Mark Walters

Mark Walters
Full name	Mark Everton Walters
Nationality	England
Caps (goals)	1 (0)
Rovers apps (goals)a	82 (13)
Position	Midfield
Date of birth	2 June 1964 in Birmingham
Height	5ft 9in
Joined
15 November 1999 from Swindon Town
Left
26 April 2002 (retired)
Senior clubs
Aston Villa Rangers Liverpool Stoke City Wolverhampton Wanderers Southampton Swindon Town Bristol Rovers
a League appearances and goals only Last updated by Gasheadsteve on 30/10/2012

Mark Walters is an ex-England international who played for Rovers between 1999 and 2002 when he retired. He made just under 100 appearances for Rovers in all competitions and scored 14 goals. He was well received by the Rovers fans due to his natural skill and his the way he always performed to a high standard despite his dwindling years.

Career

Walters started his career at Aston Villa where he made his pro debut aged just 17. He went to make 234 appearances for the Birmingham club before he moved to Rangers in a deal worth £550,000.

He became the first black player to play for Rangers. He was subjected to racial abuse during his debut in the Old Firm derby against Celtic at Celtic Park. He would go on to make 143 appearances in Glasgow scoring an impressive 51 goals before following manager Graeme Souness to Liverpool, a move seen as ironic as Walters' middle name is Everton, the same as Liverpool's fierce local rivals. During his time in Scotland he made his one and only England appearance in a friendly against New Zealand.

The deal to take him to Anfield cost Liverpool £1.25 million but his performances could not match those he'd made at Rangers. He was sent out on loan twice and left to join Southampton in January 1996. He made just nine appearances for Southampton, helping them to survive relegation from the Premier League. He was released at the end of the season and joined Swindon Town.

His form remained indifferent, but he remained at the club for three years and made over 125 appearances. He made his final move, at the age of 35, to Rovers. He showed signs of his former abilities but suffered relegation to Division Three while at the club. His final professional football match came in a 1-1 draw with Hull City as a 75th minute substitute for Jamie Shore. His final ever goal came against Plymouth Argyle in a 1-1 draw in the FA Cup.

Career stats

Season	Club	League
		Apps	Goals
1981-82	Aston Villa	1	0
1982-83	Aston Villa	22	1
1983-84	Aston Villa	37	8
1984-85	Aston Villa	36	10
1985-86	Aston Villa	40	10
1986-87	Aston Villa	21	3
1987-88	Aston Villa	24	7
1987-88	Rangers	18	7
1988-89	Rangers	31	8
1989-90	Rangers	27	5
1990-91	Rangers	30	12
1991-92	Liverpool	25	3
1992-93	Liverpool	34	11
1993-94	Liverpool	17	0
1993-94	→Stoke City (loan)	9	2
1994-95	Liverpool	18	0
1994-95	→Wolverhampton Wanderers (loan)	11	3
1995-96	Liverpool	0	0
1995-96	Southampton	5	0
1996-97	Swindon Town	27	7
1997-98	Swindon Town	34	6
1998-99	Swindon Town	38	10
1999-00	Swindon Town	13	2
1999-00	Bristol Rovers	30	8
2000-01	Bristol Rovers	26	4
2001-02	Bristol Rovers	26	0

International appearance

N.B. England score listed first. (Source englandstats.com)

Date	Opponent	Result	Venue	Competition
3 June 1991	New Zealand	1–0	Mount Smart Stadium, Auckland	Friendly