| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Adrian Sylvester Littlejohn[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1970-09-26)26 September 1970 (age 55) | ||
| Place of birth | Wolverhampton, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)[2] | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder;forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1988–1989 | West Bromwich Albion | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1989–1991 | Walsall | 44 | (1) |
| 1991–1995 | Sheffield United | 72 | (12) |
| 1995–1998 | Plymouth Argyle | 110 | (29) |
| 1998 | Oldham Athletic | 21 | (5) |
| 1998–2001 | Bury | 99 | (14) |
| 2001–2003 | Sheffield United | 3 | (0) |
| 2003–2004 | Port Vale | 49 | (10) |
| 2004–2005 | Lincoln City | 8 | (0) |
| 2005 | Rushden & Diamonds | 15 | (0) |
| 2005–2006 | Mansfield Town | 7 | (0) |
| 2006 | Leek Town | 4 | (0) |
| 2007–2008 | Retford United | ||
| Total | 429 | (71) | |
| International career | |||
| 1986–1987 | England U16 | 6 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Adrian Sylvester Littlejohn (born 26 September 1970) is an English formerfootballer who played as amidfielder and astriker. He scored 74 goals in 425 league appearances in an 18-year career in theEnglish Football League.
He began his professional career atWalsall after moving fromWest Bromwich Albion in 1989. He moved on toSheffield United two years later before making a £100,000 move toPlymouth Argyle in September 1995. He helped Plymouth to winpromotion out of theThird Division in1996 before moving on toOldham Athletic in March 1998. Eight months later, he was sold on toBury for £75,000. He returned to Sheffield United in October 2001 before transferring toPort Vale in February 2003. In August 2004, he switched toLincoln City before ending the season atRushden & Diamonds. In September 2005, he signed withMansfield Town before moving on tonon-League clubLeek Town the following year. He retired in 2008 following a brief spell atRetford United.
Littlejohn started his footballing career atWest Bromwich Albion but failed to play a match and was released at the end of the1988–89 season to find first-team football elsewhere. He did, though, win six caps for theEngland U16 team.[3] He stayed in his nativeWest Midlands and joinedWalsall before the1989–90 season; the "Saddlers" finished bottom of theThird Division underJohn Barnwell's stewardship and wererelegated into theFourth Division. They then finished a disappointing 16th in1990–91 underKenny Hibbitt. Littlejohn played 54 games, scoring one goal in his two seasons with the club.
Prior to the1991–92 season, Littlejohn was signed byDave Bassett ofSheffield United. He played a part in the "Blades" first everPremier League season in1992–93, scoring eight goals in 27 games. He scored three goals in 19 top-flight games in1993–94, as United were relegated to theFirst Division. He appeared just 18 times in1994–95 before he moved toPlymouth Argyle for a £100,000 fee in September 1995.
Bagging 18 goals, he was the club'stop scorer in hisdebut season atHome Park, which helped Plymouth finish fourth in the Third Division. They were just one point short of automaticpromotion, but managed to gain promotion via theplay-offs with a1–0 win overDarlington.[4] The1996–97 and1997–98 seasons saw the club involved in relegation battles; Littlejohn had escaped the cycle however, joiningSecond Division sideOldham Athletic in March 1998.
At Oldham, he joinedNeil Warnock, themanager, who had signed him up at Plymouth. Littlejohn scored his début againstWatford; however, both men's stay atBoundary Park was brief;Bury appointed Warnock manager in May 1998, and six months later he bought Littlejohn for £75,000. The "Shakers" occupied the final relegation place in the First Division in1998–99, finishing behindPort Vale on goals scored. They finished 15th in1999–2000 under new bossAndy Preece, with Littlejohn scoring 10 times in his 48 appearances. He scored five goals in 43 games for theGigg Lane club in2000–01, and in total scored 16 goals in 112 games in close to three seasons at the club.
In December 1999, Warnock was made manager of Sheffield United. In October 2001, he brought Littlejohn back to the club,[5] on a non-contract basis.[6] He remained loyal to Warnock, refusing to sign a permanent contract withCarlisle United.[7] However, he was to only play three competitive matches for the first-team in2001–02, two of those coming fromoff the bench. Leaving the club in February 2003, he rejected the chance to sign withBradford City,[8] and instead signed with Port Vale.[9] After impressing managerBrian Horton, his initial one-month deal was extended to the end ofthe season.[10] He then went on to score seven goals in 41 appearances in the2003–04 campaign. He was released by new managerMartin Foyle and rejected the offer of a short-term contract withScunthorpe United.[11]
In August 2004, he put pen to paper withLeague Two sideLincoln City.[12] Failing to make at impact atSincil Bank, he was released by managerKeith Alexander in January 2005.[13] He then joinedRushden & Diamonds on a contract expiring at the end ofthe season.[14] The veteran striker made 15 appearances forErnie Tippett's side and also gave the younger players the benefit of his experience.[15] In September 2005 he signed withMansfield Town,[16] making seven substitute appearances in the league over the course of the2005–06 season forPeter Shirtliff's "Stags". He wound his career down with a few games fornon-LeagueLeek Town, playing for the club from March[17] to October in 2006. In June 2007, Littlejohn agreed to return to playing atRetford United for his old teammatePeter Duffield before leaving the club at the end of the season.
Towards the end of his playing days, Littlejohn began working at theSheffield Unitedacademy.[17] Littlejohn ventured into physiotherapy in 2014, and took up a position as academyphysiotherapist atRotherham United.[18] By September 2019, he was working asCardiff City's first-team physio.[19]
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | Other | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Walsall | 1989–90 | Third Division | 11 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 15 | 0 |
| 1990–91 | Fourth Division | 33 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 39 | 1 | |
| Total | 44 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 54 | 1 | ||
| Sheffield United | 1991–92 | First Division | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| 1992–93 | Premier League | 27 | 8 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 35 | 9 | |
| 1993–94 | Premier League | 19 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 20 | 3 | |
| 1994–95 | First Division | 16 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 19 | 2 | |
| Total | 72 | 12 | 5 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 85 | 14 | ||
| Plymouth Argyle | 1995–96 | Third Division | 42 | 17 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 50 | 18 |
| 1996–97 | Second Division | 37 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 45 | 8 | |
| 1997–98 | Second Division | 31 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 35 | 6 | |
| Total | 110 | 29 | 8 | 3 | 12 | 0 | 130 | 32 | ||
| Oldham Athletic | 1997–98 | Second Division | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 3 |
| 1998–99 | Second Division | 16 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 18 | 3 | |
| Total | 21 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 23 | 6 | ||
| Bury | 1998–99 | First Division | 20 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 1 |
| 1999–2000 | Second Division | 42 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 48 | 10 | |
| 2000–01 | Second Division | 37 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 43 | 5 | |
| Total | 99 | 14 | 6 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 112 | 16 | ||
| Sheffield United | 2001–02 | First Division | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Port Vale | 2002–03 | Second Division | 13 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 3 |
| 2003–04 | Second Division | 36 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 41 | 7 | |
| Total | 49 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 54 | 10 | ||
| Lincoln City | 2004–05 | League Two | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| Rushden & Diamonds | 2004–05 | League Two | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 0 |
| Mansfield Town | 2004–05 | League Two | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| Leek Town | 2005–06 | Northern Premier League Premier Division | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Career total | 429 | 71 | 27 | 5 | 40 | 3 | 496 | 79 | ||
Plymouth Argyle
