Mark Sale
Encyclopedia
Mark David Sale is an English
former professional footballer who played as a forward
. He made more than 200 appearances in the Football League
and many more in non-league football
. He is currently youth team manager at Burton Albion
.
, Staffordshire
, and began his career as a trainee with Stoke City
. He made his league debut away to Brighton & Hove Albion
in May 1990 and played the following week in the home game against Swindon Town
.
He was released by Stoke without playing any further first team games and joined non-league Rocester
from where he joined Birmingham City
in March 1992. He moved to Torquay United
for a fee of £10,000 and had a successful forward partnership with Duane Darby
. His form at Torquay led to a £20,000 move to Preston North End
where he had limited success.
In July 1995 he joined Mansfield Town
for a fee of £50,000 and immediately joined his new team-mates in a pre-season tour of Cyprus
. He was in and out of the side and in March 1997 was sold to Colchester United
for a fee of £23,500. His first game for Colchester came in a 2-1 win against Mansfield. Later in the season he played at Wembley in the final of the Auto Windscreens Shield
.
He left Colchester in July 1999, joining Rushden & Diamonds
for a fee of £30,000. He began the season as a regular in the side, but was soon diagnosed with Hodgkin Disease and underwent chemotherapy. He bravely fought his way back to fitness and returned to Rushden's side in December 2000, though was to play only twice as Rushden won the Conference
and with it promotion to the Football League
.
He joined Doncaster Rovers
in May 2001, playing 15 times in the Conference the following season. However, Sale was released by Doncaster at the end of the 2001–02 season
. He initially agreed terms with Conference side Forest Green Rovers
, but that fell through and he joined Tamworth
in August 2002. He had a loan spell with Hucknall Town
in September 2003 before moving to Alfreton Town
in October 2003.
In June 2005 he moved on to join Northwich Victoria
, rejoining his former Hucknall manager Steve Burr
, and helped Northwich to promotion back to the Conference National.
In January 2007, Sale left Northwich to join Hednesford Town
but did not appear for the first team.
In January 2008 he was appointed youth team manager at Burton Albion
, a role which he combines with working as football development officer for East Staffordshire Borough Council.
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 footballer who played as a forward
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...
. He made more than 200 appearances in the Football League
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
and many more in non-league football
Non-league football
Non-League football is football in England played at a level below that of the Premier League and The Football League. The term non-League was commonly used well before 1992 when the top football clubs in England all belonged to The Football League; all clubs who were not a part of The Football...
. He is currently youth team manager at Burton Albion
Burton Albion F.C.
Burton Albion Football Club are a professional English football club based in the town of Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire. The club's home ground is the Pirelli Stadium, having moved from Eton Park in 2005...
.
Playing career
Sale was born in Burton upon TrentBurton upon Trent
Burton upon Trent, also known as Burton-on-Trent or simply Burton, is a town straddling the River Trent in the east of Staffordshire, England. Its associated adjective is "Burtonian"....
, Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
, and began his career as a trainee with Stoke City
Stoke City F.C.
Stoke City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire that plays in the Premier League. Founded in 1863, it is the oldest club in the Premier League, and considered to be the second oldest professional football club in the world, after Notts...
. He made his league debut away to Brighton & Hove Albion
Brighton & Hove Albion F.C.
Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club are an English association football club based in the coastal city of Brighton & Hove, East Sussex. They currently play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system....
in May 1990 and played the following week in the home game against Swindon Town
Swindon Town F.C.
Swindon Town Football Club are a team based in Swindon, Wiltshire. Currently in League Two, Swindon have been managed by Paolo Di Canio since 23 May 2011...
.
He was released by Stoke without playing any further first team games and joined non-league Rocester
Rocester F.C.
Rocester Football Club is a football club based in Rocester, near Uttoxeter, Staffordshire, England.-History:Rocester Football Club was formed in 1876 and for over a century played in various local leagues including the Stafford Amateur League and Uttoxeter and District League until they became...
from where he joined Birmingham City
Birmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
in March 1992. He moved to Torquay United
Torquay United F.C.
Torquay United Football Club, nicknamed the Gulls, are an English association football club based in the tourist resort town of Torquay, Devon. They played in the Conference National in 2008–09, but were promoted to Football League Two after a 2–0 win over Cambridge United on 17 May 2009 at Wembley...
for a fee of £10,000 and had a successful forward partnership with Duane Darby
Duane Darby
Duane Darby is a professional footballer who has made over 400 senior appearances in English football, and scored over 100 goals. He played a significant number of games for Torquay United and Hull City, and also helped both Rushden & Diamonds and Shrewsbury Town gain promotion from the Conference...
. His form at Torquay led to a £20,000 move to Preston North End
Preston North End F.C.
Preston North End Football Club is an English professional football club located in the Deepdale area of the city of Preston, Lancashire, currently playing in the third tier of English league football, League One...
where he had limited success.
In July 1995 he joined 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...
for a fee of £50,000 and immediately joined his new team-mates in a pre-season tour of Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
. He was in and out of the side and in March 1997 was sold to Colchester United
Colchester United F.C.
Colchester United Football Club is an English football club based in Colchester. The club was formed in 1937, and briefly shared their old Layer Road home with now defunct side Colchester Town who had previously used the ground from 1910....
for a fee of £23,500. His first game for Colchester came in a 2-1 win against Mansfield. Later in the season he played at Wembley in the final of the Auto Windscreens Shield
Football League Trophy
The 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...
.
He left Colchester in July 1999, joining 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...
for a fee of £30,000. He began the season as a regular in the side, but was soon diagnosed with Hodgkin Disease and underwent chemotherapy. He bravely fought his way back to fitness and returned to Rushden's side in December 2000, though was to play only twice as Rushden won the 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...
and with it promotion to the Football League
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
.
He joined Doncaster Rovers
Doncaster Rovers F.C.
Doncaster Rovers Football Club is an English football club, based at the Keepmoat Stadium in Doncaster, South Yorkshire. The team currently competes in the Football League Championship, after being promoted via the League One play-offs in 2008, and have remained there since.The club was founded in...
in May 2001, playing 15 times in the Conference the following season. However, Sale was released by Doncaster at the end of the 2001–02 season
2001-02 in English football
The 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...
. He initially agreed terms with Conference side Forest Green Rovers
Forest Green Rovers F.C.
Forest Green Rovers Football Club is an English football club based in Nailsworth, Gloucestershire, currently the longest-serving members of the Conference National. The club is affiliated to the Gloucestershire County FA.-Early years:...
, but that fell through and he joined Tamworth
Tamworth F.C.
Tamworth Football Club are an English semi-professional football club based in the town of Tamworth, Staffordshire. Nicknamed 'The Lambs', they are currently members of the Conference National, the fifth highest tier in the English league system....
in August 2002. He had a loan spell with Hucknall Town
Hucknall Town F.C.
Hucknall Town F.C. are an English football club based in the town of Hucknall, Nottinghamshire. The club are members of the Northern Premier League Premier Division and play at Watnall Road.-History:...
in September 2003 before moving to 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...
in October 2003.
In June 2005 he moved on to join Northwich Victoria
Northwich Victoria F.C.
Northwich Victoria Football Club are an English football club who play at the Victoria Stadium in Wincham, Northwich, Cheshire in the Northern Premier League Premier Division, the seventh tier of the English football league system.Northwich are an old club, founded in 1874 and named in honour of...
, rejoining his former Hucknall manager Steve Burr
Steve Burr
Steve Burr is a former English footballer and current manager of Conference National side Kidderminster Harriers-Playing career:...
, and helped Northwich to promotion back to the Conference National.
In January 2007, Sale left Northwich to join Hednesford Town
Hednesford Town F.C.
Hednesford Town Football Club are an association football team based in Hednesford, Staffordshire, England. They play at Keys Park.-History:...
but did not appear for the first team.
In January 2008 he was appointed youth team manager at Burton Albion
Burton Albion F.C.
Burton Albion Football Club are a professional English football club based in the town of Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire. The club's home ground is the Pirelli Stadium, having moved from Eton Park in 2005...
, a role which he combines with working as football development officer for East Staffordshire Borough Council.