Alex Sykes
Encyclopedia
Alex Sykes is a former English professional footballer who played in the Football League for Mansfield Town
as a midfielder. He also played internationally for the England Futsal team. He is currently the first team manager at Southern Football League
side Bishops Cleeve.
and he made his senior debut for Mansfield in a Football League match against Walsall
, scoring on his debut. Sykes turned down the offer of a new contract from manager Andy King
to attend university in Gloucestershire
.
During this time he played for defunct Hellenic League
club Endsleigh, and also for Cheltenham Town Reserves
. He signed for Forest Green Rovers
in March 1996 and was part of their successful double league winning side that won promotion to the Football Conference
in 1998.
In 1999, Sykes reached the final of the FA Trophy
with Forest Green at Wembley Stadium
but Forest Green lost 1-0 against Kingstonian
. Sykes finished as top scorer in the competition that season and scored in the semi final second leg against St Albans City
.
Sykes then joined fellow Conference side, Nuneaton Borough however was back with Forest Green on loan shortly after. He missed Forest Green's 2001 FA Trophy final defeat against Canvey Island
at Villa Park
because he had been cup tied from playing for Nuneaton in a previous round.
Forest Green signed Sykes permanently again at the beginning of the 2001-02 season under the management of Nigel Spink
. After a few seasons back with Forest Green, Sykes was loaned out to Bath City
in September 2003 to gain match fitness and Sykes joined Bath permanently in September 2004.
Sykes suffered from injury problems at Twerton Park
and was loaned out to Gloucester City
to play under his former manager at Forest Green, Tim Harris. Sykes made his debut against Aylesbury United
in December 2005 and played six times in his loan spell before returning to Bath. At the end of the season he was released by Bath and signed permanently for Gloucester.
He went on to make his second full debut against Maidenhead United
in August 2006. Sykes played a pivotal role in Gloucester's 2008/09 season as they gained promotion through the Southern League
play offs. Sykes scored 27 goals including a hat-trick at home to Mangotsfield United
.
Sykes spent a few months of the 2009/10 season with Gloucester City in the Conference North
as well as a short loan spell at Hellenic Premier Division side Shortwood United
, before departing in December 2009 for Bishops Cleeve to take on the role of player/assistant manager at Kayte Lane.
international. He captained his country and scored a hat-trick against Cyprus in May 2006 in a 5-5 draw, this was England's first Futsal international where they avoided defeat. In February 2008, Sykes participated in the Kuala Lumpar World 5's competition.
Mansfield Town F.C.
Mansfield Town Football Club is an English football club from the former mining town of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire. The club was formed in 1897 as Mansfield Wesleyans and changed its name to Mansfield Wesley in 1906 before settling on Mansfield Town in 1910...
as a midfielder. He also played internationally for the England Futsal team. He is currently the first team manager at Southern Football League
Southern Football League
The Southern League is an English football competition featuring semi-professional and amateur clubs from the South West, South Central and Midlands of England and South Wales...
side Bishops Cleeve.
Career
Sykes was a product of the youth setup at Mansfield TownMansfield Town F.C.
Mansfield Town Football Club is an English football club from the former mining town of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire. The club was formed in 1897 as Mansfield Wesleyans and changed its name to Mansfield Wesley in 1906 before settling on Mansfield Town in 1910...
and he made his senior debut for Mansfield in a Football League match against Walsall
Walsall F.C.
Walsall Football Club are an English association football club based in Walsall, West Midlands. They currently play in League One. The club was founded in 1888 as Walsall Town Swifts, an amalgamation of Walsall Town F.C. and Walsall Swifts F.C. The club was one of the founder members of the Second...
, scoring on his debut. Sykes turned down the offer of a new contract from manager Andy King
Andy King
Andrew "Andy" King is a British Labour Party politician. He was Member of Parliament for Rugby and Kenilworth until 2005, having first won the seat in the 1997 general election...
to attend university in Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
.
During this time he played for defunct Hellenic League
Hellenic Football League
The Hellenic Football League is an English football league covering an area including the English counties of Berkshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, southern Buckinghamshire, southern Herefordshire, western Greater London, and northern Wiltshire. There is also one team from Hampshire.The league...
club Endsleigh, and also for Cheltenham Town Reserves
Cheltenham Town F.C.
Cheltenham Town Football Club is an English football club playing in League Two, the fourth tier of English football. Founded in 1887, the team has played at four different grounds, namely Agg-Gardner's Recreation Ground, Carter's Field and now the Abbey Business Stadium, although it is more...
. He signed for Forest Green Rovers
Forest Green Rovers F.C.
Forest Green Rovers Football Club is an English football club based in Nailsworth, Gloucestershire, currently the longest-serving members of the Conference National. The club is affiliated to the Gloucestershire County FA.-Early years:...
in March 1996 and was part of their successful double league winning side that won promotion to the Football Conference
Football Conference
The Football Conference is a football league in England which consists of three divisions called Conference National, Conference North, and Conference South. Some Football Conference clubs are fully professional, such as Luton Town, but most of them are semi-professional...
in 1998.
In 1999, Sykes reached the final of the FA Trophy
FA Trophy
The Football Association Challenge Trophy, commonly known as the FA Trophy, is a knockout cup competition in English football, run by and named after The Football Association and competed for primarily by semi-professional teams...
with Forest Green at Wembley Stadium
Wembley Stadium
The original Wembley Stadium, officially known as the Empire Stadium, was a football stadium in Wembley, a suburb of north-west London, standing on the site now occupied by the new Wembley Stadium that opened in 2007...
but Forest Green lost 1-0 against Kingstonian
Kingstonian F.C.
Kingstonian Football Club are an English, semi-professional football club that are playing in the Isthmian League Premier Division for the 2011–12 season. The club has played at Kingsmeadow in Kingston upon Thames since 1989, after leaving their traditional Richmond Road ground...
. Sykes finished as top scorer in the competition that season and scored in the semi final second leg against St Albans City
St Albans City F.C.
St Albans City Football Club is a football club based in St Albans, Hertfordshire, England. It was founded in 1908 and plays its home matches at Clarence Park, about 800 yards from the city centre. The club is in the Premier Division of the Southern League...
.
Sykes then joined fellow Conference side, Nuneaton Borough however was back with Forest Green on loan shortly after. He missed Forest Green's 2001 FA Trophy final defeat against Canvey Island
Canvey Island F.C.
Canvey Island F.C, known as the Gulls or Yellow Army, are an English football club founded in 1926 that play in the Isthmian League Premier Division....
at Villa Park
Villa Park
Villa Park may mean:United Kingdom* Villa Park, an association football stadium in Birmingham, EnglandUnited States* Villa Park, California, a small city in Orange County* Villa Park, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago in DuPage County...
because he had been cup tied from playing for Nuneaton in a previous round.
Forest Green signed Sykes permanently again at the beginning of the 2001-02 season under the management of Nigel Spink
Nigel Spink
Nigel Philip Spink is a former football goalkeeper who made his name at Aston Villa and also made one appearance for England at international level on the tour of Australia in 1983.-Career:...
. After a few seasons back with Forest Green, Sykes was loaned out to Bath City
Bath City F.C.
Bath City Football Club are a semi-professional football club based in Bath, Somerset. They play in the Conference National league after gaining promotion from the Conference South via the play-offs in May 2010...
in September 2003 to gain match fitness and Sykes joined Bath permanently in September 2004.
Sykes suffered from injury problems at Twerton Park
Twerton Park
Twerton Park is a multi-purpose stadium in the Twerton suburb of Bath, England. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home ground of Bath City. From 1986 to 1996 Bristol Rovers played there due to financial problems...
and was loaned out to Gloucester City
Gloucester City A.F.C.
Gloucester City Association Football Club is an English semi-professional association football club currently based in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire in South West England, via groundshare agreement....
to play under his former manager at Forest Green, Tim Harris. Sykes made his debut against Aylesbury United
Aylesbury United F.C.
Aylesbury United are a football club based in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, currently playing in the Spartan South Midlands League, nicknamed the Ducks....
in December 2005 and played six times in his loan spell before returning to Bath. At the end of the season he was released by Bath and signed permanently for Gloucester.
He went on to make his second full debut against Maidenhead United
Maidenhead United F.C.
Maidenhead United Football Club is an English football club in Maidenhead, Berkshire. The club was founded in 1870 and moved to their current ground at York Road the following year...
in August 2006. Sykes played a pivotal role in Gloucester's 2008/09 season as they gained promotion through the Southern League
Southern Football League
The Southern League is an English football competition featuring semi-professional and amateur clubs from the South West, South Central and Midlands of England and South Wales...
play offs. Sykes scored 27 goals including a hat-trick at home to Mangotsfield United
Mangotsfield United F.C.
Mangotsfield United F.C. is an English football club based in Mangotsfield, in the Greater Bristol area, who currently play in the Southern League Division One South and West. The club is affiliated to the Gloucestershire County FA and Somerset County FA....
.
Sykes spent a few months of the 2009/10 season with Gloucester City in the Conference North
Conference North
The Conference North also known as Blue Square Bet North for sponsorship reasons, is a division of the Football Conference in England, taking its place immediately below the Conference National. Along with Conference South it is at Step 2 of the National League System and the sixth overall tier of...
as well as a short loan spell at Hellenic Premier Division side Shortwood United
Shortwood United F.C.
Shortwood United Football Club is an English football club from Nailsworth, Gloucestershire who are members of the Hellenic League Premier Division. Its home ground, Meadowbank Ground, features floodlighting. The club is affiliated to the Gloucestershire County FA.-History:The club has been members...
, before departing in December 2009 for Bishops Cleeve to take on the role of player/assistant manager at Kayte Lane.
Coaching
In May 2011, Sykes was appointed as manager of Bishops Cleeve following the shock sacking of Paul Collicut.International
Sykes is a former England FutsalEngland national futsal team
The England national futsal team represents England during international futsal competitions. It is under the direction of The Football Association. Although Futsal in England has been around for a number of years, the national team was first formed in 2003, after Futsal started to gain popularity...
international. He captained his country and scored a hat-trick against Cyprus in May 2006 in a 5-5 draw, this was England's first Futsal international where they avoided defeat. In February 2008, Sykes participated in the Kuala Lumpar World 5's competition.
External links
- Sykes player history at Gloucester City
- Syker player profile at Gloucester City
- Sykes Futsal for England
- SportGlos Special on Sykes
- Fifa Futsal World Cup player profile