 Robinson was born in Stafford and began his career with Aston Villa in 1985.He then played for Wolverhampton Wanderers for two seasons which ended with back to back promotions and then achieved the same feat with Notts County.After a short loan spell with Birmingham City, during which he was part of the side that won the 1990–91 Associate Members' Cup, Robinson played two years at Huddersfield Town and played on loan for Northampton Town before joining Chesterfield helping the side gain promotion 1994–95 and then made a return to Notts County where he enjoyed his fifth promotion in 1997–98.