Isaiah Marcus Rankin (born 22 May 1978) is an English former professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

who played as a forward from 1996 to 2014. He started his professional career with

Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...

where he came through the club's youth setup. He appeared once for the Gunners, was loaned out to

Colchester United Colchester United Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Colchester, Essex, England. The team competes in , the fourth level of the English football league system. Founded in 1937, the club spent its ea ...

, then sold to

Bradford City Bradford City Association Football Club is an English professional football club in Bradford, West Yorkshire. The club competes in , the third tier of English football, and is managed by Graham Alexander. The club was founded in 1903 and ...

in 1998 where he was part of the squad that gained promotion to the

Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...

. Bradford loaned him to

Bolton Wanderers Bolton Wanderers Football Club ( ) is a professional association football, football club based in Horwich, Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in EFL League One, League One, the third level of the Englis ...

, then

Birmingham City Birmingham City Football Club is a professional football club based in Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943. The team compete in the ...

, before moving him to

Barnsley Barnsley () is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. It is the main settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley and the fourth largest settlement in South Yorkshire. The town's population was 71,422 in 2021, while the wider boroug ...

on a permanent deal in 2001. In 2004, he joined

Grimsby Town Grimsby Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire, England, that competes in , the fourth level of the English football league system. Nicknamed "the Mariners", the club was f ...

and then

Brentford Brentford is a suburban town in West (London sub region), West London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It lies at the confluence of the River Brent and the River Thames, Thames, west of Charing Cross. Its economy has dive ...

where he remained for two years before returning to Grimsby. During his second spell with The Mariners he spent a month on loan with Macclesfield Town before being released. He then joined

Stevenage Borough Stevenage Football Club (known as Stevenage Borough Football Club until 2010) is a professional association football club based in the town of Stevenage, Hertfordshire, England. The club competes in EFL League One, the third level of the Engli ...

for the remainder of the 2007–08 season. He subsequently played

non-league football Non-League football describes association football, football leagues played outside the top leagues of a country. Usually, it describes leagues which are not fully professional. The term is primarily used for football in England, where it is ...

for

Crawley Town Crawley Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Crawley, West Sussex, England. The team currently competes in , the fourth level of the English football league system. Founded in 1896 as Crawley Foo ...

Forest Green Rovers Forest Green Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Nailsworth, Gloucestershire, England. The team competes in the National League, the fifth level of the English football league system. Formed in October 188 ...

, Ashford Town and

Hendon Hendon is an urban area in the London Borough of Barnet, northwest London northwest of Charing Cross. Hendon was an ancient Manorialism, manor and parish in the county of Middlesex and a former borough, the Municipal Borough of Hendon; it has ...

Career A career is an individual's metaphorical "journey" through learning, work (human activity), work and other aspects of personal life, life. There are a number of ways to define career and the term is used in a variety of ways. Definitions The ...

Arsenal

Rankin started his career playing for

as a youngster, and he was promoted to be the first team squad in the summer of 1996. Rankin went on to feature once for The Gunners, coming on as a late substitute in a 1–1 draw with rivals

Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as simply Tottenham (, , , ) or Spurs, is a professional Association football, football club based in Tottenham, North London, England. The club itself has stated that it should always ...

in December 1997. Arsenal went on to win the

that season but Rankin didn't feature enough times (once) for a medal. While with the club he had a brief loan spell with

. In 1998, he was transfer listed by the club, and shortly afterwards he was to leave

Highbury Highbury is an area of North London, England, in the London Borough of Islington. Highbury Manor Highbury was once owned by Ranulf, brother of Ilger, and included all the areas north and east of Canonbury and Holloway Roads. The manor hou ...

with

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ) is an area of Northern England which was History of Yorkshire, historically a county. Despite no longer being used for administration, Yorkshire retains a strong regional identity. The county was named after its county town, the ...

his destination. Manager

Arsène Wenger Arsène Charles Ernest Wenger (born 22 October 1949) is a French former association football, football Manager (association football), manager and football player, player who is currently serving as FIFA's Chief of Global Football Development. ...

said he sold Rankin "Because he had in front of him too many players who were in to play in the top team. He was impatient. I thought that he wouldn't naturally make it this season, and he needed some first-team games. He was one of the players where, if you keep him, he drops; if he drops, his value goes down and he isn't happy and he hasn't improved. If you are sure he won't play for you this season, you give him a chance to make a career somewhere else. I'm happy for him."

Bradford City

Rankin was signed by

for £1.3 million helping them earn promotion to the Premier League in his first season. Rankin was not considered a first team regular during Bradford's two-year stay in the top flight and featured in only ten of their Premiership matches during that time. However, he was on the pitch when Bradford memorably secured safety on the last day of the 1999–2000 season with a win against

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

. Rankin was loaned out twice by Bradford, firstly to

and then

, before finally leaving the club permanently to join

rivals

Barnsley

Rankin joined Barnsley for £350,000 on 19 January 2001, and would go on to play in three different seasons for the

Oakwell Oakwell is a multi-purpose sports ground in Barnsley, South Yorkshire, England used by Barnsley Football Club for home fixtures, and those of their reserves. As of 2023, the Barnsley F.C. Women's team also play at the stadium. While the na ...

club. During the 2003–04 season, with Barnsley rooted in the middle of the Division Two table, he was made available for transfer after losing his place in the team. Barnsley attempted to sign

striker Michael Boulding, who had wanted to leave the club following the dismissal of Town's manager Paul Groves. Barnsley offered Town £50,000 for Boulding with the option of taking Rankin on a one-month loan as part of the deal. The offer was accepted by caretaker manager Graham Rodger and Rankin signed for The Mariners initially for a one-month loan period.

Grimsby Town

Rankin scored two goals in his first six games. In a match against his parent club Barnsley at Blundell Park, Rankin scored a goal in a 6–1 victory for Grimsby, but controversially upset Barnsley manager Gudjon Thordarson for what he called an unprofessional goal celebration. Thordarson stated that Rankin would never play for Barnsley again, and the player had his contract terminated with immediate effect, which allowed him to sign for Grimsby on a permanent basis until the end of the season. Grimsby appointed Nicky Law as manager but he could not prevent the club's relegation, despite Rankin's goal in a 1–0 win against

on the second-last game of the season. Following the club's relegation, Rankin was out of contract and decided not to stay at Blundell Park in favour to stay playing his football in League One.

Brentford

Brentford came in for the striker, and signed him on a two-year deal. Rankin joined the club along with fellow Grimsby player Jamie Lawrence. During his spell at the

Griffin Park Griffin Park was a association football, football ground in Brentford in the London Borough of Hounslow, England. It was the home ground of Brentford F.C. from its opening in September 1904 to August 2020. The ground was in a predominantly resi ...

club, his goal against

Southampton Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...

in the

2004–05 FA Cup The 2004–05 FA Cup was the 124th season of the world's oldest football competition, the FA Cup. The competition began on 28 August 2004, with the lowest-ranked of the entrants competing in the Extra preliminary round. For England's top 44 clubs, ...

Fifth Round was nominated on

Match of the Day ''Match of the Day'' (abbreviated to ''MOTD'') is a Association football, football highlights programme, typically broadcast on BBC One on Saturday nights during the Premier League season. ''Match of the Day'' is one of the BBC's longest-runn ...

's 'Goal of the Month' competition, but did not win the top prize. Rankin was released by Brentford in May 2006 after two years.

Return to Grimsby Town

Rankin re-joined Grimsby Town in July 2006 but despite much expectations, he made a slow start to the new spell, despite scoring on his second debut in the 3–2 win over

Boston United Boston United Football Club is a semi-professional association football club based in Boston, Lincolnshire, England. The club participates in the National League, the fifth level of the English football league system. The club is known as 'the ...

, a game in which he and

Peter Bore Peter Charles Bore (born 4 November 1987) is an English former professional footballer who played as a defender, winger and striker. He began his career with his hometown club Grimsby Town, having been promoted to the first team for the beg ...

helped Grimsby come back from 2–0 down. With favoured goalscoring partner

Michael Reddy Michael Reddy (born 24 March 1980 in Kilkenny) is an Irish former professional association football, footballer who played as a Forward (association football), forward from 1997 to 2007. He notably played for Sunderland A.F.C., Sunderland an ...

injured, Rankin struggled with fitness problems and by the end of the season the pair had only scored three goals between them. Rodger was sacked as manager and

Alan Buckley Alan Peter Buckley (born 20 April 1951) is an English former professional footballer and football manager who now works as a sports co-commentator for BBC Humberside. As a player, he was a forward from 1967 to 1987 for Nottingham Forest, ...

came in to take his place. With the loan signing of

Martin Paterson Martin Andrew Paterson (born 10 May 1987) is a former professional footballer who is the assistant head coach of club Huddersfield Town. Born in Stoke-on-Trent, he played as a forward; he began his career with Stoke City, making his senior ...

a favoured starter it meant when fit Rankin would often have to settle for a place on the bench. Buckley made Rankin available for loan and in March 2007 he was loaned out to Macclesfield Town for the remainder of the season. He made only four appearances and failed to score. Rankin remained at Blundell Park for the beginning of the 2007–08 season but his contract was eventually terminated by mutual consent during the January 2008 transfer window.

Stevenage Borough

Upon his release from Grimsby, he signed with

Conference A conference is a meeting, often lasting a few days, which is organized on a particular subject, or to bring together people who have a common interest. Conferences can be used as a form of group decision-making, although discussion, not always d ...

club

on a short-term deal until the end of the 2007–08 season. He was one of several players released at the end of the season.

Crawley Town

His next club was

, with whom he signed in July 2008 having featured in a number of pre-season friendlies whilst on trial with the

West Sussex West Sussex is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Surrey to the north, East Sussex to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Hampshire to the west. The largest settlement is Cr ...

club. In January 2009, Crawley were deducted four league points and fined after failing to register Rankin with the Conference at the start of the 2008–09 campaign, despite the fact that

the Football Association The Football Association (the FA) is the Sports governing body, governing body of association football in England and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Bailiwick of Guernsey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. Formed in 1863, it is the oldest footb ...

received his papers. Following the conclusion of the season, Crawley decided against offering Rankin a new deal, and he was released from the club. Rankin made 18 league appearances for Crawley, scoring three times.

Forest Green Rovers

Following his release from Crawley, Rankin remained out of the game up until December 2009, when he signed for fellow Conference National team

on a non-contract basis. He was given the number 33 shirt. Rankin scored his first goal for the club in a 3–1

Boxing Day Boxing Day, also called as Offering Day is a holiday celebrated after Christmas Day, occurring on the second day of Christmastide (26 December). Boxing Day was once a day to donate gifts to those in need, but it has evolved to become a part ...

victory over Salisbury City, and his second in a 1–0 win over Gateshead at the New Lawn on 16 January 2010. He netted Forest Green's only goal in their 2–1 loss to

Notts County Notts County Football Club is a professional association football, football club in Nottingham, England, which competes in EFL League Two, the fourth tier of Football in England, English football, following promotion and relegation, promotion ...

Meadow Lane Meadow Lane is a football (soccer), football stadium in Nottingham, England. It is the home ground of Notts County F.C., Notts County, who have played there since it opened in 1910. The stadium was also home to Notts County Ladies F.C. from 201 ...

in the third round of the FA Cup. He was released at the end of the season having scored three goals in 19 league appearances.

Ashford Town

In September 2010, Rankin signed for Southern Football League Division One Central side Ashford Town, in Middlesex, a team managed by his former Bradford City, Grimsby Town and Brentford teammate Jamie Lawrence.

Hendon

Rankin joined

Isthmian League The Isthmian League () is a regional Association football, football league covering Greater London, East of England, East and South East England, featuring mostly semi-professional clubs. Founded in 1905 by amateur clubs in the London area, th ...

Premier Division side

on 16 August 2011. In July 2012, he signed a new one-year contract. Rankin made 76 appearances and scored 15 goals before departing at the end of the 2013–14 season and subsequently retired from competitive football.

Career statistics

Honours

Arsenal *

FA Youth Cup The Football Association Youth Challenge Cup is an English football competition run by The Football Association for under-18 sides. Only those players between the age of 15 and 18 on 31 August of the current season are eligible to take part. It ...

: 1993–94 Bradford City *

Football League First Division The Football League First Division was the top division of the Football League in England from 1888 until the end of the 1991–92 season, when its teams broke away to form the Premier League. From 1992 to 2004, the name First Division was g ...

second-place promotion: 1998–99

References

External links

*
Hendon profile
at Greensnet
Profile of Isaiah Rankin
at codalmighty.com
Isaiah Rankin
at arsenal.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Rankin, Isaiah 1978 births Living people Footballers from the London Borough of Enfield People from Edmonton, London English men's footballers Men's association football forwards Premier League players English Football League players National League (English football) players Isthmian League players Southern Football League players Arsenal F.C. players Colchester United F.C. players Bradford City A.F.C. players Birmingham City F.C. players Bolton Wanderers F.C. players Barnsley F.C. players Grimsby Town F.C. players Brentford F.C. players Macclesfield Town F.C. players Stevenage F.C. players Crawley Town F.C. players Forest Green Rovers F.C. players Hendon F.C. players Ashford Town (Middlesex) F.C. players