Keith Hill (footballer)
Encyclopedia
Keith John Hill is an English
former footballer, currently manager of Barnsley
. As a player, Hill was a central defender
. He is also known to wear coats/jackets similar to those a school teacher would wear, complete with leather patches on the elbows.
, moving on to Plymouth Argyle
in 1992
in a joint deal with Craig Skinner
, with Nicky Marker
moving in the opposite direction.
Hill spent four years with Plymouth, moving on to Rochdale
in 1996
. After five years at Spotland
, he joined Cheltenham Town
, but he only spent a year there, playing only five games, punctuated by a two-month loan with Wrexham
. He spent a year with Conference side Morecambe
, before retiring in 2003
.
coaching staff, where he held the position of Director of Youth. On 17 December 2006, Hill was appointed as caretaker manager
, following the sacking of Steve Parkin
. His first game in charge against Milton Keynes Dons
ended a 2-1 loss and they were left in the League Two
relegation zone. His first win came 2 games into his reign, a 4-0 win over Boston United
, which lifted them out of the relegation zone. After his second 4-0 win, Rochdale appointed Hill as permanent manager on 3 January 2007. After a change in form, Rochdale ended the season in 9th, despite being in the bottom 3 for the majority of the first half of the season.
In his first full season as Dale boss, he took Rochdale to League Two play-off final, where they lost 3-2 against Stockport County
, following beating Darlington
5-4 on penalties in the semi-final.
The 2008-09, saw Hill take Rochdale to the play-offs a second time in two season, but they were beaten 2-1 by the eventual winners, Gillingham
, at Priestfield Stadium
.
The next season saw improvement again, gaining automatic promotion, after a 1-0 win at against Northampton Town F.C.
on 17 April 2011. However a dip in form near the end of the season, saw Rochdale miss out on the League Two title, finally finishing third behind Notts County
and Bournemouth
.
Their first season in League One
, saw Rochdale as potential promotion contenders a long with newly promoted Bournemouth, Rochdale finished 9th at the end of the season with 68 points, meaning Hill had equalized their highest league finish since 1969-70.
side Barnsley
about their vacant manager's job. Four days later he ruled himself out of taking over at Oakwell but on 1 June 2011 Hill made a u-turn on his decision and was appointed as manager of Barnsley. He took with him, his assistant manager David Flitcroft
as well as Rochdale players Matt Done and Scott Wiseman, who also moved to Oakwell. Several members of the Rochdale AFC backroom staff left at the same time, to work with the managerial duo at Barnsley.
Cheltenham Town
Morecambe
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
former footballer, currently manager of Barnsley
Barnsley F.C.
Barnsley Football Club are a professional English football club based in the town of Barnsley, South Yorkshire. Nicknamed the Tykes, they were founded in 1887 under the name Barnsley St. Peter's...
. As a player, Hill was a central defender
Defender (football)
Within the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposition from attacking....
. He is also known to wear coats/jackets similar to those a school teacher would wear, complete with leather patches on the elbows.
Playing career
Hill began his career with Blackburn RoversBlackburn Rovers F.C.
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. The team currently competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football....
, moving on 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...
in 1992
1992-93 in English football
The 1992–1993 season was the 113th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:This season saw the birth of the FA Premier League. This meant a break-up of the 104-year-old Football League that had operated until then with four divisions....
in a joint deal with Craig Skinner
Craig Skinner
Craig Richard Skinner , is an English footballer who played as a midfielder in the Football League.-External links:...
, with Nicky Marker
Nicky Marker
Nicky Marker born 3 May 1965 was a defender who played for Blackburn Rovers during their Premiership winning years at the height of his career. The other clubs he played for included Sheffield United, Plymouth Argyle, Exeter City, Cheltenham and Tiverton....
moving in the opposite direction.
Hill spent four years with Plymouth, moving on to Rochdale
Rochdale A.F.C.
Rochdale Association Football Club is an English professional football club based in Rochdale, Greater Manchester. They play their home matches at Spotland Stadium. Formed in 1907, they were accepted into the Football League in 1921...
in 1996
1996-97 in English football
The 1996–1997 season was the 117th season of competitive football in England.Arrival into the league and exit out of the league returns in the fourth tier for the first time after its 3 season absence with only 1 relegation spot.- Premier League :...
. After five years at Spotland
Spotland
Spotland is a district of Rochdale in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on the River Spodden, and is the home of Spotland Stadium.Historically a part of Lancashire, Spotland was formerly its own township within the ancient parish of Rochdale....
, he joined Cheltenham Town
Cheltenham Town F.C.
Cheltenham Town Football Club is an English football club playing in League Two, the fourth tier of English football. Founded in 1887, the team has played at four different grounds, namely Agg-Gardner's Recreation Ground, Carter's Field and now the Abbey Business Stadium, although it is more...
, but he only spent a year there, playing only five games, punctuated by a two-month loan with Wrexham
Wrexham A.F.C.
Wrexham Football Club are a professional football team based in Wrexham, north-east Wales, who play in the English football pyramid.Founded in 1872, they are one of the oldest surviving football clubs in Britain and the oldest professional club in Wales...
. He spent a year with Conference side Morecambe
Morecambe F.C.
Morecambe Football Club is an English football club based in Morecambe, Lancashire. It plays its football in League Two, the fourth division of English football, having been promoted in 2007 for the first time in their history to the Football League. They played their home matches at Christie Park...
, before retiring in 2003
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...
.
Rochdale
Following Hill's retirement from playing the game, he joined former club Rochdale'sRochdale A.F.C.
Rochdale Association Football Club is an English professional football club based in Rochdale, Greater Manchester. They play their home matches at Spotland Stadium. Formed in 1907, they were accepted into the Football League in 1921...
coaching staff, where he held the position of Director of Youth. On 17 December 2006, Hill was appointed as caretaker manager
Caretaker manager
In association football, a caretaker manager is someone who takes temporary charge of the management of a football club, usually when the regular manager is dismissed or leaves for a different club. However, a caretaker may also be appointed if the regular manager is ill or unable to attend to his...
, following the sacking of Steve Parkin
Steve Parkin
Stephen John "Steve" Parkin is an English former footballer and manager, currently working as assistant manager at Bradford City.-Mansfield Town:...
. His first game in charge against Milton Keynes Dons
Milton Keynes Dons F.C.
.Milton Keynes Dons Football Club is an English professional football club founded in 2004 and based since 2007 at Stadium mk, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire...
ended a 2-1 loss and they were left in the League Two
Football League Two
Football League Two is the third-highest division of The Football League and fourth-highest division overall in the English football league system....
relegation zone. His first win came 2 games into his reign, a 4-0 win over Boston United
Boston United F.C.
Boston United Football Club are an association football club based in Boston, Lincolnshire, England. They currently play in the Conference North. The club is known as 'the Pilgrims' in reference to the Pilgrim Fathers, who fled from Boston to the USA and founded Boston, Massachusetts. The club's...
, which lifted them out of the relegation zone. After his second 4-0 win, Rochdale appointed Hill as permanent manager on 3 January 2007. After a change in form, Rochdale ended the season in 9th, despite being in the bottom 3 for the majority of the first half of the season.
In his first full season as Dale boss, he took Rochdale to League Two play-off final, where they lost 3-2 against Stockport County
Stockport County F.C.
Stockport County Football Club is an English football club based in Stockport, Greater Manchester. The club formed in 1883 as Heaton Norris Rovers, shortly afterwards merging with Heaton Norris F.C., and adopted the current name on 24 May 1890 on the creation of the County Borough of Stockport...
, following beating 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...
5-4 on penalties in the semi-final.
The 2008-09, saw Hill take Rochdale to the play-offs a second time in two season, but they were beaten 2-1 by the eventual winners, Gillingham
Gillingham F.C.
Gillingham Football Club is an English professional football club based in the town of Gillingham, Kent. The only Kent-based club in the Football League, they play their home matches at the Priestfield Stadium...
, at Priestfield Stadium
Priestfield Stadium
Priestfield Stadium is a football stadium in Gillingham, Kent...
.
The next season saw improvement again, gaining automatic promotion, after a 1-0 win at against Northampton Town F.C.
Northampton Town F.C.
Northampton Town Football Club are an English professional football club based in Northampton, Northamptonshire. They currently play in Football League Two, the lowest league division, after being relegated from League One on the last day of the 2008–09 season...
on 17 April 2011. However a dip in form near the end of the season, saw Rochdale miss out on the League Two title, finally finishing third behind Notts County
Notts County F.C.
Notts County Football Club are an English professional football club based in Nottingham. They are the oldest of all the clubs in the world that are now professional, having been formed in 1862. They currently play in League One of The Football League, the third tier of the English football system...
and Bournemouth
A.F.C. Bournemouth
A.F.C. Bournemouth is an English football club currently playing in Football League One. The club plays at Dean Court in Kings Park, Boscombe, Bournemouth, Dorset and have been in existence since 1899....
.
Their first season in League One
Football League One
Football League One is the second-highest division of The Football League and third-highest division overall in the English football league system....
, saw Rochdale as potential promotion contenders a long with newly promoted Bournemouth, Rochdale finished 9th at the end of the season with 68 points, meaning Hill had equalized their highest league finish since 1969-70.
Barnsley
On 20 May 2011 Hill was given permission to talk to ChampionshipFootball League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
side Barnsley
Barnsley F.C.
Barnsley Football Club are a professional English football club based in the town of Barnsley, South Yorkshire. Nicknamed the Tykes, they were founded in 1887 under the name Barnsley St. Peter's...
about their vacant manager's job. Four days later he ruled himself out of taking over at Oakwell but on 1 June 2011 Hill made a u-turn on his decision and was appointed as manager of Barnsley. He took with him, his assistant manager David Flitcroft
David Flitcroft
David Flitcroft is a former professional footballer who is now assistant manager at Barnsley. He is a younger brother of the former Blackburn Rovers and Manchester City player Garry Flitcroft....
as well as Rochdale players Matt Done and Scott Wiseman, who also moved to Oakwell. Several members of the Rochdale AFC backroom staff left at the same time, to work with the managerial duo at Barnsley.
Managerial statistics
| Team | Nat | From | To | Record | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | Win % | ||||
| Rochdale Rochdale A.F.C. Rochdale Association Football Club is an English professional football club based in Rochdale, Greater Manchester. They play their home matches at Spotland Stadium. Formed in 1907, they were accepted into the Football League in 1921... |
 |
16 December 2006 | 1 June 2011 |
|||||
| Barnsley Barnsley F.C. Barnsley Football Club are a professional English football club based in the town of Barnsley, South Yorkshire. Nicknamed the Tykes, they were founded in 1887 under the name Barnsley St. Peter's... |
|
1 June 2011 | present |
|||||
| Total |
||||||||
As Player
Plymouth Argyle- Third DivisionFootball League Third DivisionThe 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...
Play-off winners: 1
-
- 1995-961995-96 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....
- 1995-96
Cheltenham Town
- Third DivisionFootball League Third DivisionThe 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...
Play-off winners: 1
-
- 2001-022001-02 in English footballThe 2001-02 season was the 122nd season of competitive football in England.-Arsenal cruise to title glory:In what had earlier been one of the most closely fought Premiership title races for years, Arsenal won the championship by seven points. Their crown was won in the penultimate game of the...
- 2001-02
Morecambe
- Conference NationalConference NationalConference National is the top division of the Football Conference in England. It is the highest level of the National League System and fifth highest of the overall English football league system...
Runners-up: 1
-
- 2002-032002-03 in English footballThe 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...
- 2002-03
As Manager
Rochdale- League TwoFootball League TwoFootball League Two is the third-highest division of The Football League and fourth-highest division overall in the English football league system....
promotion: 1
-
- 2009-10