Russell Coughlin is a Welsh former professional footballer. He played as a midfield

Midfield

Midfield is the part of a sports pitch that lies approximately in the center. It is a term most commonly associated with football to refer to the area in and around the center circle, as well as the players who occupy that region, but it can be used in field hockey to describe the same area, or in...

er.

Coughlin began his professional career with Manchester City

Manchester City F.C.

Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...

 in 1977, but after failing to break into the first team at Maine Road

Maine Road

Maine Road was a football stadium in Moss Side, Manchester, England that was home to Manchester City F.C. from its construction in 1923 until 2003...

, he joined Blackburn Rovers

Blackburn 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....

 the following year. At Ewood Park

Ewood Park

Ewood Park is a football stadium in the English town of Blackburn, Lancashire, and is the home of Blackburn Rovers Football Club — one of the founder members of the Football League and Premier League. Rovers have played there since they moved from Leamington Street in the summer of 1890. The...

, he made 24 league appearances in two years.

In 1980, Coughlin moved north to join 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....

. He went on to make 130 league appearances for the Cumbria

Cumbria

Cumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and in...

ns, scoring thirteen goals.

Four years later, in 1984, Coughlin moved to England's south coast to sign for 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...

. There, he broke the 130-league-game mark again, scoring eighteen goals in the process.

In 1987, he returned to the north-west to join Sam Ellis

Sam Ellis

Samuel "Sam" Ellis is an English football coach and former player. He left his post as assistant manager of on December 30, 2010.-Career:...

's Blackpool

Blackpool F.C.

Blackpool Football Club are an English football club founded in 1887 from the Lancashire seaside town of Blackpool. They are competing in the 2011–12 season of the The Championship, the second tier of professional football in England, having been relegated from the Premier League at the end of the...

. He made his debut for the Seasiders on 12 December, in a 1–1 draw at Chesterfield

Chesterfield F.C.

Chesterfield Football Club is an English football club based in Chesterfield, Derbyshire. The club currently plays in Football League One, the third tier of English football. Despite being the fourth oldest Football League club in England, they have spent most of their existence in the lower...

 in the league. He scored his first goal for the club three games later, in another 1–1 draw, this time at 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...

. He went on to make 24 appearances and score two goals in total during the 1987–88

Blackpool F.C. season 1987-88

The 1987-88 season was Blackpool F.C.s 81st season in the Football League. They competed in the 24-team Division Three, then the third tier of English league football, finishing tenth....

 league campaign.

The following season, 1988–89

Blackpool F.C. season 1988-89

The 1988-89 season was Blackpool F.C.s 82nd season in the Football League. They competed in the 24-team Division Three, then the third tier of English league football, finishing nineteenth....

, Coughlin spent the majority of his games as strike partner to new signing Andy Garner

Andy Garner

Andrew "Andy" Garner is a retired English professional football player. He is now first-team coach at Derby County.-Playing career:Born in Stonebroom, Derbyshire, Garner began his career as an apprentice with Derby County in 1983...

. In 42 league appearances, he scored five goals, three of which were from the penalty spot. He also scored in Blackpool's League Cup

Football League Cup

The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...

 campaign, in a 2–0 second round, first leg victory over Sheffield Wednesday

Sheffield Wednesday F.C.

Sheffield Wednesday Football Club are a football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, who are currently competing in the Football League One in the 2011-12 season, in England. Sheffield Wednesday are one of the oldest professional clubs in the world and the fourth oldest in the...

 at Bloomfield Road

Bloomfield Road

Bloomfield Road is an all-seater football stadium in the English town of Blackpool, Lancashire. It has been the permanent home of Blackpool F.C. since 1901 and is named after the road on which the stadium's main entrance used to stand. The stadium has been in a process of redevelopment since 2000...

 on 27 September 1988.

In 1989–90

Blackpool F.C. season 1989-90

The 1989-90 season was Blackpool F.C.s 83rd season in the Football League. They competed in the 24-team Division Three, then the third tier of English league football, finishing second-bottom. As a result, they were relegated to the league's basement division.Jimmy Mullen replaced Sam Ellis as...

, under new manager Jimmy Mullen, Coughlin returned to his favoured midfield role. He made 34 league appearances and scored one goal as Blackpool finished second-bottom and were relegated to Division Four

Football League Fourth Division

The Fourth Division of The Football League was the fourth-highest division in the English football league system from the 1958–59 season until the creation of the Premier League prior to the 1992–93 season...

. Coughlin left the seaside early the following season after a loan spell at Shrewsbury Town

Shrewsbury Town F.C.

Shrewsbury Town Football Club is an English Association football club based in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, who play in League Two, the fourth tier of English football. The club was formed in 1886 and has played in all the bottom three divisions in various guises since being elected into the Football...

.

Coughlin joined his hometown club, Swansea City, for the 1990–91 season, and went on to make 101 league appearances for the Welshmen.

After a two-year spell Exeter City

Exeter City F.C.

Exeter City Football Club is an English football club, based in Exeter, which is owned by its fans through the Exeter City Supporters Trust.The club was a member of the Football League from 1920 to 2003...

, Coughlin brought his career to a close with 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...

 in 1996. He made almost 600 appearances and scored 41 goals in his 19-year Football League career.