Chris Lines

Chris Lines

Lines playing for Bristol Rovers in 2016
Personal information
Full name Christopher John Lines[1]
Date of birth (1985-11-30) 30 November 1985[1]
Place of birth Bristol, England
Height 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)[1]
Playing position Midfielder
Club information
Current team
 Bristol Rovers
Number 14
Youth career
2001–2002 Bitton
2002–2004 Bristol Rovers
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2004–2011 Bristol Rovers 168 (21)
2011–2013 Sheffield Wednesday 47 (3)
2013 → Milton Keynes Dons (loan) 16 (0)
2013–2015 Port Vale 61 (3)
2015 → Bristol Rovers (loan) 8 (1)
2015– Bristol Rovers 33 (0)

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 17:20, 11 May 2016 (UTC).


Christopher John "Chris" Lines (born 30 November 1985) is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for League One club Bristol Rovers.

He turned professional at Bristol Rovers, and made his first team debut in January 2006. He played in the 2007 Football League Trophy final defeat and was an unused substitute in the League Two play-off final victory, before becoming a first team regular from the 2007–08 season. He was sold on to Sheffield Wednesday for £50,000 in August 2011, and was a key first team player as the "Owls" won promotion to the Championship at the end of the 2011–12 campaign. However he lost his first team place the following season, and was loaned out to Milton Keynes Dons in January 2013. He signed with Port Vale in July 2013. A key first team player in the 2013–14 season, he lost his first team place and returned to Bristol Rovers on loan in March 2015, helping Rovers to win promotion out of the Conference Premier via the play-offs before rejoining Rovers on a permanent basis in the summer. He helped Rovers to achieve a second successive promotion in the 2015–16 campaign.

Career

Bristol Rovers

Born in Bristol,[1] Lines spent a year playing for Bitton as a 16-year-old,[2] before graduating through the Bristol Rovers-backed Bristol Academy of Sport at South Gloucestershire and Stroud College. He had previously been released from the Bristol Rovers youth programme, but was re-signed at the age of 16.[3]

He made his first team debut for Rovers on 21 January 2006, playing the last five minutes of a 2–1 win over Chester City at the Memorial Stadium.[4] After two further substitute appearances in League Two, he made his first league start on 6 May, in a 3–2 home defeat to Macclesfield Town.[5]

After three appearances in the 2006–07 campaign, he featured in six matches from March onwards, and was an extra-time substitute for Lewis Haldane in the Football League Trophy final defeat to Doncaster Rovers at the Millennium Stadium.[6] He was an unused substitute in the League Two play-off final, as the "Pirates" won promotion with a 3–1 victory over Shrewsbury Town at Wembley.[7]

He became a first team regular under manager Paul Trollope in the 2007–08 season, playing 27 League One games and featuring in eight of the "Gasheads" nine FA Cup games en route to the quarter-finals. He put in an "excellent" performance as Rovers beat Premier League Fulham on penalties in the Third Round on 22 January, and was fouled by Dejan Stefanović in an incident which saw the Serbian sent off.[8] He scored his first goal in competitive football on 29 December, heading in the first goal of a 3–0 home win over Carlisle United.[9]

He played 48 games in the 2008–09 season, and missed only one league game due a suspension he picked up whilst celebrating an injury-time equaliser he scored against Swindon Town on 22 November.[10]

Lines was nominated for the League One Player of the Month award in November 2009 after scoring a goal in each of his three league games that month.[11] He signed a new three-and-a-half-year contract with Rovers in January 2010, and was described by director of football Lennie Lawrence as "a fundamental part of our plans to take this club forward."[12] This came shortly after he was reported to be a transfer target for Southampton manager Alan Pardew.[13] The transfer rumours continued despite the new contract.[14] In total he scored ten goals in 46 appearances in the 2009–10 campaign.

He was sidelined for two weeks with a toe injury in February 2011, but thanked manager Dave Penney after he made an immediate return to the first team.[15] Despite this praise he publicly supported the board's decision to sack Penney the following month, and went on to praise the impact of caretaker-manager Stuart Campbell.[16] Following Rovers' relegation to League Two at the end of the 2010–11 season, Lines had a seven-day trial period with Championship side Crystal Palace in the summer.[17][18] New Rovers boss Paul Buckle admitted that he was unlikely to keep Lines for the following season.[19] He was still at the club though for the 2011–12 season opening victory over AFC Wimbledon at Kingsmeadow.[20]

Sheffield Wednesday

Lines playing for Sheffield Wednesday in 2012

In August 2011, Lines joined League One club Sheffield Wednesday on a three-year contract for a £50,000 fee.[21] He went on to score four goals in 47 appearances in the 2011–12 campaign as the "Owls" secured promotion with a second-place finish, and was twice named on the League One Team of the Week.[22][23]

"It's all new to me, I had one promotion before but this was amazing, Saturday was amazing, to have that kind of crowd in League One is unreal. There were some mad scenes at the end but it was a great day. I'm proud to be at this club."
— Lines reflecting on the promotion success in May 2012.[24]

He picked up a groin injury at the start of the 2012–13 season, and was out of action for three months.[25] Manager Dave Jones played Lines in six Championship games in the buildup to Christmas, though did not play him in the new year. On 22 January 2013, Lines joined League One Milton Keynes Dons on loan for the remainder of the season after manager Karl Robinson admitted that Lines was "a player I have admired for a number of years now".[26] Robinson was in search of midfield options after Luke Chadwick and Stephen Gleeson both picked up injuries.[26] He featured in 18 games for the "Dons", including the 4–2 victory over Premier League side Queens Park Rangers at Loftus Road in the Fourth Round of the FA Cup.[27] After returning from Stadium mk, Lines had his contract at Hillsborough cancelled by mutual consent in July 2013.[28]

Port Vale

Lines signed for newly promoted League One side Port Vale on a one-year deal in July 2013.[29] In the first part of the 2013–14 season he began tracking back to help his defence whilst also being the key playmaker in central midfield, after a discussion with manager Micky Adams.[30] He scored his first goal for the "Valiants" with a "superb free-kick" from 25-yards in a 1–0 win over Tranmere Rovers at Prenton Park on 29 September.[31] He went on to build an impressive partnership in midfield with Anthony Griffith; Griffith providing the tough-tackling and Lines providing the creative playmaking.[32] He signed a new two-year contract in the summer.[33] He said that the good team spirit at the club was a major factor in him signing the contract.[34]

He remained a key first team player in the first half of the 2014–15 season until he was sent off for violent conduct after thrusting his head towards Dele Alli in a 1–0 defeat to Milton Keynes Dons at Stadium mk on 22 November; manager Rob Page stated that Lines should have known better.[35] After returning from suspension he lost his midfield spot to Michael O'Connor and Michael Brown.[36]

Return to Bristol Rovers

On 9 March 2015, he rejoined his first professional club, Bristol Rovers, on loan until the end of the 2014–15 season; the club had fallen out of the Football League in his absence, but were top of the Conference Premier division when manager Darrell Clarke re-signed him.[37] They ended the campaign in second place, but Lines scored a goal in a 3–0 aggregate victory over Forest Green Rovers in the play-off semi-finals to help Rovers to reach the play-off final at Wembley Stadium.[38] He played in the 1–1 draw with Grimsby Town in the play-off final and converted the first penalty of the shoot-out, which Rovers won to regain their Football League status.[39]

He signed with Rovers on a permanent basis in June 2015, after his contract with Port Vale was cancelled by mutual consent.[40] Squad rotation and a recurring stomach injury limited Lines to 36 appearances as Rovers won promotion with a third-place finish in 2015–16.[41]

Style of play

Lines is an accomplished and patient passer of the ball,[42] described by the Sheffield Star's Paul Thompson as being a "cultured, creative, passing midfielder who gets on the ball and likes to dictate play... he's also very mobile and has decent vision".[29] Port Vale manager Micky Adams described him as a "tall, strong central midfielder".[43] He is considered to be a set-piece specialist.[29]

Career statistics

Lines playing for Bristol Rovers in 2016
As of match played 17 May 2016
Club statistics
Club Season League FA Cup EFL Cup Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Bristol Rovers 2004–05[44] League Two 0000000000
2005–06[45] League Two 4000000040
2006–07[46] League Two 7000002[lower-alpha 1]090
2007–08[47] League One 27380001[lower-alpha 2]0363
2008–09[48] League One 45410101[lower-alpha 2]0484
2009–10[49] League One 421110201[lower-alpha 2]04611
2010–11[50] League One 42310112[lower-alpha 2]1465
2011–12[51] League Two 10———10
Total 16821110417119023
Sheffield Wednesday 2011–12[51] League One 413511000474
2012–13[52] Championship 600000—60
Total 473511000534
Milton Keynes Dons (loan) 2012–13[52] League One 16020——180
Port Vale 2013–14[53] League One 34141101[lower-alpha 2]0402
2014–15[54] League One 27210201[lower-alpha 2]0312
Total 613513020714
Bristol Rovers (loan) 2014–15[54] Conference Premier 80——3[lower-alpha 3]1111
Bristol Rovers 2015–16[55] League Two 330100030360
2016–17[56] League One 0000000000
Total 330100030360
Career total 333272428115237932
  1. ↑ One appearance in Football League Trophy, one in League Two play-offs
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Appearance(s) in Football League Trophy
  3. ↑ Appearances in Conference Premier play-offs

Honours

Bristol Rovers

Sheffield Wednesday

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Hugman, Barry J., ed. (2010). The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2010–11. Edinburgh: Mainstream Publishing. p. 253. ISBN 978-1-84596-601-0.
  2. ↑ Chris Lines (1 August 2011). "Twitter status update". Twitter. Retrieved 1 August 2011.
  3. ↑ "An Interview With Chris Lines". bristolrovers.vitalfootball.co.uk. Retrieved 7 July 2013.
  4. ↑ "Bristol Rovers v Chester City, 21 January 2006". 11v11.com. Retrieved 7 July 2013.
  5. ↑ "Bristol Rovers vs. Macclesfield Town 2 – 3". Soccerway. Retrieved 7 July 2013.
  6. ↑ Hughes, Ian (1 April 2007). "Bristol Rovers 2–3 Doncaster AET". BBC Sport. Retrieved 7 July 2013.
  7. ↑ Bevan, Chris (26 May 2007). "Bristol Rovers 3–1 Shrewsbury". BBC Sport. Retrieved 7 July 2013.
  8. ↑ Mercer, Nathan (22 January 2008). "Bristol Rovers 0–0 Fulham (aet)". BBC Sport. Retrieved 6 July 2013.
  9. ↑ "Bristol Rovers 3–0 Carlisle". BBC Sport. 29 December 2007. Retrieved 7 July 2013.
  10. ↑ "Bristol Rovers 2–2 Swindon". BBC Sport. 22 November 2008. Retrieved 7 July 2013.
  11. ↑ "Chris Hughton, Lee Clark and Ronnie Moore win awards". BBC Sport. 6 December 2009. Retrieved 6 July 2013.
  12. ↑ "Midfielder Chris Lines signs new Bristol Rovers deal". BBC Sport. 15 January 2010. Retrieved 6 July 2013.
  13. ↑ "Alan Pardew confirms Southampton double bid". BBC Sport. 4 January 2010. Retrieved 6 July 2013.
  14. ↑ "Bristol Rovers' Chris Lines plays down transfer rumours". BBC Sport. 9 July 2010. Retrieved 6 July 2013.
  15. ↑ "Bristol Rovers' Chris Lines grateful for Penney backing". BBC Sport. 23 February 2011. Retrieved 6 July 2013.
  16. ↑ "Bristol Rovers' Chris Lines backs exit of Dave Penney". BBC Sport. 9 March 2011. Retrieved 6 July 2013.
  17. ↑ Daniel Jones (13 July 2011). "Lines impressing Freedman on trial in Exeter". This is Croydon. Northcliffe Media Limited. Retrieved 14 July 2011.
  18. ↑ "Chris Lines committed to Bristol Rovers despite Palace interest". BBC Sport. 27 July 2011. Retrieved 6 July 2013.
  19. ↑ "Boss Buckle unsure if Lines will stay at Bristol Rovers". BBC Sport. 13 July 2011. Retrieved 6 July 2013.
  20. ↑ "AFC Wimbledon 2 -3 Bristol Rovers". BBC Sport. 6 August 2011. Retrieved 7 July 2013.
  21. ↑ "Sheffield Wednesday sign Bristol Rovers' Chris Lines". BBC Sport. 12 August 2011. Retrieved 6 July 2013.
  22. ↑ "League 1 Team of the Week". football-league.co.uk. Retrieved 7 July 2013.
  23. ↑ "League 1 Team of the Week". football-league.co.uk. football-league.co.uk. Retrieved 7 July 2013.
  24. ↑ "Sheffield Wednesday's Lines praises Dave Jones impact". BBC Sport. 11 May 2012. Retrieved 6 July 2013.
  25. ↑ "Injury blow for Sheffield Wednesday's Chris Lines". BBC Sport. 9 August 2012. Retrieved 6 July 2013.
  26. 1 2 "Sheffield Wednesday's Chris Lines joins MK Dons". BBC Sport. 23 January 2013. Retrieved 6 July 2013.
  27. ↑ "QPR 2 – 4 MK Dons". BBC Sport. 26 January 2013. Retrieved 7 July 2013.
  28. ↑ "Chris Lines leaves Owls". Sheffield Star. 4 July 2013. Retrieved 7 July 2013.
  29. 1 2 3 Pearson, Guy (6 July 2013). "Chris Lines signs one-year deal with Valiants". The Sentinel. Retrieved 6 July 2013.
  30. ↑ "Midfielder Chris Lines benefited from a heart-to-heart with the management team". The Sentinel. 27 September 2013. Retrieved 27 September 2013.
  31. ↑ "Tranmere 0 - 1 Port Vale". BBC Sport. 28 September 2013. Retrieved 29 September 2013.
  32. ↑ "Lines says Griff is his perfect midfield partner". The Sentinel. 28 November 2013. Retrieved 1 December 2013.
  33. ↑ Baggaley, Mike (9 June 2014). "Chris Lines signs new Port Vale deal". The Sentinel. Retrieved 9 June 2014.
  34. ↑ "Chris Lines: Port Vale team spirit key to agreeing new contract". BBC Sport. 20 July 2014. Retrieved 20 July 2014.
  35. ↑ Baggaley, Mike (22 November 2014). "Rob Page says no excuses for Chris Lines after red card". The Sentinel. Retrieved 24 November 2014.
  36. ↑ Baggaley, Mike (9 March 2015). "Chris Lines joins Bristol Rovers on loan". The Sentinel. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
  37. ↑ "Chris Lines: Bristol Rovers re-sign Port Vale midfielder on loan". BBC Sport. 9 March 2015. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
  38. ↑ "Bristol Rovers 2 - 0 Forest Green". BBC Sport. 3 May 2015. Retrieved 3 May 2015.
  39. ↑ Mitchell, Brendon (17 May 2015). "Bristol Rovers 1 - 1 Grimsby". BBC Sport. Retrieved 17 May 2015.
  40. ↑ "Chris Lines: Bristol Rovers re-sign midfielder from Port Vale". BBC Sport. 30 June 2015. Retrieved 30 June 2015.
  41. ↑ McNamara, James (20 January 2016). "Chris Lines - "I can't remember playing in too many sides as good as this one". Bristol Post. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
  42. ↑ "Chris hopes to get along the right Lines in loan spell". football.co.uk. Retrieved 7 July 2013.
  43. ↑ Johnson, Dave. "Vale sign Sheffield Wednesday midfielder". port-vale.co.uk. Retrieved 7 July 2013.
  44. ↑ "Squad stats: 2004/05". Soccerbase. Retrieved 28 May 2015.
  45. ↑ "Games played by Chris Lines in 2005/2006". Soccerbase. Retrieved 4 September 2013.
  46. ↑ "Games played by Chris Lines in 2006/2007". Soccerbase. Retrieved 4 September 2013.
  47. ↑ "Games played by Chris Lines in 2007/2008". Soccerbase. Retrieved 4 September 2013.
  48. ↑ "Games played by Chris Lines in 2008/2009". Soccerbase. Retrieved 4 September 2013.
  49. ↑ "Games played by Chris Lines in 2009/2010". Soccerbase. Retrieved 4 September 2013.
  50. ↑ "Games played by Chris Lines in 2010/2011". Soccerbase. Retrieved 4 September 2013.
  51. 1 2 "Games played by Chris Lines in 2011/2012". Soccerbase. Retrieved 4 September 2013.
  52. 1 2 "Games played by Chris Lines in 2012/2013". Soccerbase. Retrieved 4 September 2013.
  53. ↑ "Games played by Chris Lines in 2013/2014". Soccerbase. Retrieved 4 September 2013.
  54. 1 2 3 "Games played by Chris Lines in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Retrieved 28 May 2015.
  55. ↑ "Games played by Chris Lines in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Retrieved 28 May 2015.
  56. ↑ "Games played by Chris Lines in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Retrieved 28 May 2015.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Chris Lines.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/5/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.