Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Alec Francis Roy Chamberlain | ||
Date of birth | 20 June 1964 | ||
Place of birth | March, England | ||
Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||
Playing position | Goalkeeper | ||
Youth career | |||
1980–1981 | Ramsey Town | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
1981–1982 | Ipswich Town | 0 | (0) |
1982–1987 | Colchester United | 188 | (0) |
1987–1988 | Everton | 0 | (0) |
1987–1988 | → Tranmere Rovers (loan) | 15 | (0) |
1988–1993 | Luton Town | 138 | (0) |
1992 | → Chelsea (loan) | 0 | (0) |
1993–1996 | Sunderland | 90 | (0) |
1995 | → Liverpool (loan) | 0 | (0) |
1996–2007 | Watford | 247 | (0) |
Total | 678 | (0) | |
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. |
Alec Francis Roy Chamberlain (born 20 June 1964) is an English former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He is currently employed by Watford as the club's goalkeeping coach. He made 788 league appearances during his 25-year playing career, the final 11 years and 247 appearances of which were with Watford.
Chamberlain started his career at Ipswich as a trainee, but didn't make a single appearance for the club, moving to Colchester in 1982. He spent 5 years at Layer Road before joining Everton for £80,000. However, the then 23-year-old was unable to displace established Everton goalkeeper Neville Southall, and his only appearances in the 1987–88 season were during a loan spell at Tranmere.
Having failed to make a single first team appearance for Everton in a year there, Chamberlain signed for Luton Town in the summer of 1988 whilst living in Northampton, where he ousted Les Sealey after Sealey had a poor game in the League Cup Final against Nottingham Forest. Chamberlain became first choice goalkeeper for the next four seasons. He did have a loan spell as understudy to Dave Beasant at Chelsea in the 1992–93, but didn't make any first team appearances.
After signing for Sunderland in 1993, Chamberlain played regularly, making 90 league appearances over 3 years. He was part of the team that was promoted in 1995–96. Towards the end of the 1994–95 season, he was loaned to Liverpool as understudy to David James after previous deputy Michael Stensgaard suffered an off-the-field injury. Despite never playing a game for the Anfield side he collected a Football League Cup winner's medal as he was a non-playing substitute in the final.