Fulham Timlin joined the
Fulham Academy at a young age and, with first team appearances being limited, he spent loan spells at
Scunthorpe United,
Doncaster Rovers and
Swindon Town. After making his debut in a
League Cup match against
Boston United in 2004, Timlin only played a few competitive games (four in total). At the end of the 2007/2008 season Timlin agreed a permanent move to
Swindon Town.
Swindon Town In November 2006, he joined League Two promotion chasers
Swindon Town. He made his debut for Swindon against
Bury on 25 November. He scored his first goal for Swindon at home to
Notts County, which earned them a point. Timlin's performances saw
Paul Sturrock attempt to extend the loan deal.
Chris Coleman agreed to the extension on the terms that Timlin extended his full contract with Fulham. On 13 March 2008, Timlin rejoined Swindon on loan for the remainder of the season, making 10 appearances. On 3 May, hours after the conclusion of the 2007–08 League One season, it was announced that he had joined Swindon on a permanent two-year deal. He officially joined his new club on 1 July 2008. Ahead of the 2008–09 season, Timlin was given the number 4 shirt. Timlin began the 2008/2009 season in his preferred central midfield role. However,
Maurice Malpas took Timlin out for the visit of
Leeds United, and on his return to the squad a week later, he appeared on the left side of midfield. Towards the end of October, when Malpas' defensive-minded approach hadn't appeared to work, Timlin was moved to yet another new position on the left side of the defence to fill the gap of injured
Jamie Vincent. Adapting well, Timlin also stood in as captain in the absence of
Hasney Aljofree. Maurice Malpas was sacked in November, and Timlin moved back to central midfield under caretaker manager
David Byrne. As
Danny Wilson took charge, Timlin was playing at left side of defence again, but after Wilson's first game in charge, Timlin was moved to the left side of midfield and then back to central midfield. Timlin was ever-present in the centre of midfield for the remainder of the season, only missing two games through suspension. The 2009–10 season was frustrating for Timlin as he spent most of the season on the bench, during which time the club was making their attempt to reach the Championship, losing out to Millwall in the Playoff Final at Wembley. Despite a lack of first opportunities, Timlin signed a new one-year deal after being offered a new contract. At the start of the 2010–11 season, Timlin appeared on the bench for a number of games before joining Southend United on loan. Upon his return from a loan spell with Southend United, Timlin made his first appearance since September, when Swindon Town played
Brentford in the
quarter final of Southern Section. Timlin signed a two-year contract extension with Swindon on 23 June 2011. stating that he had never considered leaving the Robins despite recurring interest from Southend United. Ahead of the 2011–12 season, Timlin praised newly manager
Paolo Di Canio for his influence. Despite signing the contract extension, Timlin re-joined Southend on loan again at the end of August 2011 which resulted in a permanent switch in January 2012.
Southend United On 15 September 2010, Timlin joined League Two side
Southend United on a one-month loan. Timlin made his debut on 25 September 2010, scoring his first goal from a 30-yard free-kick in a 3–1 win over
Hereford United. Timlin made an impressive performance for Southend United and expressed an interest to extend his loan spell. Swindon Town initially agreed but later changed their mind and recalled him back to the club. On 31 August 2011, Timlin re-joined Southend United on loan for a second spell, this time on a 4-month contract. His last match on loan to Southend was on Monday 2 January 2012 against Dagenham and Redbridge. In the evening of Thursday 5 January, three days after his loan spell came to an end, it was confirmed that he would be moving to Southend United permanently for an 'undisclosed fee' On 5 February 2013, in a match against Leyton Orient, Timlin suffered a broken leg and was out of action for 8–9 months. He then missed the second leg of that game, the JPT Area Final, and the subsequent Wembley final. It was hoped that he would be back for the start of the next season 2013–14. Despite the injury, Timlin was offered, and signed, a new 2-year contract. He made his return from injury after appearing on the bench for three matches, when he came on as a substitute in the 83rd minute, in a 2–1 loss against
Chesterfield on 24 August 2013. At the end of the
2014–15 season he played for Southend in the League Two play-off final against
Wycombe Wanderers. Southend won in a penalty shoot-out and were promoted to League One. On 2 July 2015 Timlin signed a new 2-year contract at Southend and then a further year extension which saw him contracted until May 2018. At the end of the 2017/2018 season, Timlin held positive talks about a contract extension at Southend United but a change in circumstances at the club unfortunately resulted in him being released much to his disappointment and that of the clubs supporters with whom he was a fans favourite. Timlin went on to sign for Stevenage in June 2018.
Stevenage Timlin signed for League Two club
Stevenage on a free transfer on 11 June 2018. He made his Stevenage debut in the club's opening game of the
2018–19 season, playing the first 64 minutes in a 2–2 draw against
Tranmere Rovers at
Broadhall Way.
Ebbsfleet United On 21 January 2020, Timlin signed for
Ebbsfleet United however due to a transfer embargo in place on the club at the time, he was unable to make his debut until mid-February. Timlin is keen to pass on his experience to the next generation of players and is working towards becoming a UEFA licensed coach. The midfielder explained, when signing for the club, that the opportunity to play for the team in the area he grew up in and work under good friends and mentors Gavin Rose and Junior Kadi, was just too good a chance to turn down. ==Personal life==