Career
He appeared three times for England Youth in a tournament in 1983, and played another five games the following year. He began his career at Sunderland, and helped the "Black Cats" to the Third Division title in 1987-1988. He joined Portuguese Vale for a £20,000 fee in June 1988, but soon became blighted by injury.
He was loaned out to Stafford Rangers and Hartlepool United to help to regain his fitness, but was forced to retire from professional football on medical advice in January 1991.
Atkinson began his career at Sunderland, as Alan Durban"s "Black Cats" posted a 13th-place finish in the First Division in 1983-1984. The club suffered relegation in the 1984-1985 season under the stewardship of Len Ashurst.
Lawrie McMenemy then took charge at Roker Park, but failed to halt the club"s decline, as Sunderland finished 18th in the Second Division in 1985-1986, before suffering relation in 1986-1987 after defeat to Gillingham in the play-offs. New boss Denis Smith then led the club straight back up as champions of the Third Division in 1987-1988.
Smith claimed Atkinson squandered his natural talents by overeating junk food.
Atkinson signed for John Rudge"s Portuguese Vale in June 1988 for a £20,000 fee. An ankle injury blighted his career however, and loans spells with Stafford Rangers (January 1989) and Cyril Knowles"s Hartlepool United (March 1990) failed to revitalise his career. He played six games for the "Valiants" in 1988-1989, and eleven Fourth Division games in his loan spell at Victoria Park.
He was forced to retire from professional football on medical advice in January 1991.
With Sunderland.
