Date / Year of birth: 17th August 1974

Position: Centre-back

Season of first appearance: 2005/06

Season of last appearance: 2007/08

Also played for: Gillingham (9+3,0), Hastings Town, Mansion (Hong Kong), Welling United, Stevenage Borough, Grays Athletic, Gravesend & Northfleet, Billericay Town and Heybridge Swifts

6' 1" tall defender born in St.Paul's Cray, Kent who started his career at Gillingham. Robin made his first appearances for the Gills' youth team during the 1990/91 campaign and in July 1991 he was signed as a trainee. Robin progressed through the Gills junior sides over the course of the next couple of seasons and on 28.7.92 he played for the reserves as they drew 0-0 at Margate in the semi-final of the Kent Midweek League Cup that had been held over from the 1991/92 campaign.

In May 1993 Robin signed a professional contract with Gillingham and on 18.8.93 he again played at Hartsdown Park as the Gills drew 0-0 with Margate in a friendly.

In October 1993 he was loaned to Southern League side Hastings Town and Robin stated with the Sussex club until February 1994.

On 30.4.94 Robin made his first team debut for Gillingham in a Division 3 (later League Two) game at Wigan and he went on to make a total of 12 senior appearances (three as sub) before being released at the end of the 1994/95 season.

In August 1995 Robin joined Hong Kong club Mansion and spent almost a year there before returning to England and signing for Conference outfit Welling in July 1996.

After a season with the Wings Robin joined their fellow Conference club Stevenage for a fee of £8,000 in August 1997 and he went on to become a hugely popular player there, even having a fanzine - 'Don't Run...Trott' - named in his honour.

At the start of 1998 Robin captained the Stevenage side that famously drew 1-1 with Premier League Newcastle in an FA Cup 4th Round tie at Broadhall Way and then only lost 2-1 in the replay at St.James' Park. Robin marked England centre-forward Alan Shearer who refused to swap shirts with him due to pre-match comments made by Stevenage. Shearer later sent Robin a signed shirt as a goodwill gesture.

In 2002 he played in the FA Trophy Final as Stevenage lost 2-0 to Yeovil at Villa Park in front of a crowd of 18,809 and by the time Robin left the club to join Grays in March 2003 he'd made 190 appearances (nine as sub), scored 13 goals and been sent off twice.

Robin went on to make 13 Isthmian League Premier Division appearances for Grays before the end of the 2002/03 season and in May 2003 he signed for Conference outfit Gravesend & Northfleet.

Robin became the Fleet's captain but he only made two appearances (one as sub) before breaking his foot and in November 2003 Robin was released from his contract by mutual consent.

Having recovered from his injury Robin joined Isthmian League Premier Division club Billericay in March 2004 and he scored once from ten league outings before the end of the 2003/04 campaign.

He stayed with Ricay for the 2004/05 season and scored once from 48 appearances in all competitions before moving on to Heybridge in the summer of 2005.

Robin played nine times (three as sub) for Heybridge during the opening months of 2005/06 but in October 2005 he rejoined Billericay.

After scoring once from 15 outings in his second spell with Ricay Robin left the club towards the end of January 2006 and moved to Margate.

He signed an 18-month contract and joined the club shortly after his friend Danny Hockton who'd also been with Billericay. Robin told the Isle of Thanet Gazette "Margate's a big club, isn't it. I knew Chris Kinnear from my time in the Conference and Danny's one of my best mates. It's an up-and-coming club with a new ground on the way, and that's always a bonus. They've had an indifferent season but they're getting a squad together, Chris knows what he's doing and in Danny they've got the best forward in the league. We should be formidable next season."

Chris Kinnear told the paper "He's got a lot left in him, Billericay weren't happy about losing him. He's a leader on the pitch, a good talker and he's quite tall which will help us because we're not the biggest side."

Robin made his debut in the number five shirt in a 0-0 draw with Harrow in an Isthmian League Premier Division game at Hartsdown Park on 28.1.06 and the Thanet Times said he showed "all those leadership qualities he's synonymous with" and "wasn't afraid to bark out orders". Robin was ever-present from them on and the Times said he was "top class at the back" in a 1-1 home draw with Braintree on 18.2.06 and acted "like a man possessed at set-pieces".

When Chris Kinnear was sacked after a 1-1 draw with Windsor & Eton at Hartsdown Park on 4.4.06 Robin was appointed as caretaker player-manager and he immediately told the Isle of Thanet Gazette that he'd like the job permanently. He told the paper "It's a challenge for me but I'm not daunted by it in the slightest. When you've got common sense and can read the game, you can't go far wrong."

His first game in charge was a 1-0 win at Hampton & Richmond on 8.4.06 and the Thanet Times said Robin was "ultra-confident in his ability to do the job" and "steady at the back". After a 0-0 home draw with Worthing on 15.4.06 he told the paper "I know what I can get out of the players and what I can do on the pitch" and on 29.4.06 a 4-2 win over Hendon at Hartsdown Park took Margate's unbeaten run to five games under Robin. That was the last match of the 2005/06 season and immediately afterwards he was confirmed as Margate's permanent player-manager. Robin had made 18 appearances without scoring by then.

On the eve of the 2006/07 season he told the Isle of Thanet Gazette "I'll give 100 per cent and win most headers. I lack a bit of pace but make up for it with knowledge of football and reading of the game." Robin also told the paper "Being Margate manager has massively changed my life, the phone doesn't stop ringing for a start. I always knew ability-wise I was good enough to do the job, it was just a case of being given the chance."

On 19.8.06 Robin started the new campaign in fine style by scoring with a diving header from a Lee Protheroe free-kick as Margate won 5-2 in an Isthmian League Premier Division game at Worthing. He started the next three matches too but after a 5-1 win at Folkestone on 28.8.06 Robin missed two games due to illness. He returned as a substitute in a match at Boreham Wood on 9.9.06 but had an afternoon to forget as Margate lost 6-1.

After missing the next two matches due to a knee injury Robin made his first start for over three weeks when he wore the number six shirt in a 1-0 win at Fleet in the FA Cup on 19.9.06 and the Isle of Thanet Gazette said he was "by far and away the man-of-the-match". Robin told the Isle of Thanet Gazette "I took four Nurofen for the knee before the game. The physio said 'You do realise you can overdose on these things' and I said 'Don't worry about that, just get on with it.' It worked out well. I do have an influence on the team - they know if I'm doing the business then they have to as well."

Robin then started Margate's next eight matches and the Isle of Thanet Gazette's report on a 0-0 draw with Bromley at Hartsdown Park on 26.9.06 said he "rolled back the years with a cracking slide-tackle to deny Lloyd Blackman as he raced through on goal". Robin responded by telling the paper "there was nothing 'back in the day' about that, I do it all the time." His run in the side ended after a 4-0 win at Leyton on 28.10.06 and Robin then missed three games before returning in a 4-1 home win over Harrow on 18.11.06.

The Isle of Thanet Gazette said Robin was "the outstanding player on the park" in a 1-1 draw at Ashford (Middlesex) on 23.12.06 and "man-of-the-match by a distance" in a 3-0 win at East Thurrock on 23.1.07. On 3.2.07 he headed home a Lee Protheroe corner to score his second goal of the campaign in a 4-4 draw at Harrow and Robin was a regular again after that, playing in all but three of Margate's matches up to the end of the season.

On 13.4.07 the Isle of Thanet Gazette reported that Robin was seeking a new contract as player-manager and he told the paper "I need to know now." Robin also said "I've changed massively. I feel like I'm not the person I was before. I am still the same but I've become really ruthless and I never thought I'd be like that. Perhaps there are times when I could have been even more ruthless but I'm focused, I'm a positive person and I strive for success." A week later Robin was given a contract for another year and Margate's chairman Malcolm Rowlett told the Gazette "Robin has great leadership and enthusiasm, which I think has shone through this season. He's done extremely well since taking over from Chris Kinnear." Robin said "It's been my first year in the job and I've made mistakes, but I've hopefully learned from them on and off the pitch. I want to carry on playing. It's not hindered me playing as well."

Margate finished the campaign one place below the play-offs after topping the table for spells during the season and Robin made a total of 40 appearances (one as sub),scoring twice.

Shortly after Margate's final match - a 1-0 defeat at Hendon on 28.4.07 - the board asked him to stop playing and concentrate on management during the 2007/08 campaign and Robin told the Thanet Times "I'd love to play but life goes on...I have to look at the bigger picture and I want to get things right next year." He told the Isle of Thanet Extra "I feel I have had an average career as a player, with a few highs, notable the two FA Cup ties for Stevenage against Newcastle, and also playing in an FA Trophy final."

Robin's retirement turned out to be extremely short-lived and at the end of July 2008 he revealed that he'd registered himself as a player again. He told the Isle of Thanet Gazette "I feel natural as a manager now but if I've got to play I've got to play. I'll work a team around a starting X1 and I won't be included in that but if we're desperate I'll play." Robin then made his first friendly appearance in a 1-1 draw with Dover at Hartsdown Park on 4.8.07.

On 18.8.07 he wore the number six shirt as Margate drew 1-1 with visitors Chelmsford in their opening Isthmian League Premier Division game of the season and afterwards Robin told the Thanet Times that he needed to work on his fitness. He said "I believe you need a good pre-season and I've not had it. To be honest, I got a yellow card early on because I wasn't fit - I was two or three yards off the pace. It's just getting that first wind out of your body. I struggled in the first ten minutes but after that I got through it fine." He came on as a substitute in Margate's next game - a 2-0 defeat at East Thurrock on 21.8.07 - but Robin then sat out the next six matches.

He returned to action on 22.9.07 when he featured as a substitute in a 2-0 home defeat against Hendon and on 25.9.07 Robin made his first start for over a month in a 1-1 draw with AFC Wimbledon at Hartsdown Park. The Isle of Thanet Gazette said "The directors won't want to hear it having asked him to pack up playing in the summer but Blues look a better team with their manager on the pitch". Robin then started four of the next five games and after a 0-0 draw at Ashford (Middlesex) on 6.10.07 he told the Thanet Times "I've got to say, I was absolutely outstanding. I was brilliant - man-of-the-match." Robin added "I love playing. I enjoyed it on Saturday even though we only drew. I enjoyed it midweek against Wimbledon and I enjoyed it against Fisher. It's whether I can play and manage but I've got to do it for the minute."

After wearing the number six shirt in a 4-3 defeat at Hitchin in an FA Cup tie on 13.10.07 Robin missed four matches due to injury and his absence coincided with a run of six games without winning. On 19.10.07 he told the Isle of Thanet Gazette "I'm worried about my job and the boys are as well but it pushes you on." Robin made his comeback as a sub in a 1-1 draw at Folkestone on 29.10.07 and after playing twice more as a substitute he started as Margate beat Harrow 2-1 at Hartsdown Park on 10.11.07. He then enjoyed a good run in the side where he chose to start seven of the next ten matches.

On 17.11.07 Robin headed an own goal as Margate lost 4-3 at home to Maidstone United and after going off with a groin injury in a 1-0 defeat at Horsham on 29.12.07 he missed the next six games. As he built up his fitness Robin played a full 90 minutes as a striker in a 3-1 friendly win at Sevenoaks on 13.2.08 and three days later he returned to competitive action in a 3-1 home win over Staines. The Thanet Times said he "didn't lose a header all game and used his experience to rough up dangerman Marc Charles-Smith, who didn't fancy the battle". From then on Robin was a fixture in the side once more.

In its report on a 1-1 draw with Harlow at Hartsdown Park on 29.3.08 the Thanet Times mentioned that there was unrest about Robin's position as manager amongst some supporters and said it would be "a shame if he isn't around next term". On 5.4.08 he played at left-back in a remarkable 5-4 home win over Heybridge and on 12.4.08 Robin wore the number five shirt as Margate won 4-2 at Leyton. It was his 31st appearance of the season (six as sub) and it turned out to be his last for the club.

At a board meeting on 15.4.08 Margate made the decision to dispense with Robin's services as player-manager with just two matches of the season left and chairman Malcolm Rowlett told the Isle of Thanet Gazette "The board didn't have confidence in Robin to produce a team capable of challenging for the promotion places next season." Rowlett continued "I've been generally pleased with Robin. Last year I put my head on the block and said he was young and to give him another chance. However, I am disappointed this year not to be in the play-offs. As it got nearer the end of the season we had to make a decision so we could map out some form of progress. I wish Robin well, he's a really nice chap."

Robin told the Isle of Thanet Gazette he'd already decided to leave at the end of campaign and said "I would have walked away, even if we'd reached the play-offs and won promotion. I know the board knew that anyway, it's just a shame they nipped things in the bud, as they would do, to get rid of me now. I think it's detrimental to the club's health to do it when there's only two games left and we can still make the play-offs. It's not the way to do it. They said it's been done purely so if anybody came in they would have a chance to look at the first team. But that could have been done while I was there, because it's not stopped them talking to other people." The Gazette also confirmed that Robin had told them two weeks earlier he intended to leave the club and Robin said "I'll go and do a job somewhere else. I'd love to be a manager again but if not I'll have to play. This will probably spur me on."

Looking back at the 2007/08 campaign Robin said "I went into a board meeting at the end of last season and was told the budget would be going down. My wages went down, I had no assistant and I was told I couldn't play. So not only can I not get the players in, I've also lost myself. I said to the board 'What do you expect this season ?' I told them we'd be lucky to make the play-offs with what they'd given me and I've been proved right. I was contemplating going then, knowing what a tall order this season would be." Robin concluded by saying "I'd like to thank the directors for giving me the opportunity to manage Margate, for believing I could do it. I believe I earned the right to get the job in the first place. I'd also like to thank the players and the fans who backed me. It's not the end of the world for me. There was life before Margate and there'll be life after it."

In June 2008 Robin joined Conference South club Welling as a player, his second spell with the Wings, but after playing in the second half of a friendly against Charlton on 9.7.08 he was released a week later and Robin cited business reasons for his rapid departure - he was a self-employed builder.

After a few months out of football Robin rejoined Billericay in October 2008 and on 25.10.08 he was sent off on his debut after picking up two yellow cards in a 2-2 home draw with Ramsgate in the Isthmian Premier League. His next outing for Ricay came on 1.11.08 as they took on Margate at New Lodge but after a difficult first half Robin was substituted at the interval. Billericay won 3-2 but he never played for the club again and retired from football at the age of 34.