 Roberts withBirmingham City in 2019 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Marc Roberts[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1990-07-26)26 July 1990 (age 35)[2] | ||
| Place of birth | Barnsley, England | ||
| Height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)[3] | ||
| Position | Defender | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Barnsley | ||
| Number | 4 | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2008–2011 | Wakefield | ||
| 2011–2013 | Worksop Town | ||
| 2012–2013 | →Buxton (loan) | ||
| 2013 | Buxton | 0 | (0) |
| 2013–2015 | FC Halifax Town | 89 | (9) |
| 2015–2017 | Barnsley | 72 | (5) |
| 2017–2024 | Birmingham City | 186 | (7) |
| 2024– | Barnsley | 33 | (3) |
| International career | |||
| 2014–2015 | England C | 4 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 10:45, 16 April 2025 (UTC) | |||
Marc Roberts (born 26 July 1990) is an English professionalfootballer who plays as adefender forEFL League One clubBarnsley.
Roberts began his career innon-league football, withWakefield,Worksop Town,Buxton andFC Halifax Town, and was capped forEngland C, the team that represents England atsemi-professional level. He joinedLeague One clubBarnsley in 2015, helped them gain promotion to the Championship, andcaptained the team. He signed for Birmingham in July 2017, and was released seven years later.
Roberts was born inBarnsley,South Yorkshire,[4] and raised inPenistone, where he attendedPenistone Grammar School.[5] He played football for Barnsley Boys and forBarnsley College, and as a 17-year-old was offered a trial withBarnsley F.C. but a broken ankle prevented his taking part.[5]
Roberts began his senior football career withWakefield of theNorthern Premier League Division One North in 2008. After 17 first-team appearances, he had a trial with thenChampionship clubCrystal Palace, on the recommendation of Wakefield managerRonnie Glavin.[6] No deal ensued, and Roberts returned to Wakefield to complete a season in which he won the Directors' Player of the Season award. In 2009–10, he won both Players' and Supporters' Player of the Season awards. In both campaigns, he won moreman-of-the-match awards than any other Wakefield player.[7] In 2011, he moved up a division, signing forWorksop Town.[8]
A few weeks into the season, managerMartin McIntosh was sacked;[9] he took over at another Premier Division club,Buxton, in February 2012,[10] and promptly took Roberts on loan.[11] Roberts played his part in Buxton avoiding relegation,[8] and returned to Worksop where he appeared on the winning side in theSheffield Senior Cup final.[12] For 2012–13, Worksop's manager felt he had better defensive lineups without Roberts, who was keen to play regularly, so he was allowed to rejoin Buxton on loan for the season.[8] He took his statistics to 5 goals from 65 appearances in all competitions,[11] and was named Buxton's Player of the Year and Players' Player of the Year,[13] as well as gaining selection for the Northern Premier League Premier Division Team of the Year.[14] Roberts signed a permanent contract with Buxton in June 2013; although his Worksop contract had expired, a development fee was payable because of his age.[11][15]
A month later, Roberts moved toFC Halifax Town, newly promoted to theConference Premier.[16][3]
Roberts spent two seasons with the Shaymen before signing forLeague One clubBarnsley in May 2015.[17] He made hisFootball League debut on 8 August 2015 in a 3–1 defeat againstChesterfield.[18] Roberts became Barnsleycaptain on 28 January 2017,[19] afterConor Hourihane's transfer toAston Villa.
Roberts signed a five-year contract withChampionship clubBirmingham City on 1 July 2017; the fee was undisclosed.[20] He went straight into the starting eleven for the opening fixture of the2017–18 season, which Birmingham lost 1–0 away toIpswich Town,[2] and was a regular in the side until February 2018.[21] WhenGarry Monk took over as manager, he "had just one day to pick the back pairing" and choseMichael Morrison andHarlee Dean. Monk said later that Roberts had been unfortunate, but that the consistency of the Morrison–Dean partnership meant they kept their places. With Dean suspended for two of the last three matches of the season, Roberts came into the side to faceSheffield United and scored a first-half equaliser in a win that made a major contribution to their avoiding relegation.[22] Morrison and Dean remained the pairing of choice, but when Morrison injured a hamstring in December 2018, Roberts was unable to take his chance. Nine minutes into his first league start of the season, he suffered a calf injury[23] that left him unfit for selection until after the March 2019 international break.[24] He came back into the side for the last two matches of the season with the team secure from relegation, partneringWes Harding at centre-back after Dean had surgery on a groin problem and Morrison picked up an ankle injury.[25]
He left the club when his contract expired at the end of the 2023–24 season.[26]
On 3 July 2024, Roberts returned his home-town club,Barnsley of League One, on a two-year deal.[27] He was appointed vice-captain, withLuca Connell as club captain.[28] In his second match of the season, away toLincoln City, he assistedSam Cosgrove's opening goal and scored Barnsley's second in a 2–1 win.[29]
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| FC Halifax Town | 2013–14[21] | Conference Premier | 44 | 5 | 2 | 0 | — | 2[a] | 0 | 48 | 5 | |
| 2014–15[21] | Conference Premier | 45 | 4 | 3 | 0 | — | 5[b] | 1 | 53 | 5 | ||
| Total | 89 | 9 | 5 | 0 | — | 7 | 1 | 101 | 10 | |||
| Barnsley | 2015–16[30] | League One | 32 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6[c] | 0 | 41 | 1 |
| 2016–17[31] | Championship | 40 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 43 | 4 | ||
| Total | 72 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 84 | 5 | ||
| Birmingham City | 2017–18[2] | Championship | 30 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 35 | 1 | |
| 2018–19[32] | Championship | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 9 | 0 | ||
| 2019–20[33] | Championship | 34 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 35 | 0 | ||
| 2020–21[34] | Championship | 36 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 37 | 4 | ||
| 2021–22[35] | Championship | 39 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 39 | 2 | ||
| 2022–23[36] | Championship | 25 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 26 | 0 | ||
| 2023–24[37] | Championship | 14 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 16 | 0 | ||
| Total | 186 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 0 | — | 197 | 7 | |||
| Barnsley | 2024–25[38] | League One | 33 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 37 | 4 |
| Career total | 379 | 24 | 16 | 1 | 10 | 0 | 13 | 1 | 418 | 26 | ||
Barnsley
Individual
