Rob Kozluk

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Rob Kozluk
Personal information
Full name Robert Kozluk [1]
Date of birth (1977-08-05) 5 August 1977 (age 46) [2]
Place of birth Mansfield, England [2]
Height 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) [2]
Position(s) Right-back [3]
Youth career
1995–1997 Derby County
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
1997–1999 Derby County 16 (0)
1999–2007 Sheffield United 213 (2)
2000Huddersfield Town (loan) 14 (0)
2001Wigan Athletic (loan) 0 (0)
2005Preston North End (loan) 1 (0)
2007–2010 Barnsley 75 (0)
2010–2011 Sheffield United 8 (1)
2011 Port Vale 6 (0)
2012 Bradford City 17 (0)
2013 Ilkeston 17 (0)
Total367(3)
International career
1998 England U21 2 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Robert Kozluk (born 5 August 1977) is an English former footballer who played primarily as a right-back.

Contents

Born in Mansfield, he came through the Derby County youth team ranks before turning professional in 1997 before joining Sheffield United in March 1999. He spent eight years with the Blades and made close to 250 appearances for the club, helping them to the Premier League at the end of the 2005–06 season. A three-year spell at Barnsley followed, after which he returned to Sheffield United for a further season, although he was a rarely used squad player by this time. He joined Port Vale on a short-term deal in September 2011 before signing with Bradford City for the remainder of the season in January 2012. He joined Ilkeston in January 2013 and retired in October.

Kozluk has also had loan spells at Huddersfield Town in 2000, Preston North End in 2005 and seventeen days on loan at Wigan Athletic in 2001 where he failed to make a single first-team appearance. He was also capped twice for the England under-21s.

Club career

Derby County

Kozluk started his career at Premier League Derby County, where he made his debut in the League Cup on 16 September 1997, playing the full ninety minutes of a 1–0 win over Southend United at Roots Hall. The following month, he won a second start, helping the club beat Tottenham Hotspur 2–1 at White Hart Lane in the next round of the competition. He made his league debut at Anfield on 25 October, in what ended as a 4–0 win for Liverpool. He played four games in November, starting with a 3–0 win over Arsenal and ending with a 4–0 defeat to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. He made twelve appearances in 1997–98.

He was in and out of the first team in 1998–99 and made ten appearances, seven of which were in the Premiership, before his transfer in March 1999.

Sheffield United

In March 1999, Kozluk signed for Sheffield United as part of a swap deal that took Vassilios Borbokis to Derby and made his United debut in a 3–2 defeat to Tranmere Rovers at Prenton Park.

The following season, retaining his first-team place under new manager Neil Warnock, Kozluk made 43 appearances, however, at the start of the 2000–01 campaign he joined First Division rivals Huddersfield Town on a three-month loan deal. Having made fourteen appearances for the Terriers, he returned to Sheffield United, where he managed to win back his first-team spot and played regularly until the end of the season.

In September 2001, Kozluk again left Bramall Lane on loan. However, this time he would not make it onto the pitch for Second Division side Wigan Athletic. He returned to the Blades but found himself out of favour, playing just nine games during the 2001–02 season. Back in the first team in 2002–03, he played 35 league games scoring his first-ever senior goal with a 30 yards (27 m) strike against Grimsby Town on 4 March. [4] United went on to have a memorable season as they pushed for promotion to the Premier League and reached the latter stages of both major cup competitions. Kozluk appeared in the play-off final at the Millennium Stadium, where United lost 3–0 to Wolves. [5] and played in the club's FA Cup semi-final defeat to eventual winners Arsenal.

Kozluk made a total of 47 appearances in 2003–04, as the Blades recorded an eighth-place finish, during which he also scored the second goal of his career when he knocked one past Stoke City's Ed de Goey at the Britannia Stadium on 1 November. [6] Injuries at the start of the season meant that Kozluk lost his place in the first-team missed the whole first half of the 2004–05 campaign, the inaugural season of the Championship. He was allowed to join Championship rivals Preston North End on a one-month loan in January 2005 [7] where he played in one FA Cup and one league games for the Lilywhites before returning to Bramall Lane where he played a further nine games before the end of the season.

United finally won promotion to the Premier League in the 2005–06 season, finishing runners-up in the Championship, during which Kozluk played 27 league games. A further 20 first-team appearances followed in the top flight the following season, but the club failed to consolidate their top-flight status and were relegated in a final day showdown with Wigan Athletic. With the club looking to rebuild and cut costs, United released Kozluk at the end of the season. [8] At the time of his departure he was United's longest-serving player, having made 236 league and cup appearances for the club.

Barnsley

In July 2007, Kozluk turned down a contract at Sheffield United and Leeds United to sign for Championship side Barnsley, after manager Simon Davey offered him the highest wages at the club. [9] The club described the signing as a 'massive coup'. [2] Helping the club to avoid relegation by the end of the 2007–08 season, [2] he also played a role in the club reaching the FA Cup FA Cup semi-finals, [2] helping the Tykes to overcome Liverpool at Anfield, [10] and Chelsea at Oakwell, [11] before ultimately losing 1–0 to Cardiff City in the semi-finals at Wembley.

Kozluk was used on the left side of the defence in the 2008–09 campaign and recorded 38 appearances. [2] However, he failed to hold down a first-team place in 2009–10, and missed the last few months of the season with a knee injury. [2] With his contract expiring and the club looking to reduce the wage bill, Barnsley released him in June 2010. [12]

Return to Sheffield United

In July 2010, Kozluk signed for Sheffield United for the second time on a one-year deal. [13] Signed as a squad player he made little impact on the Blades first-team until he was given a run of games by new manager Micky Adams in January. [14] In his second start of the season he scored with a late volley against local rivals Doncaster Rovers to earn United a 2–2 draw. [15] This was only his third career goal and his first-ever goal at Bramall Lane in his two spells with the club. At the end of the campaign he was offered a new contract by Adams' replacement, Danny Wilson, [16] however, he turned down the offer in the hope of finding a new club. [17]

Port Vale

Kozluk spent September 2011 training at Burton Albion whilst considering his options, [18] before rejoining his former boss Micky Adams at League Two club Port Vale on 22 September, signing a short-term contract until 1 January 2012. [19] This was the first time the 34-year-old would play outside of the top two tiers of English football and he faced competition for the right-back slot from Adam Yates. [20] Having been limited to just seven appearances during his stay at Vale Park, Kozluk departed in search of a new club two days before Christmas. [21] [22]

Bradford City

On 11 January 2012, Bradford City signed Kozluk on a contract lasting until the end of the 2011–12 season, [23] as manager Phil Parkinson looked to use Kozluk as cover for an injured Simon Ramsden. [24] He made his debut on 14 January in a 2–2 home draw with Morecambe, [25] but Kozluk was released from Bradford in May 2012 after being told his contract would not be renewed. [26] Parkison told the press that he was looking for a younger full-back, though did not rule out re-signing Kozluk as emergency cover. [27]

Ilkeston

Kozluk joined Northern Premier League side Ilkeston as a player-coach in January 2013, dropping outside of the English Football League for the first time. [28] Manager Kevin Wilson said: "Although Rob has not been playing this season, he has been training regularly with Chesterfield and, in my opinion, he is still more than capable of doing a job for a Football League club. He has vast experience with more than 300 League games at a high level, and that's a commodity that we feel we're a bit short of at the moment. Obviously his ability to play in numerous positions will also be a big asset." [28] The club finished 12th in 2012–13, and Kozluk retired in October 2013 to concentrate on a coaching role at the club. [29]

International career

Kozluk gained two caps for the England under 21s in summer 1998, [30] where he played in the Toulon Tournament alongside Frank Lampard and Emile Heskey. [30]

Career statistics

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
ClubSeasonLeague FA Cup League Cup OtherTotal
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Derby County 1997–98 [31] Premier League 901020120
1998–99 [32] Premier League702010100
Total1603030220
Sheffield United 1998–99 [32] First Division 100100
1999–2000 [33] First Division3902020430
2000–01 [34] First Division2701000280
2001–02 [35] First Division80001090
2002–03 [36] First Division32140203 [lower-alpha 1] 0411
2003–04 [37] First Division4213020471
2004–05 [38] Championship 90000090
2005–06 [39] Championship2701010290
2006–07 [40] Premier League1900010200
Total213211090302362
Huddersfield Town (loan) 2000–01 [34] First Division140140
Wigan Athletic (loan) 2001–02 [35] Second Division0000
Preston North End (loan) 2004–05 [38] Championship101020
Barnsley 2007–08 [41] Championship2404020300
2008–09 [42] Championship3700010380
2009–10 [43] Championship1400040180
Total750407000860
Sheffield United 2010–11 [44] Championship811010101
Port Vale 2011–12 [45] League Two 601070
Bradford City 2011–12 [45] League Two170170
Ilkeston 2012–13 [46] NPL Premier Division702 [lower-alpha 2] 090
2013–14 [47] NPL Premier Division10010110
Total170100020200
Career total3673220200504143

Honours

Sheffield United

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References

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