Sacha Opinel
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Sacha Opinel | ||
| Height | 1.77 m (5 ft 9+1⁄2 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Defender | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Ebbsfleet United | ||
| Number | 3 | ||
Sacha Opinel (born 9 April 1977 in Bourg-Saint-Maurice) is a French professional footballer who plays for Ebbsfleet United as a defender. He has made over 200 appearances in the French Lique, the Scottish League, the English Football League and the English Football Conference, and won a FA Trophy winners medal in 2008.
Career
Opinel, who is a relative of Eric Cantona, began his career with French clubs Cannes, Lille and Ajaccio before joining Scottish club Raith Rovers in December 1999, where he made over 20 league and cup appearances.[1] He was released by Rovers in December 2000 by mutual consent after a series of on and off-the-field problems.[2] After training with Third Division club, Plymouth Argyle,[3] Opinel was given a short-term contract so that manager Paul Sturrock could take a closer look him over the 2000 Christmas and New Year period.[4] He made only one appearance for Plymouth in a Football League Trophy tie against Bristol Rovers[5] and was not offered a contract. After a trial at Bournemouth,[6] he joined Leyton Orient in February 2001, where he made eleven appearances in the remainder of the 2000–01 season[1] and helped Orient towards the Third Division play-offs in May 2001.[7]
Opinel then dropped into non-league football, joining Billericay Town at the beginning of the 2001–02 season.[8] He joined Farnborough Town in July 2003,[9] signing a two-year contract in May 2004,[10] but requested a transfer for personal and professional reasons and joined Crawley Town in January 2005 in a deal that saw Farnborough receive a substantial transfer fee as well as Robert Traynor move from Crawley to Farnborough.[11] Opinel had started over 50 games for Farnborough.[12] Opinel agreed a contract until May 2006 with Crawley and in July 2006, he joined Gravesend & Northfleet (now Ebbsfleet United).[13] He signed a new contract in May 2007 and collected a winners medal when Ebbsfleet won the FA Trophy at Wembley Stadium in May 2008.[14]
References
- ^ a b "Sasha Opinel". Soccerbase. Racing Post. Retrieved 2008-06-14.
- ^ "Not got Opinel". The Mirror. 2000-12-19. Retrieved 2008-06-14.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Opinel for Plymouth". The Mirror. 2000-12-21. Retrieved 2008-06-14.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Pilgrim's Progress". The Mirror. 2000-12-29. Retrieved 2008-06-14.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Bristol Rovers 3-0 Plymouth". BBC Sport. 2001-01-09. Retrieved 2008-06-14.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Purches returns for Cherries". BBC Sport. 2001-02-08. Retrieved 2008-06-14.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Blackpool pip Orient to promotion". BBC Sport. 2001-05-26. Retrieved 2008-06-14.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Foreign influence at Billericay". Non League Daily. 2001-11-29. Retrieved 2008-06-14.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Taylor add three more to Boro squad". Non League Daily. 2003-07-28. Retrieved 2008-06-14.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Opinel boost for Seare". Non League Daily. 2004-05-14. Retrieved 2008-06-14.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Crawley and Farnborough in swop deal". Non league Daily. 2005-01-15. Retrieved 2008-06-14.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Crawley complete Opinel signing". BBC Sport. 2005-01-14. Retrieved 2008-06-15.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Frenchman Opinel joins Gravesend". BBC Sport. 2006-07-04. Retrieved 2008-06-15.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Ebbsfleet 1-0 Torquay". BBC Sport. 2008-05-10. Retrieved 2008-06-15.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help)
External links
- Sacha Opinel at Soccerbase
- Profile on Ebbsfleet United website