Robert Stanton (soccer)

Robert Stanton (born 15 April 1972) is an Australian soccer coach and former player who primarily played as a defender. He is the current assistant coach of the Iraq national team.

Club career

Stanton began his football career at the Australian Institute of Sport before signing with Sydney Croatia in the National Soccer League. He remained there until the close of the 1994–95 season before signing with Marconi-Fairfield. He enjoyed two seasons at Bossley Park before signing for Wollongong City FC, where he saw more regular starting appearances. Overall, his time at Wollongong was successful, playing 152 games for club and scoring seven goals. He was a part of two championship-winning squads, starting in the 1999–2000 NSL Grand Final at Subiaco Oval, Western Australia against Perth Glory. Stanton played the entire match but was one of only two Wolves players to not take a penalty in the 7–6 penalty shootout. The following year, Stanton made an appearance from the substitute bench in the 2000–01 winning grand final over South Melbourne at Parramatta Stadium, New South Wales. Stanton replaced goalscorer Sasho Petrovski in the 73rd minute with the Wolves leading, 2–0. The Wolves went on to win the championship, 2–1. He was also a part of the Oceania Club Championship-winning squad of the 2001 tournament. Stanton then dropped down to the NSW Premier League with the APIA Leichhardt Tigers for the 2003–04 season. He finished out his playing days at the Tigers before moving into coaching.

International career

Stanton represented Australia at youth tournaments but never achieved full senior cap.

Managerial career

Stanton began his coaching career as an assistant to his former Wollongong Wolves coach Ron Corry in the 2007 NSW Premier League season with Sutherland Sharks. Corry would leave the club in May, leaving Stanton as the caretaker for the rest of the season. In 2008, Stanton would go on to be an assistant at Penrith Nepean United and work with the Australian Deaf side. By 2009, Stanton would return to the Sharks as the senior head coach. He would make an immediate impact in his tenure, winning the Waratah Cup, Challenge Cup and the 2009 NSW Premier League Grand Final. He would continue at the club until resigning at the end of 2014 to take a position as Sydney FC Youth head coach.

Career stats

Club

All-time club performance
Club	Season	League	Cup	League Cup	Continental	Total
Division	App	Gls	App	Gls	App	Gls	App	Gls	App	Gls
Sydney United	1990–91	National Soccer League	23	1	1	0	?	?	–	24	1
1991–92	23	1	1	1	?	?	–	24	2
1992–93	23	0	3	0	?	?	–	26	0
1993–94	28	0	5	0	?	?	–	33	0
1994–95	27	1	2	0	?	?	–	29	1
Total	124	3	12	1	–	–	–	–	136	4
Marconi-Fairfield	1995–96	National Soccer League	21 (+12)	0	?	?	?	?	–	33	0
1996–97	18 (+6)	0	?	?	?	?	–	24	0
Total	39 (+18)	0	–	–	–	–	–	–	57	0
Wollongong Wolves	1997–98	National Soccer League	25 (+1)	?	?	?	?	?	–	26	0
1998–99	24	0	?	?	?	?	–	24	0
1999–00	38	0	?	?	?	?	–	38	0
2000–01	23	5	?	?	?	?	?	?	23	5
2001–02	20	0	?	?	?	?	–	20	0
2002–03	21	2	?	?	?	?	–	21	2
Total	151 (+1)	7	–	–	–	–	–	–	152	7
APIA Leichhardt	2003–04	NSW Premier League	20 (+1)	1	?	?	3	1	–	24	2
2004–05	?	?	?	?	?	?	–	0	0
2006	?	?	?	?	?	?	–	0	0
Total	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?
Career totals	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?

Managerial statistics

As of match played 3 January 2026

Managerial record by team and tenure
Team	Nat	From	To	Record
G	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Win%
Newcastle Jets FC	Australia	26 June 2023	May 2025	58	17	16	25	95	75	+20	029.31
Career Total	58	17	16	25	95	75	+20	029.31

Honours

Player

With Wollongong Wolves:

Manager

With Sutherland Sharks:

Waratah Cup: 2009