Rob Sinclair

Robert James Sinclair (born 29 August 1989) is an English football manager and former footballer who is the manager of Spartan South Midlands Football League Premier Division club Real Bedford.

Sinclair started his career in the youth system at Luton Town, signing a professional contract in July 2007.

He progressed through the youth system at Luton, and signed a one-year professional contract with the club in July 2007.

On signing the deal, Sinclair said "I've been at Luton since I was eight so you can say it's something of a dream. The club have been great and really helped bring my game on".

He played 16 times for Salisbury during the club's 2007–08 season, scoring once.

Of his three-month loan spell, Sinclair said "It's been very enjoyable. It's worked out very well for me, first-team football has helped me massively. It's about the physical side mainly".

He was loaned out to Conference Premier club Salisbury City in January 2008, until the end of the 2007–08 season.

On returning to his parent club in May 2008, Sinclair was released, and joined Salisbury on a permanent basis later that month.

Injury disrupted his time at the club, playing 54 games during his two-and-a-half-year spell.

Sinclair did not breakthrough into the Luton first team during the 2007–08 season and was subsequently loaned out to Conference Premier club Salisbury City on 31 January 2008.

He made his debut for Salisbury in the club's 1–0 victory against Northwich Victoria on 9 February 2008, playing the whole match.

Sinclair scored his first professional goal in a 3–2 defeat at Woking on 24 March 2008, scoring the equalising goal in the first-half.

Sinclair was released by Luton at the end of the season in May 2008 having not made any first-team appearances for the club.

Following his departure from Luton, Sinclair joined Salisbury City of the Conference Premier on a permanent basis, signing a two-year contract on 22 May 2008.

Salisbury manager Nick Holmes stated that Sinclair impressed him during his loan spell and would play a major part in the club's upcoming season.

He missed the start of the 2008–09 season due to a knee injury, which he suffered in Salisbury's pre-season friendly against Port Vale.

The injury ultimately ruled him out of the first team for two months, and he returned to the starting eleven on 18 October 2008, playing 64 minutes in Salisbury's 2–0 defeat to Stevenage Borough.

Sinclair's only goal of the 2008–09 season came in Salisbury's final match of the season, on 26 April 2009, scoring their first goal from long range in a 2–2 draw against Ebbsfleet United.

In an injury-disrupted season, Sinclair played 15 times in all competitions, scoring one goal.

He made 29 appearances for Salisbury during the 2009–10 season without scoring.

Sinclair left Salisbury when the club were relegated two divisions after a breach of Conference rules on unpaid debts.

Sinclair left Salisbury when the club were relegated two divisions after a breach of rules on unpaid debts, and he joined Stevenage of League Two on a free transfer in June 2010.

Stevenage earned promotion to League One in his first season with the club.

Sinclair signed for League Two club Stevenage on 4 June 2010.

On joining the Hertfordshire club, Sinclair said "signing for Stevenage just came out of the blue. With all the trouble Salisbury were in we did not know what league we were going to be in next season and as such the club couldn't offer contracts".

Sinclair made his Stevenage debut in the club's first ever Football League fixture, a 2–2 draw against Macclesfield Town on 7 August 2010, coming on as a substitute in the 71st-minute of the match.

He started in the club's next game just two days later, playing 75 minutes in the side's 2–1 defeat to Portsmouth in the League Cup.

Following a brief loan spell at Aldershot Town in March 2012, Sinclair left Stevenage in June 2012, only to rejoin the club three months later.

He was loaned out once again to Aldershot in November 2012.

Sinclair was a part of the team that gained promotion to the Conference Premier during the 2012–13 season.

He left Stevenage by mutual consent in January 2013, and signed for Salisbury City, his second spell at the club.

He signed for Forest Green Rovers in June 2014, helping them earn promotion to the Football League during the 2016–17 season.

In the summer of 2017, Sinclair elected to play semi-professionally for Oxford City and then in November 2018 joined another semi-professional team in the form of National League South club Hemel Hempstead Town.

He signed for hometown club Bedford Town in July 2020, where he spent one season.

Sinclair made the transition from playing to coaching, joining Dunstable Town as a first-team coach in October 2021 before being appointed as manager of Eynesbury Rovers later that month.

After a season at Eynesbury, Sinclair was appointed manager of Real Bedford in May 2022, winning the Spartan South Midlands Football League Division One title in his first season there.

Sinclair was born and raised in Bedford.

He attended Wootton Upper School.

He has two brothers, Stuart Sinclair and Scott, who both went on to play football at a professional and semi-professional level.

Sinclair began his career as a trainee with Luton Town, and was a regular in the club's under-18 and reserve teams, where he played as a right winger.