Scott Flinders

Scott Liam Flinders (born 12 June, 1986 in Rotherham, South Yorkshire) is an England Association football Goalkeeper (association football). He currently plays for Falkirk F.C., on loan from Crystal Palace F.C.. He has also played for the England national under-20 football team team.

Club career

Flinders started out at Barnsley F.C., making his Football League debut in 2005, when he replaced the injured Ross Turnbull in the Barnsley goal. He made an instant impression, and played eleven games in the next three months, which led to a call-up to the England U-20 side.

In the 2005-06 in English football season, he was picked to play for a "Football League XI", in a match against their Italian counterparts. He also went back to being second choice at Barnsley, this time to Nick Colgan. Because of this, he only made a few more league and cup appearances in which he again impressed, leading to trials at Chelsea F.C. and Wigan Athletic F.C.) before moving to Crystal Palace as part of a deal that took Sam Togwell to Barnsley, in the summer of 2006.

Flinders made his competitive debut for Palace in a Football League Cup tie with Notts County F.C., playing the full game as Palace were beaten 2–1. This would be his last appearance before going on loan to Football League One club Gillingham F.C., where he made his debut in a 2–1 away win against Doncaster Rovers F.C. on 9 September, 2006.

On 5 October it was announced that his loan with Gillingham had been extended for a second month,
but this extended loan did not last its full spell, as Flinders was back on the Crystal Palace bench by 28 October, though he did not remain there.

For the next game, a trip to Sheffield Wednesday F.C., Flinders made his league debut with The Eagles, while Hungary national football team international Gábor Király was dropped to the bench for a game which ended in a 3–2 defeat. This was quickly followed by a game at Loftus Road, against Queens Park Rangers F.C., which ended in a 4–2 loss, after which he was dropped, not returning until late December.

On 20 February, 2007, Flinders was sent out on loan again, for one month, this time to Palace's rivals, Brighton & Hove Albion F.C., after their first choice goalkeeper Michel Kuipers was injured. Ironically, he made his Seagulls debut at Gillingham, a game which his new team won 1–0.

On 12 February 2008, Flinders was sent out on loan again, for one month, this time to Yeovil Town F.C., after their first choice goalkeeper Steve Mildenhall was injured. However, despite Yeovil signing him for further month loan period, on 27 March, Championship club signed him on loan until the end of the 2007-08 in English football as competition for first-choice keeper, Paul Rachubka. With Blackpool's next match being an away game at Crystal Palace he was not allowed to make his debut for the club until after that match. However, his loan period finished without him making an appearance for Blackpool.
On 14th August 2008 he signed for Scottish Premier League side Falkirk F.C. on loan until January 2009.

International career

Flinders was called up to play for the England national under-20 football team team in 2005.

Club career statistics