Sean William Joyce (born 15 February 1967 in

Conisbrough Conisbrough () is a town within the City of Doncaster, in South Yorkshire, England. It is roughly midway between Doncaster and Rotherham, and is built alongside the River Don, South Yorkshire, River Don at . It has a ward population (Conisbrou ...

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 ...

) 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 made 200 appearances in

the Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in the world, and was the top-level football league in England from ...

playing for

Doncaster Rovers Doncaster Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. The team currently competes in EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system after winning the 202 ...

Exeter City Exeter City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Exeter, Devon, England. The team play in , the third level of the English football league system. Known as "the Grecians", the origin of their nickname is subject to ...

and

Torquay United Torquay United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Torquay, Devon, England. The team currently compete in the National League South, the sixth level of the English football league system. They have played their ho ...

. Since 1998 he has been manager of

Devon Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west ...

non-league side

Bideford Bideford ( ) is a historic port town on the estuary of the River Torridge in north Devon, South West England. It is the main town of the Torridge District, Torridge Districts of England, local government district. Toponymy In ancient records Bi ...

of the

Southern Football League The Southern League is a football competition featuring semi-professional clubs from East Anglia, the South and Midlands of England, and South Wales. Together with the Isthmian League and the Northern Premier League it forms levels seven a ...

Sean Joyce began his career as an apprentice with

, making his debut prior to turning professional in September 1986. In November 1986 he joined

on loan to gain additional experience and returned to Doncaster, going on to make 41 appearances and score twice. He moved to

on a free transfer in August 1988, playing at

Wembley Stadium Wembley Stadium, currently branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE Limited, EE for sponsorship reasons, is an association football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Sta ...

in the

Football League Trophy The English Football League Trophy, officially known as the Vertu Trophy for sponsorship reasons, is an annual English football knockout competition open to all clubs in EFL League One and EFL League Two and U-21 teams from the Premier Le ...

Final against

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 ...

, and again at Wembley in the 1991 play-off final victory on penalties against

Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside town in Lancashire, England. It is located on the Irish Sea coast of the Fylde peninsula, approximately north of Liverpool and west of Preston, Lancashire, Preston. It is the main settlement in the Borough of Blackpool ...

. He remained with the Gulls after their relegation the following season before leaving league football, joining

Elmore Elmore may refer to: Places United States *Elmore, Alabama *Elmore, Illinois * Elmore, Minnesota *Elmore, Ohio * Elmore City, Oklahoma * Elmore, Vermont *Elmore, Wisconsin *Elmore County (disambiguation) *Elmore Township (disambiguation) *Lake Elm ...

, having made 158 league appearances, scoring 15 goals, for the Gulls. He later played for Taunton Town, but was released by Taunton in April 1998 and joined

, then managed by former Torquay teammate

Dean Edwards Dean Edwards (born July 30, 1970) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and singer. His work as a voice actor includes Scottie Pippen and Spike Lee in ''Celebrity Deathmatch'', a robot in ''Robotomy'', and Donkey in '' Scared Shrek ...

. In November 1998 he stepped up from club captain when he was appointed player-manager, though a knee injury soon made his role that of only being the manager, and he guided Bideford away from the danger of relegation. He made Bideford one of the top teams in the Western League and a serious challenger to Taunton Town's dominance of the competition since Tiverton Town's promotion. Subsequently, Bideford have been promoted to the Evo-Stik Southern League Premier, where the team are beginning to establish themselves.

References

1967 births Living people English men's footballers Sportspeople from Conisbrough Footballers from South Yorkshire Doncaster Rovers F.C. players Exeter City F.C. players Torquay United F.C. players Elmore F.C. players Taunton Town F.C. players Bideford A.F.C. players English football managers Bideford A.F.C. managers Men's association football midfielders English Football League players {{England-footy-midfielder-1960s-stub