Sean Rigg
Encyclopedia
Sean Michael Rigg is an English
footballer who plays for League Two
side Port Vale
. He can play on the wing or as a striker.
Having graduated through the Bristol Academy of Sport
, his professional career began at Bristol Rovers
in 2006. He recovered from a broken jaw sustained in November 2006 to become a first team regular in 2006–07, also appearing in the club's play-off final
victory. He retained his place in the club's subsequent 2007–08 League One
campaign, though he lost his place in 2008–09, and was instead sent out on loan at Conference
club Grays Athletic
. He started the 2009–10 season on loan at Conference side Forest Green Rovers
, before he joined Port Vale on a loan deal that was made permanent in January 2010.
-backed Bristol Academy of Sport
at Filton College
in 2004, and earned his first professional contract in the summer of 2006. He made his league debut on 19 August 2006, coming on as a substitute in the second half against Milton Keynes Dons
. The next month he signed a new deal to keep him at Rovers until summer 2008.
On 11 November 2006, he suffered a double fracture of the jaw
after being punched in an FA Cup
first-round match by Barrow
defender
James Cotterill
. The match and incident were televised. Rigg had to drink through a straw and eat with a teaspoon following the attack. Cotterill was later jailed for four months for the assault, and suspended from football by The FA
, having plead guilty to grievous bodily harm
. Rigg managed to recover to match fitness within six weeks, having had a plate put in to help speed up the healing process.
He returned to the first team by January, and helped Rovers to a play-off place. He then scored against Lincoln City
in a 7–4 aggregate win at the play-off semi-final, and made an appearance as a substitute against Shrewsbury Town
in the final
; the game was won 3–1, and Rovers were promoted into League One
.
A regular in the 2007–08 season, he scored his first senior goal in a 1–1 home draw with Northampton Town
on 12 March, and finished the campaign with 38 appearances to his name.
Rigg joined Conference National
side Grays Athletic
on a one month loan in September 2008. He played six games at the New Recreation Ground
. At the end of the season Paul Trollope
placed Rigg on the transfer list, having used Rigg only ten times in 2008–09.
In August 2009, Rigg signed for Forest Green Rovers
on a one-month loan, a club where he had spent some time as a youth player. He scored six minutes into his debut for Forest Green against Rushden & Diamonds
. The loan was extended for a further month and Rigg enjoyed a rich vein of scoring form, scoring seven goals in nineteen games.
In November 2009, he signed on loan to Port Vale
until January 2010, joining "Pirates" teammate Lewis Haldane
. His opener at Grimsby Town
gave manager Micky Adams
food for thought over whether to sign Rigg permanently in the January 2010 transfer window. He returned to Rovers in January, though later in the month he returned to Vale Park
on loan until the end of the season, where he and Marc Richards
began to develop a lethal strike partnership. In all he scored three goals in 26 appearances for the club. Attempting to keep the "nucleus" of his side together, Adams offered Rigg a permanent two year deal at Vale Park
at the end of the season.
Along with fourteen other players, he was released by Rovers at the end of the 2009–10 season. He was offered a full contract at Port Vale, and became the seventh player to commit his future to Port Vale in May 2010, his contract expiring in the summer of 2012. For the 2010–11 season
he set himself a target of 20 goals. However Adams started using the young striker as a winger, and Rigg adapted well to the position. He ended the season with five goals in 33 appearances, falling short of his pre-season target of twenty goals.
He started 2011–12
in fine form, bagging two against Barnet
at Underhill
, the first of which, a long-range effort, he described as the best of his career. However he lost his first team spot after missing a month due to a hamstring injury. He made his return in October, and added his fifth of the season at former club Bristol Rovers.
ist, and Port Vale teammate Lewis Haldane
allowed him to practice his tattooing techniques on him.
|2006–07||Bristol Rovers
||League Two
||18||1||2||0||1||0||26||2
|-
|2007–08||Bristol Rovers
||League One
||31||1||5||0||1||0||38||1
|-
|2008–09||Bristol Rovers
||League One
||8||0||0||0||1||0||10||0
|-
|2008–09||Grays Athletic
||Conference National
||6||0||0||0||0||0||6||0
|-
|2009–10
||Bristol Rovers
||League One
||0||0||0||0||1||0||1||0
|-
|2009–10
||Forest Green Rovers
||Conference National
||16||7||3||0||0||0||19||7
|-
|2009–10
||Port Vale
||League Two
||26||3||0||0||0||0||26||3
|-
|2010–11
||Port Vale
||League Two
||25||3||4||1||2||1||33||5
|-
|2011–12
||Port Vale
||League Two
||15||5||2||0||1||0||18||5
|-
145||20||13||1||7||1||177||23
145||20||13||1||7||1||177||23
Notes:
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
footballer who plays for League Two
Football League Two
Football League Two is the third-highest division of The Football League and fourth-highest division overall in the English football league system....
side Port Vale
Port Vale F.C.
Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as...
. He can play on the wing or as a striker.
Having graduated through the Bristol Academy of Sport
Bristol Academy of Sport
The Bristol Academy of Sport is based at Filton College to the north of Bristol, and provides sports coaching and college-level education to potential elite-level athletes....
, his professional career began at Bristol Rovers
Bristol Rovers F.C.
Bristol Rovers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Bristol, that competes in Football League Two. The team plays its home matches at the Memorial Stadium, in the Horfield area of the city....
in 2006. He recovered from a broken jaw sustained in November 2006 to become a first team regular in 2006–07, also appearing in the club's play-off final
2007 Football League Two play-off Final
The 2007 Football League Two play-off Final was a football match played at Wembley Stadium on 26 May 2007, at the end of the 2006–07 season. It was the third League Two play-off final since the Football League's 2004 rebranding, the 21st play-off final in all at the fourth level of English football...
victory. He retained his place in the club's subsequent 2007–08 League One
Football League One
Football League One is the second-highest division of The Football League and third-highest division overall in the English football league system....
campaign, though he lost his place in 2008–09, and was instead sent out on loan at Conference
Conference National
Conference National is the top division of the Football Conference in England. It is the highest level of the National League System and fifth highest of the overall English football league system...
club Grays Athletic
Grays Athletic F.C.
Grays Athletic Football Club is an English football club currently based in Corringham, Essex after leaving the New Recreation Ground in Grays at the end of the 2009–10 season...
. He started the 2009–10 season on loan at Conference side Forest Green Rovers
Forest Green Rovers F.C.
Forest Green Rovers Football Club is an English football club based in Nailsworth, Gloucestershire, currently the longest-serving members of the Conference National. The club is affiliated to the Gloucestershire County FA.-Early years:...
, before he joined Port Vale on a loan deal that was made permanent in January 2010.
Playing career
Rigg joined the Bristol RoversBristol Rovers F.C.
Bristol Rovers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Bristol, that competes in Football League Two. The team plays its home matches at the Memorial Stadium, in the Horfield area of the city....
-backed Bristol Academy of Sport
Bristol Academy of Sport
The Bristol Academy of Sport is based at Filton College to the north of Bristol, and provides sports coaching and college-level education to potential elite-level athletes....
at Filton College
Filton College
Filton College is a further education college in Filton, Bristol, England.The main site lies on the A38 just south of Filton Aerodrome. A second major campus, dedicated to performing arts, fine art and sport, and known as WISE , opened in 2005 adjacent to Filton High School, near Bristol Parkway...
in 2004, and earned his first professional contract in the summer of 2006. He made his league debut on 19 August 2006, coming on as a substitute in the second half against Milton Keynes Dons
Milton Keynes Dons F.C.
.Milton Keynes Dons Football Club is an English professional football club founded in 2004 and based since 2007 at Stadium mk, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire...
. The next month he signed a new deal to keep him at Rovers until summer 2008.
On 11 November 2006, he suffered a double fracture of the jaw
Jaw
The jaw is any opposable articulated structure at the entrance of the mouth, typically used for grasping and manipulating food. The term jaws is also broadly applied to the whole of the structures constituting the vault of the mouth and serving to open and close it and is part of the body plan of...
after being punched in an FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
first-round match by Barrow
Barrow A.F.C.
Barrow A.F.C. are an English football club founded in 1901 based in the town of Barrow-in-Furness in Cumbria. Following promotion at the end of the 2007–08 season, they currently play in the Conference National. The club spent over fifty years in the Football League between 1921 and 1972, and have...
defender
Defender (association football)
Within the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposition from attacking....
James Cotterill
James Cotterill
James Cotterill is a former professional footballer. He plays as a central defender.-Footballing career:...
. The match and incident were televised. Rigg had to drink through a straw and eat with a teaspoon following the attack. Cotterill was later jailed for four months for the assault, and suspended from football by The FA
The Football Association
The Football Association, also known as simply The FA, is the governing body of football in England, and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. It was formed in 1863, and is the oldest national football association...
, having plead guilty to grievous bodily harm
Grievous bodily harm
Grievous bodily harm is a term of art used in English criminal law which has become synonymous with the offences that are created by sections 18 and 20 of the Offences against the Person Act 1861....
. Rigg managed to recover to match fitness within six weeks, having had a plate put in to help speed up the healing process.
He returned to the first team by January, and helped Rovers to a play-off place. He then scored against Lincoln City
Lincoln City F.C.
Lincoln City Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Lincoln, Lincolnshire. The club are currently members of the Conference National in 2011–12 following relegation from the Football League....
in a 7–4 aggregate win at the play-off semi-final, and made an appearance as a substitute against Shrewsbury Town
Shrewsbury Town F.C.
Shrewsbury Town Football Club is an English Association football club based in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, who play in League Two, the fourth tier of English football. The club was formed in 1886 and has played in all the bottom three divisions in various guises since being elected into the Football...
in the final
2007 Football League Two play-off Final
The 2007 Football League Two play-off Final was a football match played at Wembley Stadium on 26 May 2007, at the end of the 2006–07 season. It was the third League Two play-off final since the Football League's 2004 rebranding, the 21st play-off final in all at the fourth level of English football...
; the game was won 3–1, and Rovers were promoted into League One
Football League One
Football League One is the second-highest division of The Football League and third-highest division overall in the English football league system....
.
A regular in the 2007–08 season, he scored his first senior goal in a 1–1 home draw with Northampton Town
Northampton Town F.C.
Northampton Town Football Club are an English professional football club based in Northampton, Northamptonshire. They currently play in Football League Two, the lowest league division, after being relegated from League One on the last day of the 2008–09 season...
on 12 March, and finished the campaign with 38 appearances to his name.
Rigg joined Conference National
Conference National
Conference National is the top division of the Football Conference in England. It is the highest level of the National League System and fifth highest of the overall English football league system...
side Grays Athletic
Grays Athletic F.C.
Grays Athletic Football Club is an English football club currently based in Corringham, Essex after leaving the New Recreation Ground in Grays at the end of the 2009–10 season...
on a one month loan in September 2008. He played six games at the New Recreation Ground
New Recreation Ground
The New Recreation Ground was a football stadium on Bridge Road, Grays, Essex, England, and was the home ground of Grays Athletic. Prior to it being closed, the capacity stood at 4,100, of which 1,000 is seated....
. At the end of the season Paul Trollope
Paul Trollope
Paul Jonathan Trollope is an English-born Welsh international football midfielder, now turned manager. He was manager of Bristol Rovers from 2005 to 2010. In July 2011, Paul was appointed first-team coach at Birmingham City....
placed Rigg on the transfer list, having used Rigg only ten times in 2008–09.
In August 2009, Rigg signed for Forest Green Rovers
Forest Green Rovers F.C.
Forest Green Rovers Football Club is an English football club based in Nailsworth, Gloucestershire, currently the longest-serving members of the Conference National. The club is affiliated to the Gloucestershire County FA.-Early years:...
on a one-month loan, a club where he had spent some time as a youth player. He scored six minutes into his debut for Forest Green against Rushden & Diamonds
Rushden & Diamonds F.C.
Rushden & Diamonds Football Club was an association football club based in Irthlingborough, Northamptonshire, England. Formed by a merger of Rushden Town and Irthlingborough Diamonds in 1992, the club played in the Conference National following a short spell in the Football League at the start of...
. The loan was extended for a further month and Rigg enjoyed a rich vein of scoring form, scoring seven goals in nineteen games.
In November 2009, he signed on loan to Port Vale
Port Vale F.C.
Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as...
until January 2010, joining "Pirates" teammate Lewis Haldane
Lewis Haldane
Lewis Oliver Haldane is a Welsh under-21 international football winger who plays for League Two side Port Vale....
. His opener at Grimsby Town
Grimsby Town F.C.
Grimsby Town Football Club is an English football club based in the seaside town of Cleethorpes, in North East Lincolnshire, England, who compete in the Conference National. They were formed in 1878 as Grimsby Pelham and later became Grimsby Town...
gave manager Micky Adams
Micky Adams
Michael Richard "Micky" Adams is an English former professional footballer turned football manager who is in charge of League Two side Port Vale. As a player he was a full back, and made a total of 438 league appearances in a nineteen year professional career in the Football League, including five...
food for thought over whether to sign Rigg permanently in the January 2010 transfer window. He returned to Rovers in January, though later in the month he returned to Vale Park
Vale Park
Vale Park is a football stadium in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, England. It is the home ground of Port Vale F.C., who have played at the ground since 1950....
on loan until the end of the season, where he and Marc Richards
Marc Richards
Marc John Richards is an English professional footballer who plays as striker. He is the captain of League Two side Port Vale....
began to develop a lethal strike partnership. In all he scored three goals in 26 appearances for the club. Attempting to keep the "nucleus" of his side together, Adams offered Rigg a permanent two year deal at Vale Park
Vale Park
Vale Park is a football stadium in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, England. It is the home ground of Port Vale F.C., who have played at the ground since 1950....
at the end of the season.
Along with fourteen other players, he was released by Rovers at the end of the 2009–10 season. He was offered a full contract at Port Vale, and became the seventh player to commit his future to Port Vale in May 2010, his contract expiring in the summer of 2012. For the 2010–11 season
2010–11 Port Vale F.C. season
The 2010–11 season was Port Vale's ninety-ninth season of football in the Football League, and third successive season in League Two. Vale enjoyed a solid start to the campaign, looking like good prospects for promotion. However Micky Adams left the club in December to take charge of Sheffield...
he set himself a target of 20 goals. However Adams started using the young striker as a winger, and Rigg adapted well to the position. He ended the season with five goals in 33 appearances, falling short of his pre-season target of twenty goals.
He started 2011–12
2011–12 Port Vale F.C. season
The 2011–12 season is Port Vale's one-hundredth season of football in the Football League, and fourth successive season in League Two. It marked the start of Micky Adams' second spell in charge of the club, and despite fan unrest with the board, Vale fans and players were hopeful of promotion come...
in fine form, bagging two against Barnet
Barnet F.C.
Barnet Football Club is an English football team from High Barnet, London, England, currently playing in Football League Two. The ground is in the town of Barnet within the London Borough of Barnet....
at Underhill
Underhill Stadium
Underhill is the home of Barnet F.C. It is situated in Barnet in the London Borough of Barnet and has a capacity of 6,200. The stadium is famous for its slope from the North to South end. It is also used for Arsenal reserve games....
, the first of which, a long-range effort, he described as the best of his career. However he lost his first team spot after missing a month due to a hamstring injury. He made his return in October, and added his fifth of the season at former club Bristol Rovers.
Style of play
He prefers to play as a striker, though is also comfortable as a winger.Personal life
In January 2011, Rigg began training to become a tattooTattoo
A tattoo is made by inserting indelible ink into the dermis layer of the skin to change the pigment. Tattoos on humans are a type of body modification, and tattoos on other animals are most commonly used for identification purposes...
ist, and Port Vale teammate Lewis Haldane
Lewis Haldane
Lewis Oliver Haldane is a Welsh under-21 international football winger who plays for League Two side Port Vale....
allowed him to practice his tattooing techniques on him.
Statistics
|-|2006–07||Bristol Rovers
Bristol Rovers F.C.
Bristol Rovers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Bristol, that competes in Football League Two. The team plays its home matches at the Memorial Stadium, in the Horfield area of the city....
||League Two
Football League Two
Football League Two is the third-highest division of The Football League and fourth-highest division overall in the English football league system....
||18||1||2||0||1||0||26||2
|-
|2007–08||Bristol Rovers
Bristol Rovers F.C.
Bristol Rovers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Bristol, that competes in Football League Two. The team plays its home matches at the Memorial Stadium, in the Horfield area of the city....
||League One
Football League One
Football League One is the second-highest division of The Football League and third-highest division overall in the English football league system....
||31||1||5||0||1||0||38||1
|-
|2008–09||Bristol Rovers
Bristol Rovers F.C.
Bristol Rovers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Bristol, that competes in Football League Two. The team plays its home matches at the Memorial Stadium, in the Horfield area of the city....
||League One
Football League One
Football League One is the second-highest division of The Football League and third-highest division overall in the English football league system....
||8||0||0||0||1||0||10||0
|-
|2008–09||Grays Athletic
Grays Athletic F.C.
Grays Athletic Football Club is an English football club currently based in Corringham, Essex after leaving the New Recreation Ground in Grays at the end of the 2009–10 season...
||Conference National
Conference National
Conference National is the top division of the Football Conference in England. It is the highest level of the National League System and fifth highest of the overall English football league system...
||6||0||0||0||0||0||6||0
|-
|2009–10
2009–10 Football League
The Football League 2009–10, called the Coca-Cola Football League for sponsorship reasons, was the 110th completed season of the Football League. It began in August 2009 and concluded in May 2010, with the promotion play-off finals. The Football League is contested through three Divisions. The...
||Bristol Rovers
Bristol Rovers F.C.
Bristol Rovers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Bristol, that competes in Football League Two. The team plays its home matches at the Memorial Stadium, in the Horfield area of the city....
||League One
Football League One
Football League One is the second-highest division of The Football League and third-highest division overall in the English football league system....
||0||0||0||0||1||0||1||0
|-
|2009–10
2009–10 Football Conference
The 2009–10 Football Conference season was the sixth season with the Conference consisting of three divisions, and the thirty-first season overall. The Conference covers the top two levels of Non-League football in England. The Conference National is the fifth highest level of the overall pyramid,...
||Forest Green Rovers
Forest Green Rovers F.C.
Forest Green Rovers Football Club is an English football club based in Nailsworth, Gloucestershire, currently the longest-serving members of the Conference National. The club is affiliated to the Gloucestershire County FA.-Early years:...
||Conference National
Conference National
Conference National is the top division of the Football Conference in England. It is the highest level of the National League System and fifth highest of the overall English football league system...
||16||7||3||0||0||0||19||7
|-
|2009–10
2009–10 Port Vale F.C. season
The 2008–09 season was Port Vale's ninety-eighth season of football in the Football League, and second successive season in League Two. Micky Adams received plaudits for his first full season in charge. He took a squad of players that had previously been near the bottom of the division and made...
||Port Vale
Port Vale F.C.
Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as...
||League Two
Football League Two
Football League Two is the third-highest division of The Football League and fourth-highest division overall in the English football league system....
||26||3||0||0||0||0||26||3
|-
|2010–11
2010–11 Port Vale F.C. season
The 2010–11 season was Port Vale's ninety-ninth season of football in the Football League, and third successive season in League Two. Vale enjoyed a solid start to the campaign, looking like good prospects for promotion. However Micky Adams left the club in December to take charge of Sheffield...
||Port Vale
Port Vale F.C.
Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as...
||League Two
Football League Two
Football League Two is the third-highest division of The Football League and fourth-highest division overall in the English football league system....
||25||3||4||1||2||1||33||5
|-
|2011–12
2011–12 Port Vale F.C. season
The 2011–12 season is Port Vale's one-hundredth season of football in the Football League, and fourth successive season in League Two. It marked the start of Micky Adams' second spell in charge of the club, and despite fan unrest with the board, Vale fans and players were hopeful of promotion come...
||Port Vale
Port Vale F.C.
Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as...
||League Two
Football League Two
Football League Two is the third-highest division of The Football League and fourth-highest division overall in the English football league system....
||15||5||2||0||1||0||18||5
|-
145||20||13||1||7||1||177||23
145||20||13||1||7||1||177||23
Notes:
- Football League TrophyFootball League TrophyThe Football League Trophy, currently known as the Johnstone's Paint Trophy for sponsorship reasons, is an annual English association football knock-out competition open to the 48 clubs in Football League One and Football League Two, the bottom two divisions in the four fully professional top...
& play-off results included in totals.
Honours
with Bristol Rovers- Football League TwoFootball League TwoFootball League Two is the third-highest division of The Football League and fourth-highest division overall in the English football league system....
play-offFootball League Two play-offsThe Football League Two play-offs are a series of play-off matches, contested by the teams finishing from 4th to 7th in the Football League Two table to determine the fourth promotion place to the third tier of English football, League One. The semi-finals are played over two legs, with 7th playing...
winner: 20072007 Football League Two play-off FinalThe 2007 Football League Two play-off Final was a football match played at Wembley Stadium on 26 May 2007, at the end of the 2006–07 season. It was the third League Two play-off final since the Football League's 2004 rebranding, the 21st play-off final in all at the fourth level of English football...
External links
(not including Forest Green Rovers stats) (Forest Green Rovers stats only – incomplete)- Profile at the official Port Vale site