| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Robert Philip Atkinson[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1998-07-13)13 July 1998 (age 27) | ||
| Place of birth | Chesterfield, England | ||
| Height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)[2] | ||
| Position | Defender | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Bristol City | ||
| Number | 5 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Cannes | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2016–2017 | Basingstoke Town | 30 | (2) |
| 2017–2019 | Fulham | 0 | (0) |
| 2019 | →Braintree Town (loan) | 15 | (0) |
| 2019–2020 | Eastleigh | 20 | (1) |
| 2020–2021 | Oxford United | 39 | (1) |
| 2020 | →Eastleigh (loan) | 4 | (0) |
| 2021– | Bristol City | 72 | (7) |
| 2025 | →Portsmouth (loan) | 14 | (2) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 26 October 2025 (UTC) | |||
Robert Philip Atkinson (born 13 July 1998) is an English professionalfootballer who plays as adefender forEFL Championship sideBristol City.[3]
After playing youth football withAS Cannes, he started his senior career withBasingstoke Town in 2016, before signing forFulham in 2017. He had a loan spell withBraintree Town in 2019, and joinedEastleigh on a permanent basis later that year. He joinedOxford United in January 2020, andBristol City in July 2021.
Atkinson was born inChesterfield,[2] and spent much of his youth in France, playing for the academy ofAS Cannes.[4] He played for Knaphill U18s and first team before starting his senior football career atBasingstoke Town in the 2016–17 season,[4] where he made thirty league appearances, scoring twice.[5] He joinedFulham in September 2017 for a fee of £30,000 after a trial period with the club; he initially played for the club'sunder-23 side.[4][6] He joinedBraintree Town on loan in January 2019,[7] and made 15 appearances for the club.[2]
In June 2019, he signed forNational League sideEastleigh, making 24 appearances in total for the Spitfires and impressing with the National League side.[6]
In January 2020, he signed forLeague One sideOxford United for an undisclosed fee on a three-and-a-half-year contract, though he returned to Eastleigh on loan until the end of the season as part of the deal.[8] He was recalled by Oxford United in February 2020 as a result of an injury toJohn Mousinho and a suspension forRobert Dickie.[9] He made his professional debut on 5 October 2020, in a 1–1EFL Cup draw withAFC Wimbledon, in which Oxford won on penalties.[10] He scored his first league goal, and his first goal for Oxford, in a 4–1 home victory overShrewsbury Town on 13 April 2021.[11] Atkinson had a successful2020–21 season, scoring once in 39 league appearances as the club finished 6th, qualifying for theplay-offs,[12][13] with Atkinson named in the EFL League One Team of the Season.[14] Despite a goal for Atkinson in the play-off semi-final second leg againstBlackpool, the club were eliminated from the play-offs after a 6–3 aggregate defeat.[12]
Atkinson signed forBristol City for an undisclosed seven-figure fee in July 2021.[15] On 28 April 2023, it was announced that Atkinson had signed a new three-year deal with Bristol City.[16]
On 3 January 2025, Atkinson joinedPortsmouth on loan until the 31 May 2025.[3]
On 23 June 2025 Atkinson signed a contract extension with Bristol City until 2028.[17]
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Basingstoke Town | 2016–17[5] | Southern League Premier Division | 30 | 2 | 2 | 0 | — | 7[a] | 0 | 39 | 2 | |
| Fulham | 2017–18[18] | Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2018–19[19] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | ||
| Total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Braintree Town (loan) | 2018–19[2] | National League | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 15 | 0 | |
| Eastleigh | 2019–20[2] | National League | 20 | 1 | 6 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 26 | 1 | |
| Oxford United | 2019–20[20] | League One | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020–21[12] | League One | 39 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4[b] | 1 | 44 | 2 | |
| Total | 39 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 44 | 2 | ||
| Eastleigh (loan) | 2019–20[2] | National League | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |
| Bristol City | 2021–22[21] | Championship | 34 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 35 | 2 | |
| 2022–23[22] | Championship | 26 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 31 | 4 | ||
| 2023–24[23] | Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2024–25[24] | Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2025–26[25] | Championship | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | ||
| Total | 61 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 67 | 6 | |||
| Portsmouth (loan) | 2024–25[24] | Championship | 14 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 15 | 2 | ||
| Career total | 183 | 12 | 13 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 11 | 1 | 210 | 13 | ||
Individual