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Beard,
pictured right, joined the club
at the start of the 2000/01
season from local rivals Bedworth
United and made an immediate
impact scoring on his home debut
against Cirencester Town, and
went on to secure a place in
the division scoring charts
with 14 league goals, including
the memorable winner against
Tiverton Town at home - the
team against whom the Valley
had lost 0-6 a couple of weeks
before. Robbie picked
up the Players' Player of the
Season award in his first season,
and committed his future to
the club by renewing his contract
with Rugby.
The
2001/02 season was a disappointing
one for Rugby, and the absence
of Beard during the Christmas
period was one of the reasons
for the dreadful record during
this period. Robbie spent
11 weeks on the sidelines recovering
from a hamstring injury and
the club endured a run of 11
games without a win. However,
with the arrival of goal-machine
Chris Freestone, Robbie was
the perfect ammunition for the
ex-Middlesbrough striker, setting
up many of his 14 goals.
He chipped in 11 league goals
for himself in an injury struck
season.
The
2002/03 season started very
badly with several defeats,
but as a new-look team came
about, Beard was being given
better service and was again
becoming instrumental in many
victories. Two goals against
his old club Bedworth away from
home showed the typical opportunist
finishing Robbie has shown since
joining the club.
He
sat out for a month with a back
problem but bounced back with
a goal as a substitute against
Bromsgrove on Boxing Day and
weeks later scored his first
hat-trick for the club against
his old team, Bedworth United.
In games against The Greenbacks
and Racing Club Warwick alone,
he scored nine goals showing
his determination in local derbies.
Beard
added another hat-trick later
in the season in the final home
game of the season against Cinderford
Town. Despite his injuries
problems and missing chinks
of the season, Robbie collected
21 league goals - his best total
for Rugby - ending as the fifth
top scorer in the division.
This
brought his total upto 46 league
goals for the start of the 2003/4
season in the Western Division,
with Robbie pledging himself
to United with a new two-year
contract.
A
goal on the opening day of the
season against Gloucester City
and further goals against Yate
Town and Solihull Borough brought
the striker upto forty-nine
goals before the clash with
Bromsgrove at Victoria Ground,
as he was putting in some outstanding
performances, ripping defences
to pieces.
Robbie
was a doubt with his fitness
after missing the FA Cup tie
against Kidsgrove Athletic with
a hamstring injury, but it took
Beard only 13 minutes to get
on the scoresheet, firing home
Justin Marsden's cross.
With
the score tightly poised at
2-1, Beard came up with the
goods to put the game out of
reach with a piece of brilliance
- driving at the home defence
with the ball from the half
way line before striking home
for his 51st league goal.
Robbie
appears to be really enjoying
his football at Butlin Road,
as he leads a young and talented
Rugby United side for a promotion
shout. Acting as a role
model and mentor for the younger
players, Robbie's work-rate,
loyalty and passion for the
club is a key to the current
Rugby line-up.
Let's
hope he can stay injury free
and keeping performing as well
as he is at the moment, with
five goals from five at the
start of the season. In
his last seventeen games, he
has seventeen goals - which
is some record.
Robbie
Beard Profile |
