Rhys Evans | |
Nationality: | |
Rovers apps (gls)1: | 7 (0) |
Date of birth: | 27 January 1982 |
Place of birth: | Swindon |
Height: | 6 ft 1 in |
Position: | Goalkeeper |
Date joined: | 26 Feb 2000 & 10 August 2009 |
Joined from: | Chelsea & Bradford City |
Date left: | 26 March 2000 & 30 June 2010 |
1 League appearances and goals only. |
Rhys Karl Evans is a goalkeeper who has had two spells as a Bristol Rovers player, the first on loan from Chelsea in 2000 and the second when he signed a short-term contract for the club in 2009.
Rhys's debut in league football came while on loan at Rovers in 2000, in a 4–1 victory for Rovers over Oldham Athletic on 26 February 2000. In all he made four appearances in that spell, conceding three goals and was never on the losing side.
After being released by Bradford City in the summer of 2009, Rhys trained with Rovers in an effort to earn a contract with the club, playing in The Pirates' pre-season friendly against Llanelli. His patience was rewarded with a short term deal, which was signed on 10 August to provide cover for on-loan 'keeper Fraser Forster, following Steve Phillips's decision to leave the club. He remained the second choice keeper after Forster left the club and was replaced by another loanee, Mikkel Andersen, and was released at the end of the 2009–10 season having played in three League games and all four of Rovers' cup matches that season.
Career[]
Rhys began his career as a trainee with Chelsea, and although he never played a competitive game for the London side he enjoyed loan spells at Rovers, Queens Park Rangers and Leyton Orient. He left Chelsea in 2003 and spent three years with Swindon Town, during which time he made 118 league appearances, all of which were starts, and played ten times in cup competitions, starting nine of those. During his spell there he was Swindon's player of the season for the 2005–06 campaign.
Following his spell in Swindon, Rhys spent two years at Blackpool, during which time he spent a month on loan at Bradford City. He was signed by Millwall in the January transfer window in 2008 until the end of that season, before returning to Bradford in the summer for the duration of the 2008–09 campaign, whereupon he was released and re-joined Rovers.
After leaving Bristol for the second time he joined Southend United in the summer of 2010, signing a one-year deal. He then spent a year playing in the Conference South with Staines Town before returning to league football when he signed a year-long deal with Exeter City in 2012.