Bobby Petta

Bobby Petta

Personal information
Full name	Alfred Manuel Petta
Date of birth	(1974-08-06) 6 August 1974
Place of birth	Rotterdam, Netherlands
Height	1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
Playing position	Left winger
Club information
Current team	Rossvale
Youth career
	Feyenoord
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1993–1996	Feyenoord	1	(0)
1993–1994	→ Dordrecht '90 (loan)	9	(0)
1994–1995	→ RKC Waalwijk (loan)	21	(1)
1996–1999	Ipswich Town	71	(9)
1999–2004	Celtic	52	(0)
2004	→ Fulham (loan)	8	(0)
2005	Darlington	12	(1)
2005–2006	Bradford City	27	(4)
2006–2008	Adelaide United	20	(1)
2008	Para Hills Knights	4	(0)
2008	Sydney FC	9	(0)
2009	Heidelberg United	9	(0)
2009	Adelaide Raiders	2	(0)
2016–	Rossvale
Total		245	(16)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 00:15, 9 February 2016 (UTC). † Appearances (goals)

Alfred Manuel "Bobby" Petta (born 6 August 1974) is a Dutch-Indonesian footballer who is currently a personal trainer based in Glasgow. He is a signed player with Rossvale in the Scottish Junior Football Association, West Region.

Club career

Born in Rotterdam, Netherlands, Petta's early playing career was with Feyenoord, from the age of 13 to 21, but he never became a regular in the first team during that period, having loan spells at Dordrecht'90 and RKC Waalwijk. His frustration led to a move to England in 1996 after he was spotted by Ipswich Town scouts.

He signed for them, but in his first season found it difficult to adapt to the more physical British game, making only six appearances. The Ipswich manager at the time, George Burley, was determined that his potential would not go to waste, and with hard work he was able to develop his game and physical resilience, with Bobby finally establishing himself in the first team, on the left side of midfield, making more than 80 appearances and scoring nine goals.

However he eventually became frustrated at Ipswich and did not sign a new contract. This resulted, in July 1999, in a free transfer to Celtic. Petta's first season at Celtic proved to be somewhat difficult, with the Dutchman turning in a series of underwhelming performances in his 17 appearances. The arrival of Martin O'Neill as manager of Celtic in the summer of 2000 would provide Petta with a new lease of life. Possibly the highlight of his career was during the early managership of Martin O'Neill; Petta became a regular in the team that achieved the domestic treble in 2001 and played in the 6–2 victory for Celtic over Rangers in the first Old Firm game of that season – his form throughout that season also saw him called up to the Dutch national team but injury prevented him from playing for his country.

The following season (2001–02) saw Petta continue his sparkling form. A goal away to Ajax in a Champions League qualifying tie helped Celtic to a 3–2 aggregate win and the club's first participation in the group stages of that competition. Celtic's first game in the group stages was away to Juventus. Celtic lost 3–2 on the night, but Petta made an outstanding contribution when he came on as a substitute for Alan Thompson in the second half; to the extent that Juventus had to make several tactical changes to cope with his marauding runs down the left wing.

Following that, his first team appearances became limited as a result of injury and other factors, and he made only two starts during the 2002–03 season.

In December 2002, during the Celtic team Christmas party, Petta along with fellow players Joos Valgaeren, Johan Mjallby and Neil Lennon ended up in police custody after a Daily Record photographer alleged they had stolen or damaged two cameras worth £12,000. Lennon was released without charge while the other three spend the night in prison.^[1]

Fulham signed Petta on loan in January 2004 for the remainder of that season, making 13 appearances before returning to Scotland. However, there was no way back into the Celtic first team and he left the club early in 2005. Petta scored four times during his spell at Celtic, but none of these goals came in the league. His first goal came against Ayr United in the League Cup.^[2] He also scored twice in Europe against Jeunesse Esch in the 2000/01 UEFA Cup^[3] and Ajax in the 2001/02 Champions League qualifier.^[4] His fourth and final Celtic goal came in the 2001–02 Scottish Cup tie against Alloa Athletic.^[5]

He tried to revive his career in England, first with Darlington, where he scored on his debut against Bury,^[6] and then Bradford City, finally leaving the country in 2006 to join the Australian club, Adelaide United. He was released from Adelaide after failing to make much of an impact because of injuries. Petta signed for South Australian side Para Hills Knights on 11 June 2008.

He was invited to have a trial with A-League club Sydney FC in late July, and join up with his former coach at Adelaide, John Kosmina. He signed a contract with Sydney until the end of the 2008–09 season as a replacement for Mike Enfield, who was placed on the long term injury list.^[7] After the season finished, Petta was released.

He signed for Heidelberg United FC in the Victorian Premier League for the 2009 season.

In June 2011, Petta held talks with new Alloa Athletic manager Paul Hartley, with a view to resurrecting his playing career with the Scottish Third Division side.^[8] Later that year he was cast as an extra in the film World War Z, which was being shot in Glasgow. The production team had to retake one sequence because football fans recognised Petta.^[9]

Scottish Junior club, Rossvale announced the signing of Glasgow-based Petta in February 2016.^[10]

A-League career statistics

(Correct as of 14 March 2008)

Honours

With Celtic FC:

• SPL Championship: 2000–01
• SPL Championship: 2001–02

References

External links

• Sydney FC profile
• Bobby Petta career statistics at Soccerbase