Rob McKinnon


Robert McKinnon is a Scottish former footballer, who played at both professional and international levels as a left back.
Active in Scotland, England, and the Netherlands, McKinnon made over 500 League appearances in a career which lasted from 1985 to 2002.

Career

Early years in England

Born in Glasgow, McKinnon played youth football in East Kilbride where his father coached a team. He began his career playing Junior football with Rutherglen Glencairn before turning professional in 1985 with Newcastle United; however he only played one league game for the Magpies, a heavy defeat to Tottenham in which he was replaced by Paul Gascoigne.
McKinnon moved on to Hartlepool United, where he helped the club achieve promotion from English football's fourth tier in 1990–91. He also spent a short time on loan at Manchester United, although he did not play a competitive match for them.

Motherwell

In January 1992 McKinnon returned to Scotland and joined Scottish Premier Division club Motherwell. He formed part of a strong team built by manager Tommy McLean and his successor Alex McLeish - Motherwell achieved third place in 1993–94 and were runners-up in 1994-95, and McKinnon gained international recognition along with teammates Chris McCart, Brian Martin and Paul Lambert.
However, Motherwell could not afford the wages to keep the players, and McKinnon and Lambert decided to move to continental clubs on a free transfer when their contracts expired in summer 1996 under the recently implemented Bosman ruling. Lambert signed for Borussia Dortmund, and McKinnon made the move to Dutch football, joining FC Twente.

Eredivisie and return

McKinnon played regularly with Twente in the Eredivisie for two seasons – in the first, the team finished third and qualified for the following year's UEFA Cup. He returned to Scotland with Hearts on another free transfer, but was unable to hold down a regular place in the side. He went back to Hartlepool on loan during 1999, and had another loan with Carlisle United in 2000 before being released by Hearts.
He then moved down the divisions with Clydebank for two seasons, before reverting to Junior football in 2002 with Bellshill Athletic where he had a period as player-coach alongside former Motherwell teammate Tommy Coyne. Finally he turned out for hometown club East Kilbride Thistle at the age of 39.

International

McKinnon was capped three times by the Scottish national side between 1993 and 1995 while playing with Motherwell, as well as appearing for the B side in the same period.

Personal life

His nephew Ross McKinnon is also a footballer and plays as a defender.