Former Mansfield Town goalkeeper Bobby Olejnik has retired from football at the age of 33. The Austrian was released by the Stags at the end of the 2019/20 season.
Bobby Olejnik Retires From Football Aged 33
Youth Career
The goalkeeper is the product of Aston Villa’s academy, where he impressed goalkeeping coach Eric Steele and landed his first professional contract in 2006.
During the 2006/07 season, Villa sent the young goalkeeper out on loan to then League Two side Lincoln City.
He failed to make a first-team appearance but helped the reserve team to win the Pontin’s Reserves League Cup that season.
Move to Scotland
Olejnik decided to leave Aston Villa and move to Scotland and joined Falkirk in May 2007 and spent four seasons at the Scottish club.
In total, he featured 114 times for the club keeping 31 clean sheets in his time in Scotland.
Back to England
In July 2011, the goalkeeper moved back to England to play for then League Two team Torquay United.
He played over 50 times for the club and helped them reach a club record 20 clean sheets in the 2011/12 season.
He was named in the EFL League Two Team of the Season due to his heroics in that campaign.
Big Move to Peterborough
He joined Peterborough United in June 2012 on a three-year contract for the then Championship outfit.
Olejnik was one of Posh’s most prominent players during the 2012/13 campaign, making 275 saves, the most by any goalkeeper in the Championship.
At the end of the 2013/14 campaign, however, to the surprise of the fans, Olejnik was told that he was not going to be offered a new contract and would be put on the transfer list. He had kept 22 clean sheets during the campaign, equalling the club record.
He had two brief loan spells at Scunthorpe United and York City before ultimately leaving the Posh in 2015.
New Beginnings in League Two
Exeter City picked up the goalkeeper after he left Peterborough United in June 2015.
He helped the Devon team reach the League Two play-off final in the 2016/17 season which they lost 2-1 to Blackpool with Olejnik on the bench for the game.
He was released by Exeter at the end of 2016/17, despite the club hoping to be able to offer him a new contract.
Mansfield Town then secured the services of the goalkeeper and he was a vital part for the Stags in the 2018/19 season.
In 17 league games that season, he managed to keep nine clean sheets and only concede 11 goals.
Main Photo
