFC players rated in draw against Dagenham". The Leader. Retrieved 31 May 2021.
  52. ^ "CLUB NEWS | Wrexham AFC announce 2021 retained list". www.wrexhamafc.co.uk. 1 June 2021. Retrieved 3 June 2021.
  53. ^ Wiliams, Richard (23 March 2022). "Wrexham AFC goalkeeper Rob Lainton is ruled out for the season". The Leader. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
  54. ^ "SIGNED | Lee Camp joins Wrexham on short-term deal". www.wrexhamafc.co.uk. 24 March 2022. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
  55. ^ Winter, Henry (7 February 2023). "Sheffield United vs Wrexham: Late twist denies visitors their Hollywood ending". The Times. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
  56. ^ "Rob Lainton: Goalkeeper signs Wrexham contract extension". BBC Sports. 24 February 2023. Retrieved 25 February 2023.
  57. ^ "Wrexham goalkeeper Lainton to miss six weeks". BBC Sport. 21 March 2023. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
  58. ^ a b Williams, Aled (22 April 2023). "Hollywood star's 'unadulterated joy' as Wrexham return to Football League". BBC Sport. Retrieved 23 April 2023.
  59. ^ Waters, Matt (14 December 2023). "INJURY UPDATE | Phil Parkinson provides an update on Arthur Okonkwo and Rob Lainton". Wrexham A.F.C. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
  60. ^ "Wrexham: Luke Young and Ben Tozer released by Dragons". BBC Sport. 3 May 2024. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
  61. ^ Chronnell, Liam (13 May 2010). "Wanderers bank on their gold reserves". The Bolton News. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
  62. ^ "Games played by Rob Lainton in 2010/2011". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
  63. ^ "Games played by Rob Lainton in 2011/2012". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
  64. ^ "Games played by Rob Lainton in 2012/2013". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
  65. ^ a b "Games played by Rob Lainton in 2013/2014". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
  66. ^ "Games played by Rob Lainton in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
  67. ^ "Games played by Rob Lainton in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
  68. ^ a b "Games played by Rob Lainton in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
  69. ^ "Games played by Rob Lainton in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
  70. ^ "Games played by Rob Lainton in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 26 June 2018.
  71. ^ "Games played by Rob Lainton in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
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