Kevin Donovan
Encyclopedia
Kevin Donovan is an English
former professional
footballer
who played as a midfielder
between 1989 and 2007. He notably played for Grimsby Town
and West Bromwich Albion, and scored goals at Wembley Stadium for both clubs in Football League play-off finals
. He also had spells with Huddersfield Town
, Halifax Town, Barnsley
, Rochdale
, York City
and Alfreton Town
.
as an apprentice in April 1988 and turned professional in October 1989. He joined Halifax Town
on loan during February and March 1992, before moving to West Bromwich Albion
for £70,000 in October of that year. He made his Albion debut against Port Vale
in the same month. Donovan scored in Albion's 3–0 win over Vale in the Division Two play-off final the following May at Wembley as the club clinched promotion.
In July 1997 he signed for Grimsby Town
for a £300,000 fee, joining up with his former manager at Albion, Alan Buckley
. His time at Grimsby was arguably the best of his career. In his first season he scored 21 goals to help the club win twice at Wembley in the Auto Windscreens Shield, and in the play-off final, in which Donovan netted the only goal of the game. However, Donovan failed to score a single goal in the following season for the club.
Two more rather impressive seasons were spent at Blundell Park
before Donovan confirmed the Grimsby supporters' worst fears and left to join rivals Barnsley
. His time at Oakwell was mainly blighted by injury problems,and he experienced relegation with the club, and at the end of the 2002/2003 season he was released by The Tykes.
Donovan was snapped up by Alan Buckley
, who had managed him at West Brom and Grimsby, and gave him a one-year deal for Rochdale
However, after another fruitless campaign, playing only seven times for 'Dale, Donovan was released by the club.
His next port of call was at Conference
club York City
following a loan spell. At York he linked up with former Grimsby team mate Paul Groves, but neither really flourished. At the end of the season Donovan moved into the Conference North
, joining Alfreton Town
for a season before retiring from the game. Kevin now coaches youngsters in his native Yorkshire
.
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 professional
Professional
A professional is a person who is paid to undertake a specialised set of tasks and to complete them for a fee. The traditional professions were doctors, lawyers, clergymen, and commissioned military officers. Today, the term is applied to estate agents, surveyors , environmental scientists,...
footballer
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
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...
between 1989 and 2007. He notably played for Grimsby Town
Grimsby Town F.C.
Grimsby Town Football Club is an English football club based in the seaside town of Cleethorpes, in North East Lincolnshire, England, who compete in the Conference National. They were formed in 1878 as Grimsby Pelham and later became Grimsby Town...
and West Bromwich Albion, and scored goals at Wembley Stadium for both clubs in Football League play-off finals
Football League Play-Offs
The Football League play-offs are an annual series of football matches to determine some of the promotion places within the Football League. Essentially, each division of the league offers a certain number of automatic promotion places to the top two or three clubs. A further promotion place is...
. He also had spells with Huddersfield Town
Huddersfield Town F.C.
Huddersfield Town Football Club is an English football club formed in 1908 and based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire. They currently play in League One...
, Halifax Town, 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...
, 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...
, York City
York City F.C.
York City Football Club is an English football club based in York, North Yorkshire. The club participates in the Conference National, the fifth tier of English football. Founded in 1922, they joined the Football League in 1929, and have spent most of their history in the lower divisions...
and Alfreton Town
Alfreton Town F.C.
Alfreton Town F.C. is an English football club based in Alfreton, Derbyshire. The club was reformed after a merger between Alfreton Miners Welfare and Alfreton United in 1959...
.
Career
Donovan joined Huddersfield TownHuddersfield Town F.C.
Huddersfield Town Football Club is an English football club formed in 1908 and based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire. They currently play in League One...
as an apprentice in April 1988 and turned professional in October 1989. He joined Halifax Town
Halifax Town A.F.C.
Halifax Town Association Football Club were an English football team who most recently played in the Conference National, although prior to that they participated in the Football League for over eighty years...
on loan during February and March 1992, before moving to West Bromwich Albion
West 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...
for £70,000 in October of that year. He made his Albion debut against 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...
in the same month. Donovan scored in Albion's 3–0 win over Vale in the Division Two play-off final the following May at Wembley as the club clinched promotion.
In July 1997 he signed for Grimsby Town
Grimsby Town F.C.
Grimsby Town Football Club is an English football club based in the seaside town of Cleethorpes, in North East Lincolnshire, England, who compete in the Conference National. They were formed in 1878 as Grimsby Pelham and later became Grimsby Town...
for a £300,000 fee, joining up with his former manager at Albion, Alan Buckley
Alan Buckley
Alan Peter Buckley is an English football manager. He was manager of League Two side Grimsby Town until his dismissal in September 2008...
. His time at Grimsby was arguably the best of his career. In his first season he scored 21 goals to help the club win twice at Wembley in the Auto Windscreens Shield, and in the play-off final, in which Donovan netted the only goal of the game. However, Donovan failed to score a single goal in the following season for the club.
Two more rather impressive seasons were spent at Blundell Park
Blundell Park
Blundell Park is a football ground in Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire, England and home to Grimsby Town Football Club. The stadium was built in 1898, but only one of the original stands remain. The current capacity of the ground is 9546, though with the introduction of all seating in the late...
before Donovan confirmed the Grimsby supporters' worst fears and left to join rivals 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...
. His time at Oakwell was mainly blighted by injury problems,and he experienced relegation with the club, and at the end of the 2002/2003 season he was released by The Tykes.
Donovan was snapped up by Alan Buckley
Alan Buckley
Alan Peter Buckley is an English football manager. He was manager of League Two side Grimsby Town until his dismissal in September 2008...
, who had managed him at West Brom and Grimsby, and gave him a one-year deal for 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...
However, after another fruitless campaign, playing only seven times for 'Dale, Donovan was released by the club.
His next port of call was at Conference
Football Conference
The Football Conference is a football league in England which consists of three divisions called Conference National, Conference North, and Conference South. Some Football Conference clubs are fully professional, such as Luton Town, but most of them are semi-professional...
club York City
York City F.C.
York City Football Club is an English football club based in York, North Yorkshire. The club participates in the Conference National, the fifth tier of English football. Founded in 1922, they joined the Football League in 1929, and have spent most of their history in the lower divisions...
following a loan spell. At York he linked up with former Grimsby team mate Paul Groves, but neither really flourished. At the end of the season Donovan moved into the Conference North
Conference North
The Conference North also known as Blue Square Bet North for sponsorship reasons, is a division of the Football Conference in England, taking its place immediately below the Conference National. Along with Conference South it is at Step 2 of the National League System and the sixth overall tier of...
, joining Alfreton Town
Alfreton Town F.C.
Alfreton Town F.C. is an English football club based in Alfreton, Derbyshire. The club was reformed after a merger between Alfreton Miners Welfare and Alfreton United in 1959...
for a season before retiring from the game. Kevin now coaches youngsters in his native Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
.
Grimsby Town
- Premier League Winner: 1998-991998-99 in English football-Premier League:Manchester United overcame close competition from Arsenal, Aston Villa and Chelsea to win their fifth Premiership title in seven seasons thanks to the comeback of Roy Keane after his long-term injury and a transfer raid totalling nearly £30 million which netted Aston Villa striker...
- Second DivisionFootball League Second DivisionFrom 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
play-off winner: 1997-981997-98 in English footballThe 1997-1998 season was the 118th season of competitive football in England.-Premier League:Arsenal overhauled Manchester United's lead during the final weeks of the season to win the Premiership title... - Auto Windscreens ShieldFootball League TrophyThe Football League Trophy, currently known as the Johnstone's Paint Trophy for sponsorship reasons, is an annual English association football knock-out competition open to the 48 clubs in Football League One and Football League Two, the bottom two divisions in the four fully professional top...
winner: 1997-981997-98 in English footballThe 1997-1998 season was the 118th season of competitive football in England.-Premier League:Arsenal overhauled Manchester United's lead during the final weeks of the season to win the Premiership title... - Supporters Player Of The Year, 1998
West Bromwich Albion
- Second DivisionFootball League Second DivisionFrom 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
play-off winner: 1992-931992-93 in English footballThe 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....