view Timlin's match-by-match record
 
Michael TIMLIN

Previously captain of the Republic of Ireland's under-21 side, Timlin joined the Town on loan from Premiership Fulham in November 2006, making his debut in a 2-1 victory over Bury at the County Ground on November 25th.

An assured midfield player, Timlin was utilised in a more defensive midfield role than he had previously been used to, given the absence of Paul Evans in the Town line-up. Nonetheless, Timlin played well and kept his place right into the New Year, scoring his first senior goal to equalise in a game against Notts County, before a fifth booking of the campaign picked up on New Years Day forced him to miss his first game. Impressed with his performances though, manager Paul Sturrock tried to extend his loan to the end of the season - a deal which was only agreed with Fulham boss Chris Coleman on the condition that Timlin extended his contract at Craven Cottage.

Timlin remained in the starting line-up until mid-March, when a sending off for a second bookable offence at Grimsby meant that he was unavailable for a top-of-the-table clash with Lincoln. As striker Lee Peacock dropped into his midfield role, the match proved to be a turning point for Swindon's season - and Timlin was restricted to substitute appearances for the remainder of his loan spell.

Timlin returned to the County Ground in March 2008, when new boss Maurice Malpas recruited him on loan for the rest of the season - this time with view to a permanent transfer. He made ten appearances during his loan spell, before agreeing a two year deal to join the Town on a free for the 2008/09 season.

Though Timlin started the 2008/09 season in the centre of midfield, he was dropped for the visit of Leeds in September - when he returned to action the following week, it was on the left side, as Malpas attempted to tighten things up by replacing the attacking Anthony McNamee with a more defensive minded player. When this didn't work, Timlin was moved back into a defensive role towards the end of October, into the left back position that had proven difficult to fill with Jamie Vincent injured and new signing Yinka Casal seemingly out of favour. Timlin did well in his new position - so much so that he was named captain in the absence of Hasney Aljofree - but after Malpas was sacked in November, caretaker David Byrne moved him back into his favoured central midfield role the following month, after he missed the match against Carlisle for picking up his fifth booking of the season.

In his first four matches in charge, new manager Danny Wilson tried him out on the left side again, before dropping him at the end of January. This time though, when Timlin returned to the midfield in February, he remained virtually ever-present for the rest of the season, only missing two games in April through suspension, after clocking up his tenth caution of the campaign.

Though Timlin continued the 2009/10 campaign in the starting eleven, the arrival of Simon Ferry on loan from Celtic in August saw him dropped to the bench - and he played a bit part through the rest of the season, starting just two more games in the League in October, when he replaced the suspended Jonathan Douglas. Despite this, he was offered a contract extension, and he signed a one year deal in June 2010.

However, the permanent signings of both Ferry and David Prutton over the close season saw Timlin well down the pecking order for a starting slot - but when he started in a 3-0 Johnstone's Paint Trophy win at Southampton with Prutton out suspended, he kept his place the following weekend for a 0-0 draw at Carlisle. After being dropped again the following week, Wilson agreed to send Timlin out on loan for some first team action - and he signed an initial month's deal with Paul Sturrock's Southend, joining many other ex-Town stars.

The temporary switch was extended to a second month, but this time Swindon cut it short - injuries to both Jonathan Douglas and Ferry leaving Town under-strength in the middle of the park - and when Timlin returned for a 4-0 thrashing at Plymouth in the FA Cup, he remained in the side for the whole of November. From then on though, he found himself in and out of the side on a regular basis, as Wilson tinkered with his side in an attempt to address the Town's poor form - attempts that ultimately proved unsuccessful, as Wilson was sacked, and Swindon relegated to League Two.

With his contract up again, Timlin was strongly linked with a return to Southend - but when new boss Paolo di Canio offered him a new two-year deal at Swindon, Timlin made the decision to stay, stating that he had developed an affinity with the club, and he would find it difficult to leave under any circumstances. He started the first game of the season on the left side of midfield in a 3-0 win over Crewe - but that proved to be his last game in a Town shirt - with rumours of a disagreement with di Canio behind the scenes, he was dropped from the sixteen for the next game, and di Canio confirmed that Timlin no longer featured in his plans. At the end of the month, Timlin signed a loan deal to return to Roots Hall, and the move was made permanent in January, with Timlin stating his disappointment at how things had ended at Swindon, and that his departure from the County Ground "wasn't to do with football".

PLAYING RECORD:

Season LEAGUE FA CUP LEAGUE CUP OTHER TOTAL
Played Gls Played Gls Played Gls Played Gls Played Gls
'11/'12 1 - - - - - - - 1 -
'10/'11 18 (+4) 2 2 (+1) - - - 2 - 22 (+5) 2
'09/'10 6 (+16) - 1 (+2) - 1 - 1 - 9 (+18) -
'08/'09 38 (+3) 2 1 - 1 - 3 - 43 (+3) 2
'07/'08 9 (+1) 1 - - - - - - 9 (+1) 1
'06/'07 18 (+6) 1 1 - - - - - 19 (+6) 1
TOTAL 90 (+30) 6 5 (+3) - 2 - 6 - 103 (+33) 6


TRANSFER INFORMATION:

DATE IN/OUT TRANSFER DETAIL
23 NOV 2006 IN Fulham
(loan)
6 MAY 2007 OUT Fulham
(loan return)
13 MAR 2008 IN Fulham
(loan)
3 MAY 2008 IN Fulham
Free transfer
15 SEP 2010 OUT Southend United
(loan)
3 NOV 2010 IN Southend United
(loan return)
31 AUG 2011 OUT Southend United
(loan)


full name

Michael Anthony Timlin


 REPUBLIC OF IRELAND
U-21 international apps

8 apps
youth international apps



date of birth
19 March 1985


             
           
           
             
             
             

usual positions
central midfield

other positions
left-sided attacking midfield

youth career
Fulham

senior career
Fulham
Scunthorpe United (loan)
Doncaster Rovers (loan)
SWINDON TOWN (loan)
SWINDON TOWN (loan)
SWINDON TOWN
Southend United (loan)
Southend United
Stevenage
Stevenage
Ebbsfleet United
Dulwich Hamlet

website links
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