Greg Halford
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| Greg Halford | ||
| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | December 8, 1984 (age 22) | |
| Place of birth | Chelmsford, England | |
| Height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | |
| Nickname | Popeye | |
| Playing position | Defender/Midfielder | |
| Club information | ||
| Current club | Reading | |
| Number | 28 | |
| Youth clubs | ||
| 2001–2002 | Colchester United | |
| Senior clubs1 | ||
| Years | Club | App (Gls)* |
| 2002–2007 2003 2007– |
Colchester United → Braintree Town (loan) Reading |
136 (18) 1 (0) 2 (0) |
| National team2 | ||
| 2005 | England U20 | 4 (1) |
|
1 Senior club appearances and goals |
||
Greg Halford (born 8 December 1984, in Chelmsford, England) is a professional footballer currently playing for Reading.
Contents |
[edit] Club career
[edit] Colchester United
Halford started his football career in July 2001 when he joined Colchester United's youth team.[1] He signed a professional contract on 1 August 2002,[1] made his first team debut on in a 5-0 home defeat to Luton Town on 21 April 2003,[1] and scored his first senior goal in a 2-1 defeat at home to Hartlepool United.[1]
Halford continued his progress at Colchester, picking up the Young Player of the Year award for the 2004-05 season,[1] and being named in the PFA League One Team of the Year.[2]
In over 150 games in five years for the first team at Layer Road, he gained the reputation of being a 'utility man' having played in defence, midfield and attack for club and country, his last manager, Geraint Williams, preferring to play him at right back. He also had a reputation for a long throw, with a high percentage of Colchester's goals in the 2005-06 season coming from Halford's long throw. He said "I tried measuring it one time - it was half the pitch, 50 yards[3]."
[edit] Reading
After helping the U's to gain promotion to the Championship last term, Halford handed in a transfer request in August 2006 after interest from several Premier League clubs. Keen to prove himself at a higher level, the England U20 international stated his wish to play in the Premier League, but the transfer request was rejected despite Halford reporting that Colchester had received a "big offer" from Sheffield United. He was linked with a number of Premier League clubs, but on 30 January 2007, Reading completed the signing of Halford for an undisclosed fee,[4] believed to be £2.25million[citation needed], on a contract that will keep him at Reading until June 2010. His debut for Reading came as a substitute appearance in their 0-0 home draw with Portsmouth on 17 March 2007, where he played for the last few minutes on the left wing.[5] He made his full debut in Reading's 1-0 defeat away to Tottenham Hotspur on 1 April 2007, where he conceded a penalty due to a controversial hand ball decision.[6]
[edit] International career
Halford has been capped for England at U20 level, making his debut against Portugal in the Toulon Tournament on 4 June 2005,[7] and scoring his first international goal in a 3-0 win against South Korea on 6 June 2005.[8]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e "Halford makes rapid return to Colchester to say goodbye to players & fans", readingfc.co.uk, 2007-02-05. Retrieved on 2007-02-05.
- ^ "The PFA Team of the Year: Coca-Cola League One", Professional Footballers' Association, 2006-04-23. Retrieved on 2007-02-05.
- ^ "Halford looks to get the goals", Football365, 2007-02-01. Retrieved on 2007-02-03.
- ^ "Royals pay new club record transfer fee to sign Colchester's Greg Halford", readingfc.co.uk, 2007-01-30. Retrieved on 2007-01-30.
- ^ "Royals take a point from a disappointing game against Portsmouth", readingfc.co.uk, 2007-03-17. Retrieved on 2007-03-18.
- ^ "Highly controversial penalty decision gives Spurs a narrow victory", readingfc.co.uk, 2007-04-01. Retrieved on 2007-04-02.
- ^ "Portugal edge Toulon win", thefa.com, 2005-06-04. Retrieved on 2007-02-05.
- ^ "England through to semis", thefa.com, 2005-06-06. Retrieved on 2007-02-05.
[edit] External links
- Greg Halford profile at readingfc.co.uk
- Greg Halford career stats at Soccerbase
- Greg Halford's official web site at icons.com
| Reading F.C. - Current Squad |
|---|
|
1 Hahnemann | 2 Murty | 3 Shorey | 4 Sidwell | 5 Sonko | 6 Gunnarsson | 7 Little | 8 Lita | 9 Doyle | 10 Hunt | 11 Oster | 12 Kitson | 14 Halls | 15 Harper | 16 Ingimarsson | 17 Convey | 19 Seol | 22 Bikey | 23 de la Cruz | 24 Long | 25 Bennett | 27 Brown | 28 Halford | 29 Duberry | 32 Federici | 47 Máté | –– Andersen | –– Bozanic | Manager: Coppell |
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Halford, Greg |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | Footballer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 8 December 1984 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Chelmsford |
| DATE OF DEATH | |
| PLACE OF DEATH | |
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Categories: Articles with unsourced statements since February 2007 | All articles with unsourced statements | 1984 births | Living people | People from Chelmsford | English footballers | Football (soccer) defenders | Football (soccer) midfielders | Colchester United F.C. players | Reading F.C. players | FA Premier League players | English football midfielder stubs | English football defender stubs
