Adrian Littlejohn
Encyclopedia
Adrian Sylvester Littlejohn (born 26 September 1970 in Wolverhampton
) is an English
former footballer, who played as a midfielder
and a striker
.
, but failed to play a match and was released at the end of the 1988-89 season
in order to find first team football elsewhere. He stayed in his native West Midlands
and joined Walsall
prior to the 1989-90 season
, Littlejohn played 54 games, scoring one goal in his two seasons with the club.
Prior to the 1991-92 season
, Littlejohn joined Sheffield United
, where he played a part in the Blades seasons in the FA Premier League, Littlejohn played in the first ever Premier League season
, scoring 8 goals in 27 games. In the following seasons, Littlejohn became less of a regular and moved to Plymouth Argyle
, who paid United £100,000 for his services in September 1995. He was the club's top scorer in his debut season
at Home Park
, which helped Plymouth finish 4th in the Third Division
. They were just one point short of automatic promotion, but managed to gain promotion
via the play-offs with 1-0 win
over Darlington
. The two following seasons the club were involved in relegation battles, Littlejohn had escaped the cycle however, joining Oldham Athletic
in March 1998.
At Oldham he joined Neil Warnock
, the manager who had signed him at Plymouth. Littlejohn scored his début against Watford
. Both men's stay at Boundary Park
was a short one however; Bury
appointed Warnock manager in May 1998 and six months later bought Littlejohn for £75,000. He scored 16 goals in 112 games in close to three seasons at the club. In December 1999 Warnock was made manager of Sheffield United and in October 2001 he brought Littlejohn back to the club, on a non-contract basis. He remained loyal to Warnock, refusing to sign a permanent contract with Carlisle United
, though he was to only play three competitive matches for the first team, two of those coming from off the bench. Leaving the club in February 2003 he rejected the chance to sign with Bradford City
, instead signing with Port Vale
. After impressing manager Brian Horton
his initial one month deal was extended to the end of the season
.
In August 2004 he put pen to paper with Lincoln City
, failing to make at impact at Sincil Bank
and was released in January 2005. He then joined Rushden & Diamonds
on a contract expiring at the end of the season
. The ageing striker made fifteen appearances for the club and also gave the younger players the benefit of his experience. In September 2005 he signed with Mansfield Town
, making seven substitute appearances in the league over the course of the 2005-06 season
.
He wound his career down with a few games for non-league Leek Town
, playing for the club from March to October in 2006. In June 2007 Littlejohn agreed to return to playing at Retford United
for his old teammate Peter Duffield, he stayed for just the 2007-08 season
.
Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands, England. For Eurostat purposes Walsall and Wolverhampton is a NUTS 3 region and is one of five boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "West Midlands" NUTS 2 region...
) is an English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
former footballer, who played as a midfielder
Midfielder
A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...
and a striker
Striker
Forwards, also known as strikers, are the players on a team in association football who play nearest to the opposing team's goal, and are therefore principally responsible for scoring goals...
.
Playing career
Littlejohn started his footballing career at West Bromwich AlbionWest Bromwich Albion F.C.
West Bromwich Albion Football Club, also known as West Brom, The Baggies, The Throstles, Albion or WBA, are an English Premier League association football club based in West Bromwich in the West Midlands...
, but failed to play a match and was released at the end of the 1988-89 season
1988-89 in English football
The 1988–89 season was the 109th season of competitive football in England.-Hillsborough disaster:On 15 April, a crowd crush at the FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest at Hillsborough killed 94 people and injured more than 300. A 95th Liverpool supporter died in hospital...
in order to find first team football elsewhere. He stayed in his native West Midlands
West Midlands (county)
The West Midlands is a metropolitan county in western central England with a 2009 estimated population of 2,638,700. It came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972, formed from parts of Staffordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire. The...
and joined Walsall
Walsall F.C.
Walsall Football Club are an English association football club based in Walsall, West Midlands. They currently play in League One. The club was founded in 1888 as Walsall Town Swifts, an amalgamation of Walsall Town F.C. and Walsall Swifts F.C. The club was one of the founder members of the Second...
prior to the 1989-90 season
1989-90 in English football
-European competitions:English clubs were still banned from competing in European competitions following the Heysel Stadium disaster.- First Division :...
, Littlejohn played 54 games, scoring one goal in his two seasons with the club.
Prior to the 1991-92 season
1991-92 in English football
- First Division :The last-ever league championship before the creation of the Premier League was won by Leeds United who overhauled Manchester United thanks to the efforts of, among others, Gordon Strachan, Lee Chapman, David Batty, Gary Speed and Gary McAllister...
, Littlejohn joined Sheffield United
Sheffield United F.C.
Sheffield United Football Club is a professional English football club based in the city of Sheffield, South Yorkshire.They were the first sporting team to use the name 'United' and are nicknamed 'The Blades', thanks to Sheffield's worldwide reputation for steel production...
, where he played a part in the Blades seasons in the FA Premier League, Littlejohn played in the first ever Premier League season
FA Premier League 1992-93
The 1992–93 FA Premier League was the first season of the Premier League, the top division of English football. The league was made up of the 22 clubs that broke away from The Football League at the end of the 1991–92 season. The new league was backed up by a five-year, £305 million deal with...
, scoring 8 goals in 27 games. In the following seasons, Littlejohn became less of a regular and moved to Plymouth Argyle
Plymouth Argyle F.C.
Plymouth Argyle Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Plymouth, Devon, that plays in Football League Two.Since becoming professional in 1903, the club has won five Football League titles, five Southern League titles and one Western League title. The 2009–10 season was the...
, who paid United £100,000 for his services in September 1995. He was the club's top scorer in his debut season
1995-96 in English football
- Premiership :Newcastle United were 12 points clear at the top of Manchester United, but Alex Ferguson's relatively young and inexperienced side overhauled them during the second half of the season to win the title....
at Home Park
Home Park
Home Park is an all-seater football stadium in the Central Park area of Plymouth, England, and is the home of Football League Two club Plymouth Argyle. The ground, given the nickname the Theatre of Greens by the club's supporters, has been Argyle's permanent residence since 1901...
, which helped Plymouth finish 4th in the Third Division
Football League Third Division
The Football League Third Division was the 3 tier of English Football from 1920 until 1992 when after the formation of the Football Association Premier League saw the league renamed The Football League Division Two...
. They were just one point short of automatic promotion, but managed to gain promotion
Promotion and relegation
In many sports leagues around the world, promotion and relegation is a process that takes place at the end of each season. Through it, teams are transferred between divisions based on their performance that season...
via the play-offs with 1-0 win
1996 Football League Third Division play-off Final
The 1996 Football League Third Division play-off final was a football match played at Wembley Stadium on 25 May 1996, to determine the fourth and final team to gain promotion from the Third Division to the Second Division of the Football League in the 1995–96 season.It was contested by...
over Darlington
Darlington F.C.
Darlington Football Club is a professional association football club based in Darlington, County Durham, currently playing in the Conference National. The club was founded in 1883, and originally played its games at Feethams, before moving to the Darlington Arena in 2003...
. The two following seasons the club were involved in relegation battles, Littlejohn had escaped the cycle however, joining Oldham Athletic
Oldham Athletic A.F.C.
Oldham Athletic Association Football Club is an English association football club based at Boundary Park, on Sheepfoot Lane in Oldham, Greater Manchester. The club currently competes in the Football League One, the third tier of the English league...
in March 1998.
At Oldham he joined Neil Warnock
Neil Warnock
Neil Warnock is an English former footballer who is currently manager of English Premier League club Queens Park Rangers....
, the manager who had signed him at Plymouth. Littlejohn scored his début against Watford
Watford F.C.
Watford Football Club is an English professional football club based in Watford, Hertfordshire. It is often referred to as Watford F.C., Watford, or by the team's nickname The Hornets . Watford Rovers, Founded in 1881, entered the FA Cup for the first time in 1886, and the Southern League a decade...
. Both men's stay at Boundary Park
Boundary Park
Boundary Park is the main sports stadium of Oldham, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies at the northwestern extremity of Oldham, with the towns of Royton and Chadderton lying immediately north and west respectively, giving rise to the name Boundary Park....
was a short one however; Bury
Bury F.C.
Bury Football Club is an association football team based in Bury, Greater Manchester. The team currently play in League One. The club's nickname is The Shakers which was bestowed upon them by club chairman JT Ingham, an industrialist and ironmonger of the late 1890s.-Formation of the club and the...
appointed Warnock manager in May 1998 and six months later bought Littlejohn for £75,000. He scored 16 goals in 112 games in close to three seasons at the club. In December 1999 Warnock was made manager of Sheffield United and in October 2001 he brought Littlejohn back to the club, on a non-contract basis. He remained loyal to Warnock, refusing to sign a permanent contract with Carlisle United
Carlisle United F.C.
Carlisle United F.C. is an English football club based in Carlisle, Cumbria, where they play at Brunton Park. Formed in 1904, the club currently compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system....
, though he was to only play three competitive matches for the first team, two of those coming from off the bench. Leaving the club in February 2003 he rejected the chance to sign with Bradford City
Bradford City A.F.C.
Bradford City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Bradford, West Yorkshire, playing in League Two....
, instead signing with Port Vale
Port Vale F.C.
Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as...
. After impressing manager Brian Horton
Brian Horton
Brian Horton is an English former footballer and manager, who is working as Phil Brown's assistant at Preston North End.Horton played for Hednesford Town, Port Vale, Brighton & Hove Albion, Luton Town and Hull City as a midfielder...
his initial one month deal was extended to the end of the season
2002-03 in English football
The 2002-03 season was the 123rd season of competitive football in England.-Most Memorable rise:*Wigan Athletic marked their 25th season of Football League membership by winning the Division Two championship and reaching the league's second tier for the very first time.-Most Memorable...
.
In August 2004 he put pen to paper with Lincoln City
Lincoln City F.C.
Lincoln City Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Lincoln, Lincolnshire. The club are currently members of the Conference National in 2011–12 following relegation from the Football League....
, failing to make at impact at Sincil Bank
Sincil Bank
Sincil Bank is a football stadium in Lincoln, England and has been the home of Lincoln City since 1895. Previously, Lincoln City had played at the nearby John O'Gaunts ground since the club's 1884 inception. Sincil Bank has an overall capacity of 10,120 and is colloquially known to fans as "The...
and was released in January 2005. He then joined Rushden & Diamonds
Rushden & Diamonds F.C.
Rushden & Diamonds Football Club was an association football club based in Irthlingborough, Northamptonshire, England. Formed by a merger of Rushden Town and Irthlingborough Diamonds in 1992, the club played in the Conference National following a short spell in the Football League at the start of...
on a contract expiring at the end of the season
2004-05 in English football
The 2004–05 season was the 125th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:*2004–05 was the first season to feature the rebranded Football League. The First Division, Second Division and Third Division were renamed the Football League Championship, Football League One and Football League...
. The ageing striker made fifteen appearances for the club and also gave the younger players the benefit of his experience. In September 2005 he signed with Mansfield Town
Mansfield Town F.C.
Mansfield Town Football Club is an English football club from the former mining town of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire. The club was formed in 1897 as Mansfield Wesleyans and changed its name to Mansfield Wesley in 1906 before settling on Mansfield Town in 1910...
, making seven substitute appearances in the league over the course of the 2005-06 season
2005-06 in English football
The 2005–06 season was the 126th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:*The rebuilt Wembley Stadium was due to open in time for the FA Cup final in May. However, in August 2005, The Football Association reserved the Millennium Stadium as a backup, as there was some doubt whether...
.
He wound his career down with a few games for non-league Leek Town
Leek Town F.C.
Leek Town Football Club is an English football club based in Leek, Staffordshire, currently playing in the Northern Premier League Division One South...
, playing for the club from March to October in 2006. In June 2007 Littlejohn agreed to return to playing at Retford United
Retford United F.C.
Retford United Football Club are an English football club based at Cannon Park in Retford, Nottinghamshire. They currently play in the Northern Counties East League Premier Division.-History:...
for his old teammate Peter Duffield, he stayed for just the 2007-08 season
2007-08 in English football
The 2007–08 season was the 128th season of competitive football in England.-European competitions:In October 2007 Arsenal equalled the UEFA Champions League record victory with a 7–0 win over Slavia Prague at the Emirates Stadium. The record was broken the following month when Liverpool...
.