Mark Atkins (footballer)
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| Mark Atkins | ||
| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | September 14, 1968 (age 38) | |
| Place of birth | Doncaster, England | |
| Playing position | Centre Midfielder | |
| Senior clubs1 | ||
| Years | Club | App (Gls)* |
| -1988 1988-1995 1995- |
Scunthorpe United Blackburn Rovers Wolverhampton Wanderers York City Doncaster Rovers Hull City Shrewsbury Town Harrogate |
0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) |
|
1 Senior club appearances and goals |
||
Mark Atkins (born September 14, 1968 in Doncaster, England) is a former English football player who is currently assistant manager of Stalybridge Celtic. He was primarily a centre midfielder but started out as a right-back and showed his versatility by playing in a number of roles. He won a Premier League medal with Blackburn Rovers in 1995.
Atkins was an integral part of Blackburn's rise from the old Second Division to Premier League champions in 1995. He joined Rovers as a right-back from Scunthorpe United in 1988 but found his best form in centre-midfield and stayed in the team despite the big investment in new players from owner Jack Walker. His part in Rovers' championship success is often understated, with many people wrongly claiming David Batty formed the strong midfield partnership with captain Tim Sherwood in that team. In fact, a foot injury kept Batty out until the final five matches and Atkins proved to be an unlikely hero for the Blackburn fans, playing 34 matches and scoring 6 goals. Chants of "Super-Atko" and "Atkins for England" were not uncommon from the Ewood Park faithful.
Atkins moved on from Rovers soon after the championship success and had spells at Wolves, York City, Doncaster Rovers and Hull City.
