Most league appearance in English/Scottish football

[BillyStubbsTears]

Plenty of Rovers players/managers in here. Plus one Chief Scout.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_footballers_in_England_and_Scotland_by_number_of_league_appearances

Fill yer boots.

[Bentley Bullet]

Goalkeeper John Burridge, 20 clubs! I wonder if that's a record?

[Dutch Uncle]

Great list BST. When he retires Copps will be well up on that list - I make him on 560 at the moment (including of course Hartlepool and Exeter appearances) equal with John Aldridge.

[BillyStubbsTears]

Dutch

I'm guessing they don't include the non-League appearances. So Copps has a bit to go to make the 500 mark.

[Dutch Uncle]

BST - that 560 appearances do not count Exeter appearances in the Conference.

At the end of last season he stood on 546 (472 DRFC, 43 Exeter, 24 Hartlepool, 6 Florists and 1 Newcastle). The Exeter appearances were in 2002-03 when they were being relegated from the old Division 3 to the Conference. Exeter appearances in the Conference in 2003-04 are not included. I reckon he has  played 14 league matches this season to add to that.

[anne honemous]

Goalkeeper John Burridge, 20 clubs! I wonder if that's a record?

That's nothing compared to this bloke...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jefferson_Louis

[roversdude]

So all being well Copps can pass 500 mark this season - that is some achievement

[Campsall rover]

On that list are 16 names who either played and or managed Rovers.
3 others who were born in Doncaster. Flowers, Keegan & Speedie.
Thanks BST that was very interesting to read. A few surprises amongst those names and 3/4 names i did not know of at all.

[Filo]

I'd have bet serious money that Ces Podd would be on that list

[Dutch Uncle]

So all being well Copps can pass 500 mark this season - that is some achievement

It certainly would be - 500 league games for one club would be a significantly smaller list - I am guessing maybe around 100 players. When I have time I will look into it further.

I think I have already found three players not on the Wiki list linked by BST -  Steve Fletcher, Jacky Brownsword and Harold Bell. However it must be said it does not claim to be the complete list, just 'a' list.

[Dutch Uncle]

I'd have bet serious money that Ces Podd would be on that list

He is there at 562 apps

[Colemans Left Hook]

Plenty of Rovers players/managers in here. Plus one Chief Scout.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_footballers_in_England_and_Scotland_by_number_of_league_appearances

Fill yer boots.

off the top of my head I knew some sproson bloke made millions of appearances for his only club port vale think it's 761 on the list

when I look on the port vale site I see he made including cups etc 842 but look who is behind him in 2nd place for port vale  -- looks like his son -a mere 500 appearances - seem to remember one of them managing pv a tall centre half from memory

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Port_Vale_F.C._players

 

[Dutch Uncle]

Have looked through this list a bit now - some great players and memories.

I had been doing some separate analysis to see how many players I could find with 500 league appearances for one club in the English leagues and this helped a lot. However there are certainly a lot of players not on this list - I have found about 30 others, many coming from the players mentioned in the Sky Annuals as all time leading appearance makers for each club. Some players are not long retired, so maybe not yet added to the list - e.g. Gerrard, Ferdinand, Lampard (Jr), Heskey, Schwarzer, and Steve Fletcher of Bournemouth. Others include Harold Bell who is well known as holding the record number of consecutive league appearances - 401 of his 595 for Tranmere. There are two Swansea players missing - club record holder Wilf Milne, but more recently goalkeeper Roger Freestone who had 563 appearances.

I have now found 90 players who have played 500 League matches for one club - a very select list that Copps is likely to join soon. I do think there are still more to be found.

I have also found rather more than the 16 mentioned above with Rovers connections.

Managers: Bremner, Wignall, Dixon, Saunders, O'Driscoll, MacKay and Ian Atkins, and assistant Brian Horton

Players: Redfearn, Moss, Southall, Tynan, Deane, Ashurst, Sheridan, Ian Miller, Nicol, Steve Harper, Terry Cooper, Goodman, Balderstone, Jamie Hewitt,  Newell, Winston White, Barry Swallow, Joe Laidlaw and most obscurely Mitchell Downie (7 apps for us as GK in 1963-64)

Then of course Ron Flowers was a youth teamer with us and Kevein Keegan famously failed to make the grade here.

Many thanks BST for putting up this list 

[BillyStubbsTears]

You're welcome Dutch.

there's also Dave Blakey who was our Chief Scout under Bremner.

[One_Matty_Lucas]

You're welcome Dutch.

there's also Dave Blakey who was our Chief Scout under Bremner.

Also under Dave Penney, passed away in 2014.

https://www.doncasterroversfc.co.uk/news/2014/april/sad-news---dave-blakey/

[BillyStubbsTears]

A couple of other ex-Rovers who are not on the list and who I think should be:

Mark Rankine 569 league starts and 51 sub appearances according to Soccerbase.

Darren Moore 566+30

Shit list really. What dick posted it without checking?

[idler]

Somebody with no interest in statistics. 😉

[Dutch Uncle]

Two names on that list that are of personal interest to me are Robbie James and Leighton James. There are both from the village I come from (Gorseinon/Loughor), and my mother's maiden name was James. None of us are related as far as I know, but my cousins knew them.

[Campsall rover]

Your right Dutch Uncle, I missed quite a few names who had connections to Rovers or Doncaster. Goodman, Hewitt &
Winston White were ones I definately missed. I don't know Downie, not a name I am familiar with.

[idler]

Downie came in as a replacement a few times when Willie Nimmo was injured. He didn't inspire much confidence in us regulars although he was a hero for Bradford City. He had the New Inn at Calverley just outside Bradford for many years. He sadly died a few years ago.