 Revell playing forCardiff City in 2015 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Alexander David Revell[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1983-07-07)7 July 1983 (age 41) | ||
| Place of birth | Cambridge, England | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Stevenage (manager) | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1997–2000 | Cambridge United | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2000–2004 | Cambridge United | 57 | (5) |
| 2003 | →Kettering Town (loan) | 7 | (1) |
| 2004–2006 | Braintree Town | 65 | (39) |
| 2006–2008 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 59 | (13) |
| 2008–2010 | Southend United | 34 | (4) |
| 2009–2010 | →Swindon Town (loan) | 10 | (2) |
| 2010 | →Wycombe Wanderers (loan) | 15 | (6) |
| 2010–2011 | Leyton Orient | 44 | (13) |
| 2011–2015 | Rotherham United | 150 | (28) |
| 2015–2016 | Cardiff City | 26 | (2) |
| 2015–2016 | →Wigan Athletic (loan) | 6 | (1) |
| 2016 | Milton Keynes Dons | 17 | (4) |
| 2016–2018 | Northampton Town | 47 | (10) |
| 2018–2020 | Stevenage | 54 | (13) |
| Total | 591 | (141) | |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2020–2021 | Stevenage | ||
| 2024– | Stevenage | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Alexander David Revell (born 7 July 1983) is an English formerfootballer who managesStevenage. During his playing career he made at least 50 appearances for five different clubs;Cambridge United,Braintree Town,Brighton & Hove Albion,Rotherham United and Stevenage.
Revell is a graduate of theCambridge United youth set-up, where he struggled to establish himself during his stint at theAbbey Stadium.[citation needed]
Discovering his first team opportunities at Cambridge were limited, Revell spent a loan spell at thenConference National clubKettering Town.
Soon afterwards, Revell left Cambridge in 2004 where he made the decision to drop out ofthe Football League by joiningBraintree Town.
During his time at Braintree, Revell managed to find the net 35 times for the club, where he managed to help them gain promotion to theConference South during the2005–06 season.
Revell was signed byBrighton & Hove Albion in June 2006, with managerMark McGhee saying he wouldn't be "a major signing in the supporters' eyes, but he could turn out to be the best signing".[2]
On 1 January 2008, Revell scored his first professionalhat-trick as Brighton defeatedAFC Bournemouth 3–2 at theWithdean.[3]
On 30 January 2008, Revell made his move from Brighton to Southend on a two-and-a-half-year contract for £150,000.Steve Tilson had been a long admirer of Revell and tried to sign him in August 2007 transfer window.[citation needed]
On 16 August 2008, Revell scored his first league goal for Southend in a 1–1 draw with Millwall at The New Den.[4] Revell scored his first home league goal for the Shrimpers in a 2–1 win over Swindon Town at Roots Hall on 18 October 2008.[5] After several excellent hard working performances without reward, Revell scored his third goal for Southend after 10 minutes in the 2–2 draw away at Tranmere on 15 November 2008, getting ahead of Craig Duncan to meet Kevin Betsy's cross.[6]
Revell suffered a broken leg againstLeyton Orient on 20 January 2009 after landing awkwardly, which ruled him out for the rest of the season.[7]
Revell made his comeback appearance from the injury on 10 July 2009 againstGreat Wakering in a pre season friendly.
He made five appearances for Southend at the start of the 2009–2010 season, the last of which came againstSwindon Town as Southend went down to a 2–1 defeat.
Revell returned to Southend at the end of his loan spell having made 12 appearances and scoring two goals. On 12 January 2010, Southend and Revell parted company by mutual consent.[8]
On 1 September 2009, just three days after playing against them, he signed forSwindon Town on loan fromSouthend United until 3 January 2010, with the club having the option of making the move permanent if his spell was successful.
Revell made his debut for The Robins in a 1–1 draw against his parent clubs rivalsColchester United. His first goals for Swindon came on 3 October 2009 againstBrentford as he bagged a brace in a 3–2 victory.
Revell fell down the pecking order at Swindon and with the fine form ofBilly Paynter andCharlie Austin up front, Revell found his chances limited and was often an unused substitute. Swindon opted not to make the move permanent and Revell returned to Essex.
Wycombe Wanderers thought they had signed Revell on 12 January 2010 on a free transfer but that deal fell through, on the rule that prevents players representing three clubs in one season. Revell was a Southend United player at the start of the season and played five times before going on a standard loan toSwindon Town, meaning that he had officially represented two clubs and subsequently could not sign for Wycombe.
If Revell had gone on an emergency loan to Swindon Town he would have been able to sign for Wycombe Wanderers without any problems.
On 22 January 2010, Revell was given permission to sign for Wycombe Wanderers on a three-month emergency loan.[9] Revell remained a Southend United player as the club still held his registration. He remained on loan at Adams Park until late April 2010 before becoming a free agent. His first goal for Wycombe came on his debut, againstBristol Rovers from the penalty spot. After failing to score again for the next two months, Revell scored five goals in three games againstTranmere Rovers,Milton Keynes Dons andSwindon Town to help keep Wycombe in contention to avoid relegation.
After the final game of his loan deal, he signed a contract at Wycombe, starting on 3 May until the end of June. However, this did not allow him to play in the final game of the season because the rule that prevents players representing three clubs in one season would only allow him to play while his emergency loan was valid.
Revell was offered an extended contract by Wycombe but turned it down, instead choosing to joinLeyton Orient on a two-year contract starting on 1 July 2010.[10] He scored on his league debut for Orient on 7 August, and followed it up three days later with the winning goal in theLeague Cup victory over his former clubSwindon Town.[11] On 13 November, Revell scored twice to help Orient register their first away win of the season with a 3–0 victory overBristol Rovers.[12]
Revell signed forRotherham United on the final day of the summer 2011 transfer window for an undisclosed fee.[13] He made his debut on 3 September, and scored twice in a 3–2 defeat against eventual league winnersSwindon Town.[14] His next goal came on 4 October in theFootball League Trophy, scoring in a 2–1 loss toSheffield United.[15] On 25 October he helped Rotherham complete a sensational comeback againstMorecambe, with Rotherham 3–0 down at half time, Revell scored the final goal as Rotherham managed to draw the game 3–3.[16] After scoring in wins againstBradford City[17] andHereford United,[18] Revell scored his first goal of 2012 in another defeat to Swindon, this time a 2–1 loss at theDon Valley Stadium on 14 January.[19] He scored in successive games againstDagenham[20] andSouthend[21] in January and February. On 21 March he scored in a 4–2 win againstMacclesfield Town.[22] He scored his tenth league goal for Rotherham on the final day of the season, in a 1–1 draw againstNorthampton Town on 5 May, which was also Rotherham's final ever goal and game at theDon Valley Stadium.[23] He scored his first goal of the following season on 15 September 2012, in a 1–0 win againstTorquay United.[24] He scored again the following game, in a 3–2 defeat at home toRochdale.[25] In the next game againstBarnet, he was sent off for what seemed to be a reckless challenge in a 0–0 draw atUnderhill.[26]
Revell scored Rotherham's first goal in their2014 play-off semi-final first leg againstPreston North End,[27] and inthe final, againstLeyton Orient, he contributed two goals, the second "an angled, dipping half volley from 40 yards out" to tie the scores and take the match into a penalty shootout which Rotherham won.[28] He scored a goal against ex-club Brighton in the 2014–15 Championship season, leveling the match in an eventual 1–1 draw at Falmer Stadium.
On 9 January 2015 Revell left Rotherham United and joined his former manager Russell Slade atCardiff City, with the transfer fee believed to be in the region of £175,000.[29] He made his debut in a 1–0 win overFulham the following day and went on to score his first goal againstNorwich City, the next game. He went on to finish the season with goals goals in 17 games for his new club and six in total for the season.
Revell had started in the starting eleven, the following season partneringJoe Mason, however was dropped after three games after a slow start to the season.
On 11 November 2015, Revell joinedLeague One sideWigan Athletic,[30] making his debut atRochdale and then finding the winner againstShrewsbury Town the following week.
Upon returning to Cardiff, former clubRotherham United manager,Neil Redfearn had confirmed that the club had opened talked over Revell making a return toNew York Stadium.[31] Despite talks going on, Revell started the following game againstShrewsbury in theFA Cup.
On 1 February 2016, Revell signed on a free transfer to fellowChampionship sideMilton Keynes Dons.[32][33] On 23 February 2016 Revell scored his first goal for the club with a header in the 1–1 home draw versusHuddersfield Town.[34]
On 16 April 2016 away toPreston North End, with no substitutions remaining and the score level at 1–1, Revell replaced goalkeeperCody Cropper in goal in the 81st minute after Cropper was sent off for a foul inside the penalty area against Preston'sEoin Doyle, resulting in a penalty being awarded. Revell saved the resulting penalty taken byJoe Garner. The game finished 1–1. The incident was widely reported in the press with Revell receiving high praise for his performance.[35]
Revell signed for Northampton Town on 14 June 2016 with contract commencing 1 July 2016 for 2 years.[36] He scored his first goal for Northampton in a 1–1 draw againstCharlton Athletic on 13 August 2016.[37]
Revell joinedLeague Two sideStevenage on a free transfer on 30 January 2018, signing an 18-month contract with theHertfordshire club.[38] He made his Stevenage debut in the club's 3–2 away defeat atAccrington Stanley on 3 February 2018, playing the whole match.[39] In only his third appearance,[40] Revell received a straight red card for a challenge onIsaiah Osbourne in an eventual 3–1 away loss toForest Green Rovers.[41] Consequently, he was suspended for the club's next three matches, returning to the first-team over a month after his dismissal.[40] Revell scored his first goals for Stevenage in the club's comprehensive 4–1 win over rivalsBarnet atBroadhall Way on 2 April 2018, netting twice in the second-half.[42] This was to serve as the catalyst for a strong end to the season for Revell; scoring Stevenage's solitary goal in a 3–1 away loss atCoventry City,[43] before scoring a hat-trick in a 3–1 win overExeter City on 28 April 2018.[44] It was Revell's first hat-trick in over ten years.[45] Revell announced his retirement on 4 July 2019.[46] He than later accepted a coaching role with Stevenage as the club's under-18s manager in September 2019 following the sacking ofDino Maamria.[47] On 4 January 2020 Stevenage announced that Revell would retain his coaching duties but was coming out of retirement to aid the first team squad in their relegation battle.[48]
On 16 February 2020, Revell was appointed first team manager ofStevenage until the end of the 2019–20 season following the resignation ofGraham Westley, with Stevenage seven points adrift at the bottom of League Two.[49] He managed two games, losing both, before the season was terminated prematurely due to theCOVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom; with bottom club Stevenage initially relegated, but reprieved due to points deductions forMacclesfield Town.[50] Stevenage's struggles continued into the2020–21 season as the team were in last place with only two wins in their first 18 matches. However, fromBoxing Day on the club won 10 matches, drew nine times and only lost five games, finishing in 14th place in the league table.[51] Revell was sacked as Stevenage manager on 14 November 2021, following a poor run of results which saw them gain only 7 points from 12 games, leaving them only two points above the relegation zone.[52]
Revell re-joined Stevenage in early January 2022 as a coach for the youth academy.[53] In the off-season he was promoted to first team coach by managerSteve Evans, whom he played for atRotherham.[54] On 17 April 2024, following the shock departure of Evans to Rotherham United, Revell was appointed interim manager for the remaining two fixtures ofthe season.[55] On 9 May 2024, he was given the job on a permanent basis.[56]
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Cambridge United | 2000–01[57] | Second Division | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 2001–02[58] | Second Division | 24 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4[a] | 0 | 30 | 2 | |
| 2002–03[59] | Third Division | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2[a] | 0 | 11 | 0 | |
| 2003–04[60] | Third Division | 20 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 3 | |
| Total | 57 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 66 | 5 | ||
| Kettering Town (Loan) | 2003–04[60] | Conference Premier | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 |
| Braintree Town | 2004–05 | IL Premier Division | 32 | 18 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 18 |
| 2005–06 | IL Premier Division | 37 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 37 | 17 | |
| Total | 69 | 35 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 70 | 35 | ||
| Brighton & Hove Albion | 2006–07[61] | League One | 38 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3[a] | 2 | 46 | 11 |
| 2007–08[62] | League One | 21 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2[a] | 0 | 25 | 7 | |
| Total | 59 | 13 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 71 | 18 | ||
| Southend United | 2007–08[62] | League One | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2[b] | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| 2008–09[63] | League One | 23 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 4 | |
| 2009–10[64] | League One | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | |
| Total | 34 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 43 | 4 | ||
| Swindon Town (Loan) | 2009–10[64] | League One | 10 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2[a] | 0 | 12 | 2 |
| Wycombe Wanderers (loan) | 2009–10[64] | League One | 15 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 6 |
| Leyton Orient | 2010–11[65] | League One | 39 | 13 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1[a] | 0 | 50 | 16 |
| 2011–12[66] | League One | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | |
| Total | 44 | 13 | 8 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 56 | 16 | ||
| Rotherham United | 2011–12[66] | League Two | 40 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1[a] | 1 | 43 | 11 |
| 2012–13[67] | League Two | 41 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1[a] | 0 | 46 | 6 | |
| 2013–14[68] | League One | 45 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 6[c] | 4 | 55 | 13 | |
| 2014–15[69] | Championship | 24 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 4 | |
| Total | 150 | 28 | 8 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 8 | 5 | 170 | 34 | ||
| Cardiff City | 2014–15[69] | Championship | 16 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 2 |
| 2015–16[70] | Championship | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 1 | |
| Total | 26 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 3 | ||
| Wigan Athletic (Loan) | 2015–16[70] | League One | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1[a] | 0 | 7 | 1 |
| Milton Keynes Dons | 2015–16[70] | Championship | 17 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 4 |
| Northampton Town | 2016–17[71] | League One | 32 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 2[d] | 0 | 39 | 10 |
| 2017–18[40] | League One | 15 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2[d] | 1 | 18 | 3 | |
| Total | 47 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 57 | 13 | ||
| Stevenage | 2017–18[40] | League Two | 12 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 6 |
| 2018–19[72] | League Two | 40 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1[d] | 0 | 43 | 7 | |
| 2019–20[73] | League Two | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1[d] | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 54 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 57 | 13 | ||
| Career total | 596 | 137 | 32 | 6 | 21 | 4 | 30 | 8 | 679 | 155 | ||
| Team | From | To | Record | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | W | D | L | Win % | |||
| Stevenage | 16 February 2020 | 15 November 2021 | 77 | 20 | 30 | 27 | 026.0 |
| Stevenage | 17 April 2024 | Present | 48 | 17 | 13 | 18 | 035.4 |
| Total | 125 | 37 | 43 | 45 | 029.6 | ||
Rotherham United
