Robert Atkinson (footballer, born 1998)
English footballer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Robert Philip Atkinson (born 13 July 1998) is an English professional footballer who plays as a defender for EFL Championship side Bristol City.[3]
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Robert Philip Atkinson[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 13 July 1998 | ||
| Place of birth | Chesterfield, England | ||
| Height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)[2] | ||
| Position | Defender | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Bristol City | ||
| Number | 5 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Cannes | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2016–2017 | Basingstoke Town | 30 | (2) |
| 2017–2019 | Fulham | 0 | (0) |
| 2019 | → Braintree Town (loan) | 15 | (0) |
| 2019–2020 | Eastleigh | 20 | (1) |
| 2020–2021 | Oxford United | 39 | (1) |
| 2020 | → Eastleigh (loan) | 4 | (0) |
| 2021– | Bristol City | 85 | (9) |
| 2025 | → Portsmouth (loan) | 14 | (2) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 20:58, 2 May 2026 (UTC) | |||
After playing youth football with AS Cannes, he started his senior career with Basingstoke Town in 2016, before signing for Fulham in 2017. He had a loan spell with Braintree Town in 2019, and joined Eastleigh on a permanent basis later that year. He joined Oxford United in January 2020, and Bristol City in July 2021.
Club career
Atkinson was born in Chesterfield,[2] and spent much of his youth in France, playing for the academy of AS Cannes.[4] He played for Knaphill U18s and first team before starting his senior football career at Basingstoke Town in the 2016–17 season,[4] where he made thirty league appearances, scoring twice.[5] He joined Fulham in September 2017 for a fee of £30,000 after a trial period with the club; he initially played for the club's under-23 side.[4][6] He joined Braintree Town on loan in January 2019,[7] and made 15 appearances for the club.[2]
In June 2019, he signed for National League side Eastleigh, making 24 appearances in total for the Spitfires and impressing with the National League side.[6]
Oxford United
In January 2020, he signed for League One side Oxford United for an undisclosed fee on a three-and-a-half-year contract, though he returned to Eastleigh on loan until the end of the season as part of the deal.[8] He was recalled by Oxford United in February 2020 as a result of an injury to John Mousinho and a suspension for Robert Dickie.[9] He made his professional debut on 5 October 2020, in a 1–1 EFL Cup draw with AFC Wimbledon, in which Oxford won on penalties.[10] He scored his first league goal, and his first goal for Oxford, in a 4–1 home victory over Shrewsbury Town on 13 April 2021.[11] Atkinson had a successful 2020–21 season, scoring once in 39 league appearances as the club finished 6th, qualifying for the play-offs,[12][13] with Atkinson named in the EFL League One Team of the Season.[14] Despite a goal for Atkinson in the play-off semi-final second leg against Blackpool, the club were eliminated from the play-offs after a 6–3 aggregate defeat.[12]
Bristol City
Atkinson signed for Bristol City for an undisclosed seven-figure fee in July 2021.[15] On 28 April 2023, it was announced that Atkinson had signed a new three-year deal with Bristol City.[16]
On 3 January 2025, Atkinson joined Portsmouth on loan until the 31 May 2025.[3]
On 23 June 2025 Atkinson signed a contract extension with Bristol City until 2028.[17]
Career statistics
- As of end of 2025–26 season
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Basingstoke Town | 2016–17[5] | Southern League Premier Division | 30 | 2 | 2 | 0 | — | 7[a] | 0 | 39 | 2 | |
| Fulham | 2017–18[18] | Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2018–19[19] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | ||
| Total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Braintree Town (loan) | 2018–19[2] | National League | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 15 | 0 | |
| Eastleigh | 2019–20[2] | National League | 20 | 1 | 6 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 26 | 1 | |
| Oxford United | 2019–20[20] | League One | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020–21[12] | League One | 39 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4[b] | 1 | 44 | 2 | |
| Total | 39 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 44 | 2 | ||
| Eastleigh (loan) | 2019–20[2] | National League | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |
| Bristol City | 2021–22[21] | Championship | 34 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 35 | 2 | |
| 2022–23[22] | Championship | 26 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 31 | 4 | ||
| 2023–24[23] | Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2024–25[24] | Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2025–26[25] | Championship | 25 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 26 | 4 | ||
| Total | 85 | 9 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | 92 | 10 | |||
| Portsmouth (loan) | 2024–25[24] | Championship | 14 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 15 | 2 | ||
| Career total | 207 | 15 | 14 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 11 | 1 | 235 | 17 | ||
- 3 appearances in FA Trophy, 1 appearance in Southern League Cup and 3 appearances in Hampshire Senior Cup
- 2 appearances in EFL Trophy, 2 appearances and 1 goal in League One play-offs
Honours
Individual