Robert Stephen Bloomer
Photo courtesy of Alan Marshall, Neil Brookman, Keith Brookman ©BRFPA
Born: 21/06/1966, Sheffield
Position: Defender/Midfielder
Rovers League Début: 01/09/1990 v Charlton Athletic
Debut Number: 558
Clubs represented: Chesterfield, Bristol Rovers, Cheltenham Town
Managerial/Coaching Positions: Cheltenham Town (player/coach, assistant manager, caretaker manager, and, until July 2004, youth team coach).
A Sheffield Wednesday fan as a schoolboy, Bob Bloomer trained as a fibrous plasterer before making his début as Chesterfield’s centre forward at Bournemouth in January 1986.
A long career for the Spireites included five League appearances against Rovers, whom he joined as the club was poised to secure the Third Division title.
Sporadic Division Two games could be added to a spell in goal to replace Brian Parkin in the FA Cup at home to Crewe in January 1991.
There were just 22 league appearances for Rovers before his move to Gloucestershire and Cheltenham Town.
A keen golfer and cricketer and a fitness instructor with the Ministry of Defence at Abbeywood, Bloomer’s long association with Cheltenham began with a début in the 1-1 draw with Chelmsford City in August 1992 and, despite the setback of a broken leg in 1995, he had accumulated 290 games and 15 goals for the Robins by the summer of 1999, the year he won a Gloucestershire Senior Challenge Cup winner’s medal.
Third in the Beazer Homes League in 1995/96, Cheltenham were promoted to the Conference the following campaign and won the FA Trophy Final at Wembley in May 1998, Bloomer playing as another former Rovers player Jason Eaton scored the only goal 11 minutes from time.
He was awarded a Benefit Match by Cheltenham in July 2000, when Rovers provided the opposition at Whaddon Road when Bloomer’s side ran out 2-1 winners.
His 70th minute goal in a 3-1 win over Brighton in February 2001 represented his first Football League strike in almost 11 years, since the winning goal against Exeter City in his final game for Chesterfield in March 1990.
Bob now works for the Football League as South West Regional Manager, supporting and monitoring Football League Clubs’ Academy set ups. He raised £1,500 in 2011 from a charity bike ride for Marie Curie Cancer Care, cycling over 800 miles around 14 Football League clubs.