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Date and Place of Birth 28th September 1989 - MILTON KEYNES
Transfers to and from Burnley from ARSENAL - 31st January 2008 (loan) returned 5th May 2008
First and Last Burnley Games WEST BROMWICH ALBION (a) - 2nd February 2008 sub: replaced Chris McCann
CRYSTAL PALACE (a) - 4th May 2008 replaced by Joey Gudjonsson
Other Clubs ARSENAL ---------------------------------------- MK FRANCHISE (loan), ROTHERHAM UNITED (loan), CHESTERFIELD, ASCOLI, MK FRANCHISE |
Burnley Career Stats
| Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Others | Total | |||||
| apps | gls | apps | gls | apps | gls | apps | gls | apps | gls | |
| 2007/08 | 2(8) | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2(8) | - |
| Total | 2(8) | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2(8) | - |
Profile by Tony Scholes
It appeared to be something of a coup for the Clarets on the last day of the January transfer window in 2008 when we signed Arsenal's 18-year-old midfielder Mark Randall.
Randall made his first team bow with the Gunners during the 2006/07 season when he was twice used as a substitute in Carling Cup ties against West Brom and Arsenal, both times replacing Denilson.
The second of those appearances was in November 2006 and he had to wait over a year for his next appearance. This time it was a start, again in the Carling Cup, at Blackburn as Arsenal won 3-2 after extra time. He played the first eighty minute before being replaced by Nacer Barazite.
January saw him on the bench for our FA Cup tie against Arsenal and the following week he played against us in the FA Youth Cup clash at Accrington, and scored in a comfortable Arsenal win.
That triggered off our move for him, with former Republic of Ireland team mates Owen Coyle and Liam Brady brokering the deal, and as January prepared to come to an end Randall joined the Clarets on loan for the rest of the season.
It was a move that was certainly greeted with a positive reaction from the fans. Here was a player on the brink of the Arsenal squad and he was going to be in our side for the rest of the season as we tried to push our way into the top six, but in reality it just didn't quite happen for either player or club.
Randall made his debut at West Brom as a substitute. Many thought he'd start the following week but for his first seven games he was named on the bench, although he did come on in six of those games. The highlight was his performance against Coventry at home. He came on just before the hour for Joey Gudjonsson and had a huge impact during that last half hour of the game.
Eventually he got a start at Stoke and perhaps this wasn't the best club he could have started against. He disappointed in the cut and thrust of a Pulis style battle and played for just over an hour before Alan Mahon came on for him.
That led to a return to the bench and he was used as a sub in each of the next two games. He didn't make the sixteen at Preston and from that point on there were no more appearances for him until the last day of the season when he was given a starting role against Crystal Palace. Again he disappointed but that was hardly surprising given his lack of first team action coupled with being asked to come into a side that performed as badly as we did that day.
His afternoon lasted only until half time before Joey Gudjonsson came on for him with us already 3-0 down and facing our biggest defeat in some time.
The good news for him is that his season ended in a better way than it did for any of his team mates that day. He returned to Arsenal and one week after our Palace shambles he made his Premier League debut. His season ended with him coming on for Emmanuel Eboue as They recorded a 1-0 win at Sunderland.
Randall signed his first professional contract with Arsenal during the 2006/07 season and I'm sure Burnley fans will now monitor his progress with some interest after his short, albeit unsuccessful, time at Burnley. He's still only 18. He's got a good career ahead of him and time will tell whether that will be at a club of the stature of Arsenal.
With no sign of establishing himself at Arsenal he enjoyed a loan spell in Milton Keynes during the second half of the 2009/10 season. He was in and out of the side but during his time there scored his first senior goal, that coming in a 3-1 defeat against Southampton at St. Mary's in the Johnstone Paints Trophy.
In October 2010 he made the surprise move to Rotherham United in a three month loan deal having played no first team football since the end of the previous season. That loan was eventually extended until the end of the 2010/11 season but Randall made just three starts for the Millers and suffered a broken collar bone on his debut.
He was released by Arsenal at the end of the 2010/11 season but on 24th June signed a one year deal with newly promoted League One Chesterfield. He won himself another year despite the club suffering relegation in 2011/12 but at the beginning of July 2013 learned he wasn't to be offered a further deal.
The 2013/14 season started with Randall still searching for a new club, and that was still the case when the transfer window close. Just a few days later, on 10th September 2013, he signed a two year deal with Italian Lega Pro club Ascoli and made his debut for them on L'Aquila on 22nd September. Things didn't go to plan and in January 2014 he claimed he hadn't been paid for three months and opted to leave the club. He was without a club until 14th March 2014 when he signed for his home town club Milton Keynes Franchise.
Links
Randall joins Millers (25/10/10)