After 20 years of senior football, former Chesterfield and Lincoln City goalie Scott Loach has announced his retirement from the game.
Throughout his career, Loach played for a total of 22 clubs as a journeyman. After going through their system, the 36-year-old began his career at the Imps in 2004. Over the following two years, he took on various loans throughout Lincolnshire.
After the Sincil Bank team declined to offer him professional terms, Watford then signed him. The Nottingham-born keeper experienced more loan stints, his first two in the EFL being at Bradford City and Morecambe.
He gained recognition from the England setup and made six appearances in the U21 squad while playing for the Hornets, where he established his reputation with 163 appearances across all competitions.
He travelled with the Young Lions to Sweden as a member of the 2009 U21 European Championships, playing alongside Sunderland icon Lee Cattermole and Bolton Wanderers‘ Fabrice Muamba. Loach started the final, where England came up short against Germany in a 4-0 defeat.
Ipswich Town then moved to buy him, after previously being on their books before moving to Southwell United and later to Lincoln. He made 33 appearances for the Tractor Boys across two seasons and then moved north to Rotherham United, but barely played.
Bury, Peterborough United and Yeovil Town would all loan in Loach, but yet again he would barely gain any meaningful minutes in League One from these sides.
The keeper, who played for York, Hartlepool United, Barnet, and Chesterfield before joining Derby County in 2017, assumed a more supporting role following Loach’s signing. He made three appearances in the EFL Trophy in 2022–2023 and went on to become a mainstay in the National League.
“Lived my dream, and loved every second of it! Thank you to everyone who’s been there, supported me, and gave me the opportunity!” posted Loach on social media to announce his retirement from the sport. My current love is coaching, and I’m excited to tackle that head-on!”
With little over 500 appearances over his career, Scott Loach has had a remarkable career in sports. Though it appears that he will be starting a new chapter in his life by becoming a coach, he has earned a well-earned break. We at The Real EFL hope that he succeeds in his future endeavours.
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