Greg Halford

Gregory Halford (born 8 December 1984) is an English professional footballer. He is naturally a right-back or centre-back but can play in numerous positions including central midfield, right midfield and even as a striker.

Greg Halford
Halford before a Portsmouth match in May 2011
Personal information
Full name Gregory Halford[1]
Date of birth (1984-12-08) 8 December 1984[2]
Place of birth Chelmsford, England
Height 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)[2]
Playing position(s) Defender
Youth career
2001–2002 Colchester United
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2002–2007 Colchester United 136 (18)
2003 → Aylesbury United (loan)
2003 → Braintree Town (loan)
2007 Reading 3 (0)
2007–2009 Sunderland 8 (0)
2008 → Charlton Athletic (loan) 16 (2)
2008–2009 → Sheffield United (loan) 41 (4)
2009–2011 Wolverhampton Wanderers 17 (0)
2010–2011 → Portsmouth (loan) 33 (5)
2011–2012 Portsmouth 42 (7)
2012–2015 Nottingham Forest 73 (7)
2014–2015 → Brighton & Hove Albion (loan) 19 (0)
2015–2017 Rotherham United 35 (2)
2015–2016 → Birmingham City (loan) 3 (0)
2017–2018 Cardiff City 28 (0)
2019 Aberdeen 2 (0)
National team
2005 England U20 4 (1)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 14:44, 15 June 2019 (UTC)

Born in Chelmsford, Halford began his career with Colchester United where he came through the youth system before moving to Reading in 2007. His stay at Reading was a short one and Halford transferred to Sunderland later the same year. After failing to hold down a regular place with Sunderland, he moved to Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2009 and later to Portsmouth in 2010, Nottingham Forest in 2012, and Rotherham United in 2015. Halford has also played for Charlton Athletic, Sheffield United, Brighton & Hove Albion and Birmingham City on loan at various points in his career, as well as representing England at under-20 level.

Club career

Colchester United

Halford was born in Chelmsford, Essex.[2] He started his football career in July 2001 when he joined Colchester United's youth team.[3] He signed a professional contract on 1 August 2002, made his first-team debut in a 5–0 home defeat to Luton Town on 21 April 2003, and scored his first senior goal in a 2–1 defeat at home to Hartlepool United in March 2004.[3] During Halford's early time at Colchester, he spent time out on loan at Aylesbury United and Braintree Town.[4]

Halford continued his progress at Colchester: he picked up the club's Young Player of the Year award for the 2004–05 season,[3] and was named in the Professional Footballers' Association's 2005–06 League One Team of the Year[5] as Colchester finished as runners-up in League One and gained promotion to the Championship.

In over 150 games in five years for the Layer Road first team, he gained the reputation of being a utility man, having played in defence, midfield and attack for club and country.[6] His last manager, Geraint Williams, preferred 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."[7]

Reading

Keen to prove himself at a higher level, Halford handed in a transfer request in August 2006 after interest from several Premier League clubs.[8] According to the player, a "big offer" from Sheffield United was rejected.[9] He was linked with a number of other Premier League clubs, but on 30 January 2007, Reading completed the signing of Halford for an undisclosed fee,[10] believed to be in excess of the club's previous record of £2.25 million,[11] on a contract that would 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.[12] He made his full debut in Reading's 1–0 defeat away to Tottenham Hotspur on 1 April 2007, where he conceded a penalty in a controversial handball decision.[13] Halford failed to establish himself at Reading, and played only once more. Director of Football Nicky Hammond said that although Halford had not made the impact desired by both club and player, that was no reflection on him personally or professionally, and that "sometimes in football, players do move on quite quickly if it's felt that the fit isn't quite right".[14]

Sunderland

Halford signed a four-year contract with Premier League club Sunderland on 11 June 2007. The fee was variously reported as £2.5 million rising to £3m depending on appearances, or as £3.5m.[14][15] Hammond said it was an excellent deal for Reading financially, and Sunderland manager Roy Keane was "delighted" that Halford had joined.[14]

He made his debut for Sunderland on 15 August 2007 in a 2–2 draw with Birmingham City at St Andrew's,[16] and played in the next three matches, but was sent off in the third, a 3–0 League Cup defeat to Luton Town. He made three more appearances, and was again sent off.[17] In January 2008, following reported interest in him from Crystal Palace and Charlton Athletic, Keane confirmed that Sunderland would listen to offers.[18] He was not sold, but instead joined Charlton on loan for the rest of the season.[19] He played regularly in the Championship, and scored twice, against West Bromwich Albion and Wolverhampton Wanderers.[17]

Halford spent the 2008–09 season on loan to Championship club Sheffield United.[20] He made his debut in the opening game of the season, at Birmingham City,[21] scored his first goal a fortnight later, against Blackpool,[22] and went on to play regularly throughout the season,[23] appearing in 49 of the club's 56 fixtures. He scored eight goals altogether, including the only goal of the semi-final against Preston North End that took Sheffield United through to the 2008–09 play-off final.[22][24]

Wolverhampton Wanderers

Halford signed for newly promoted Premier League side Wolverhampton Wanderers on 3 July 2009 in a three-year deal for an undisclosed fee.[25] He made his debut on 15 August against West Ham United, and went on to make 17 Premier League appearances for Wolves, along with 3 in cup competitions.[26] He mostly played on the right of midfield or at right back. As with earlier in his career, long throw-ins were a strong feature of his game.[27]

Portsmouth

Unable to stake a claim to regular football at Molineux, Halford joined Championship club Portsmouth in October 2010 on a month's loan. He made his debut in a victory over Millwall,[28] and his first goal, on 23 October, secured a 2–1 win at Hull City.[29] On 17 November, the loan was extended for a further month,[30] then until January,[31] and then to the end of the season.[32] He was used mostly as a centre back in 2011, with fellow loanee Ritchie De Laet preferred at right back.[33]

On 11 July 2011, Halford signed a three-year contract with Portsmouth. The fee, officially undisclosed, was believed by The News to be in the region of £1m.[34][35] He finished the season with seven goals, which made him the club's second highest scorer, behind only David Norris with eight.[36] Portsmouth were unable to avoid relegation.

Nottingham Forest

With the club on the brink of closure unless they removed senior players from the wage bill,[37] Portsmouth sold Halford to Championship club Nottingham Forest on 27 July 2012 for an undisclosed fee.[36] He made his debut on 13 August in the League Cup against Fleetwood Town,[38] made his league debut five days later against Bristol City,[39] and scored his first Forest goal in the 4–1 win over Barnsley in October,[40] in a performance that earned him a place in that week's Football League Championship Team of the Week.[41]

After the 3–0 home win over Bolton Wanderers in August 2013, in which Halford was deployed as a striker, manager Billy Davies said he now regarded him "predominantly as a front man".[42] Halford appeared regularly for Forest during that season,[43] but not at all the next.[44] He spent time on loan to Brighton & Hove Albion during 2014–15 before being released when his contract expired in June 2015.[45]

Rotherham United

In July 2015, Halford joined Rotherham United on a free transfer. [45] He was appointed captain, but after only five league games – four losses and a draw – manager Steve Evans replaced him with Lee Frecklington.[46] Halford played only once more before joining fellow Championship club Birmingham City on 26 November 2015, on loan until 2 January 2016.[47] He made his Birmingham debut as a late substitute in a goalless draw at Middlesbrough on 12 December, and after two more appearances off the bench, he returned to Rotherham when his loan expired.[48][49]

Cardiff City

On 6 January 2017, Halford joined Cardiff City, signing an 18-month contract,[50] making his debut two days later in a 2–1 defeat to Fulham in the third round of the FA Cup.[51] He scored his first goal for Cardiff in a 2–1 EFL Cup win against former club Portsmouth on 8 August 2017.[52]

At the end of the 2017–18 season, Halford left the club upon the expiration of his contract on 30 June.[53]

Aberdeen

On 26 February 2019, Halford joined Aberdeen until the end of the season.[54] He left at the end of his contract.[55]

International career

Halford was capped for England at U20 level. He made his debut against Portugal in the Toulon Tournament on 4 June 2005,[56] and scoring his first international goal in a 3–0 win against South Korea two days later.[57]

Style of play

Halford has been praised for his versatility, to the extent that he is referred to as a utility player.

During his time at Colchester, he played primarily on the right-hand side of midfield, though appeared in the centre of midfield, as a right-back, and a forward, where he scored six goals in nine games.[6] While at Forest, the Nottingham Post stated that during the 2012–13 season, Halford "played in every position on the pitch for Forest, asides from actually taking the keeper's gloves", going on to add that he did "not look out of place" as either a full back or "even in wide positions in midfield", with manager Billy Davies also installing Halford as a striker.[42] Upon signing for Cardiff in 2017, manager Neil Warnock, who had managed Halford at Rotherham, commented that "he played five or six positions" in the previous season.[58]

Career statistics
As of match played 19 May 2019
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League FA Cup League Cup Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Colchester United 2002–03[59] Second Division1000000010
2003–04[60] Second Division18420004[lower-alpha 1]0244
2004–05[61] League One44454311[lower-alpha 1]0539
2005–06[62] League One45751104[lower-alpha 1]0558
2006–07[63] Championship2831010—303
Total 13618135519016324
Reading 2006–07[63] Premier League30—00—30
Sunderland 2007–08[17] Premier League800010—90
Charlton Athletic (loan) 2007–08[17] Championship162———162
Sheffield United (loan) 2008–09[22] Championship41443103[lower-alpha 2]1498
Wolverhampton Wanderers 2009–10[26] Premier League1501000—160
2010–11[29] Premier League200020—40
Total 1701020—200
Portsmouth (loan) 2010–11[29] Championship335———335
Portsmouth 2011–12[64] Championship4271010—447
Total 75121010—7712
Nottingham Forest 2012–13[39] Championship3731020—403
2013–14[43] Championship3644021—425
2014–15[44] Championship00—00—00
Total 7375041—828
Brighton & Hove Albion (loan) 2014–15[44] Championship19010——200
Rotherham United 2015–16[48] Championship2120020—232
2016–17[65] Championship140—11—151
Total 3520031—383
Birmingham City (loan) 2015–16[48] Championship30———30
Cardiff City 2016–17[65] Championship16010——170
2017–18[66] Championship1202021—161
Total 2803021—331
Aberdeen 2018–19[67] Scottish Premiership 2000000020
Career total 4564528819412151558
  1. Appearances in Football League Trophy
  2. Appearances in Championship play-offs

Honours

Cardiff City

Individual

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References
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