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Robbie Talbot came to Burton with a reputation of
a player that can score goals but who was injury prone. And he left
the club with pretty much the same, but not without giving the
supporters some great moments in between.
Robbie arrived from Morecambe in a £7,000 deal,
where he had scored an impressive 26 times in 55 appearances. His
time though with the Shrimpers was plagued with injuries, which
prompted the club to only offer him a one year deal at the end of
the 02/03 season. Nigel Clough was prepared to take a gamble and
offered Robbie a 2 year deal, and even chucked in Ryan Sugden to
Morecambe for good measure.
After failing to score in his first 4 appearances
for the Brewers, Robbie finally got off the mark with a goal in a
2-3 defeat at home to Barnet. However he really made a name for
himself and with a place in Albion folklore with his 3 goals in the
Friday night demolition of table topping Hereford. A headed opener
in the first half, and two great second half strikes produced
arguably the best result in Burton's short Conference career.
Robbie grabbed the headlines again in November
2003 in the cup competitions. After scoring the winning goal in the
FA Cup defeat of league side Torquay United, he managed a double hat
trick against Alvechurch in an 8-0 win, becoming the first player
since Stan Round in 1965 to score six times in one game (and only
the third player in the clubs history).
Robbie finished his first season at the club with
21 goals, including another against Hereford as the Brewers notched
up a 2-1 win to record their first ever league win at Edgar Street.
A serious car accident in the summer of 2004
almost ended Robbie's life and certainly put an end to any chance of
a repeat of his first season. His lack of match fitness at the start
of the season saw him make appearances from the bench, but he marked
his first start of the season with a goal against Scarborough. The
signing of Jon Shaw and the return to fitness of Mark Robins saw
Robbie fall further down the pecking order for a place up front, and
despite his impressive goals to games ratio he found himself behind
even Craig Dudley and Dale Anderson. Robbie still chipped in with
the goals when called upon, including a brace in the win away at
league leaders Barnet, and it was perhaps fitting that he marked his
final league appearance for the Brewers with a goal against his favourite
opposition, Hereford United. He looked to have finally
departed the Brewers to join Nationwide North side Droylsden, a move
which would offer him regular football and a shorter commute to
games, but the deal took a while to finalise and he found himself in
the squad for one last time for the FA Trophy visit of Hednesford
Town. Robbie looked to be just making up the numbers on the bench,
but he got an unexpected chance to sign off in style when he came on
as a substitute and marked his farewell with a goal.
As much as his goals delighted the Albion fans,
Robbie's control of the football (or lack of it) frustrated just as
much. Although he was a confidence player, and sometimes that
clearly seemed to be lacking, he also suffered through the tactics
of the team. Never a player suited to holding up the ball, Robbie
was often found with his back to goal where he was easy pickings for
defenders. He cried out for a big centre forward to play off, but as
Albion fans know, one never came.
He will no doubt score goals wherever he goes,
and will probably come back and haunt Burton again one day, but
whenever he does return, he will be sure to get a warm welcome. |
ROBBIE
TALBOT
