Born in North Ferriby, East Riding of Yorkshire,[1] Atkinson has come through the youth ranks with Barnsley, making his debut on 6 March 2004.

After some impressive performances, Atkinson was recalled to Barnsley following injuries to first team players Bobby Hassell, Paul Reid and Antony Kay.

Atkinson went on to play he full 90 minutes at Wembley Stadium, in the Football League Trophy final defeat against MK Dons.

However at the time, nothing came of the transfer, and after Buckley signed centre backs Richard Hope and Matthew Heywood in pre-season, the Atkinson deal became dead in the water.

However a day later he joined the club for a third spell, signing on an emergency loan deal to play the league fixture with Morecambe on 10 January.

Rob went on to cement a first team place at centre back alongside youngster Ryan Bennett, who had become the club's new captain, replacing Matt Heywood, who had been dropped due to poor performances.

Despite being offered a new contract with Grimsby, Atkinson opted to transfer to fellow Conference Premier side Fleetwood Town on 10 June 2011.

The following season Atkinson spent time on loan with Accrington Stanley but following a managerial change at Fleetwood he returned to the club and briefly captained the side.