Stewart Talbot

Stewart Dean Talbot (born 14 June 1973) is an English former footballer who played as a midfielder. He made over 300 appearances in the Football League in an eleven-year professional career.

Starting his career with non-League side Moor Green, he was signed by Port Vale in 1994. After six years at Vale Park, he moved on to Rotherham United, where he spent four years. He played over 100 league games for each club. He then played over fifty games for Brentford before leaving the English Football League in 2005 to join Boston United. He spent four years at Boston before finishing his career at Kidsgrove Athletic.

Career Port Vale Talbot played for Southern League side Moor Green and was due to sign for Doncaster Rovers when Rovers manager Ian Atkins was sacked, leaving Talbot without a club or employment as he had quit his job as sheet metal worker to turn professional with Doncaster. He instead entered the English Football League with Port Vale of the First Division in August 1994, signing after a period on trial. His contract was due to expire at the end of the 1994–95 season and Ian Atkins, now manager of Northampton Town, offered to double his money, but Rudge agreed to keep him on at Vale for the same terms as Northampton.

In 1998–99, he played 35 games, though he didn't find the scoresheet. He was at the club for the dismissal of manager John Rudge, who joked that injury-prone Michael Walsh and Talbot were responsible for his sacking as Walsh was "never fit" and Talbot was always fit. Talbot still found himself in the first-team with new man Brian Horton though, the club barely surviving relegation. On 27 April, in a 2–1 defeat by Watford at Vale Park, he was stretchered with a broken leg off after 33 minutes, following a challenge by Paul Robinson. The injury resulted in ten months out of action, needing a breakthrough motion fixation treatment to speed up the recovery process.

Rotherham United United won their second-successive promotion in 2000–01, again finishing runners-up. Talbot played 43 games of the campaign, picking up seven yellow cards and one straight red along the way. After another 40+ games season for Talbot, United finished above relegated Crewe Alexandra thanks to their superior goal difference and despite a 2–0 defeat at Gresty Road in late April. After a couple of runs in the 2002 half of the season, broken up by a persistent knee injury, Ronnie Moore dropped Talbot. In February he joined Shrewsbury Town of the Third Division on a one-month loan, playing seven games. On his return to Millmoor he was expected to re-join the "Shrews" in their battle to avoid the Conference National, but instead he found himself back in first-team contention with Rotherham, playing five games before the end of the season.

In 2003–04, he made 28 appearances, in which he was booked seven times and sent off once, including a run of four yellow cards in four games. By January time he was dropped yet again, in February he dropped down a division, joining Brentford on a -year contract on a free transfer.

Later career Talbot's 37 League One appearances helped his new club to the play-off places in 2004–05, though they were bettered by Sheffield Wednesday in the semi-finals. Talbot told manager Martin Allen that he wanted to return to the North, he joined League Two side Boston United on a free transfer in June 2005. By now a veteran, he played 36 games in 2005–06. However, he hated working under manager Steve Evans, who he felt to be a bully.

In 2006–07 Boston lost their Football League status, Talbot making twenty appearances in his final season in the Football League. Only Talbot and Paul Ellender stayed beyond the summer. In 2007–08, the club were playing in the Conference North because of their financial difficulties. They were promptly kicked out of that division at the end of the season, leaving them with an intolerable fall from grace – effectively three relegations in just two seasons. So they started the 2008–09 season in the Northern Premier League. Talbot briefly managed United for one game against Nantwich Town on 5 January after manager Steve Welsh became ill. The team capitulated 5–0. Welsh released Talbot soon after, and the player signed for Kidsgrove Athletic (one level below in the Division One South). He left Kidsgrove in the summer of 2009.

Style of play The Rotherham United website states that Talbot was a "midfield dynamo" with "powerful tackling".

Post-retirement Since leaving the professional game, Talbot took up a position in child care in north Staffordshire. By 2015 he quit child care to become an overhead linesman with Network Rail in Crewe.

Career statistics

Honours Port Vale Anglo-Italian Cup runner-up: 1996

Rotherham United Football League Second Division second-place promotion: 2000–01