Michael Walsh (footballer, born 1977)

Michael Shane Walsh (born 5 August 1977) is an English former footballer who spent twelve years as a professional in the Football League. A defender, he made a total of 319 appearances in league and cup competitions.

Michael Walsh
Personal information
Full name Michael Shane Walsh[1]
Date of birth (1977-08-05) 5 August 1977[2]
Place of birth Rotherham, England[2]
Height 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)[2]
Playing position(s) Defender
Youth career
Scunthorpe United
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1995–1998 Scunthorpe United 104 (1)
1998–2007 Port Vale 173 (4)
2007 Alsager Town
Total 277 (5)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Beginning his career at Scunthorpe United in 1995, he made over 100 appearances for the club before moving to Port Vale in 1998 for a £100,000 fee. With Vale he won the Football League Trophy in 2001, but then suffered a catalogue of injuries that ended his career prematurely and severely limited his first team appearances. He retired due to injury in 2007 at the age of 29, and took up work as a gas fitter.

Playing career

Walsh started his professional career at Scunthorpe in 1995, making his league debut under Dave Moore as a seventeen-year-old against Scarborough in April of that year.[3] He spent three years with the club, playing across the back four, making 124 appearances in all competitions. The Glanford Park club came close to reaching the Third Division play-offs under Brian Laws in 1997–98, but finished one point and one place behind 7th place Barnet.

He signed for John Rudge's Port Vale in June 1998 for a fee of £100,000.[4] He played 19 First Division games in 1998–99. He featured just 14 times in 1999–2000. Walsh made 48 appearances in 2000–01, and went on to receive his only honour at the club in 2001, as he helped Vale to beat Brentford 2–1 in the Football League Trophy final at the Millennium Stadium.[5] However his injury saga began not long after signing a new contract under Brian Horton in 2001[6] when Walsh underwent surgery, but by the end of the year he seemed to have recovered.[7] However, by June 2003 another operation was needed to correct a shoulder injury.[8] After this latest procedure he picked up an abdominal strain,[9] though he again slowly began to recover.[10] By November of that year he was injured again, this time because of his back, he required a series of injections and again consulted a surgeon.[11] By February 2004 he was on the road to recovery,[12] but the next month picked up a neck injury in a collision with Barnsley's Chris Shuker, meaning another operation.[13]

Missing most of the 2005–06 season due to injury, new boss Martin Foyle nevertheless offered him a fresh contract in May 2006.[14] This was on the belief that Walsh would play at least 30 games the following season.[15] In May 2007, following a season of twenty appearances, he was informed that he would not be offered a contract for the forthcoming season.[16] This was despite the player being desperate to reach the ten-year mark with the club to claim a testimonial, insisting "[Vale] couldn't get a Sunday league player for what I was asking."[17] He retired from the professional game at the age of 29, and later turned out for local Northern Premier League Division One South side Alsager Town.[18]

Style of play

Walsh was a central defender with pace, as well as excellent positional, heading and ball control skills; however he was also extremely injury prone.[19] He was referred to by one analyst as "the lower leagues' Ledley King".[20]

Post-retirement

After leaving the game he became a CORGI registered gas fitter at Burslem-based BGC.[21]

Statistics
Club Season Division League FA Cup League Cup Other[22] Total
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Scunthorpe United1994–95[23]Third Division1040000050
1995–96[24]Third Division30030202[lower-alpha 1]0370
1996–97[25]Third Division340000000340
1997–98[26]Third Division39140203[lower-alpha 1]0481
Total 104111040501241
Port Vale1998–99[27]First Division191102000221
1999–2000[28]First Division121002000141
2000–01[29]Second Division39110107[lower-alpha 1]0481
2001–02[30]Second Division280001000290
2002–03[31]Second Division171001000181
2003–04[32]Second Division130001000140
2004–05[33]League One230200000250
2005–06[34]League One4000000040
2006–07[35]League One18000101[lower-alpha 1]0200
Total 17344090801944
Career total 27751501301303185
  1. Appearance/s in the EFL Trophy.

Honours
Port Vale
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References
  1. "Michael Walsh". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 9 March 2017.
  2. "FootballSquads - Port Vale - 2001/02". www.footballsquads.co.uk. Retrieved 24 June 2019.
  3. "Former defender makes Alsager switch". scunthorpe-united.co.uk. 11 July 2007. Retrieved 5 June 2011.
  4. "Port Vale pen pictures". BBC Sport. 18 April 2001. Retrieved 29 May 2009.
  5. "Vale vault Brentford to lift Vans trophy". BBC Sport. 22 April 2001. Retrieved 5 June 2011.
  6. "Vale duo agree new deals". BBC Sport. 14 May 2001. Retrieved 29 May 2009.
  7. "Double boost for Horton". BBC Sport. 11 December 2001. Retrieved 29 May 2009.
  8. "Walsh has surgery". BBC Sport. 2 June 2003. Retrieved 29 May 2009.
  9. "Vale wait on injured four". BBC Sport. 11 September 2003. Retrieved 29 May 2009.
  10. "Bridge-Wilkinson not ready yet". BBC Sport. 25 September 2003. Retrieved 29 May 2009.
  11. "Horton sweats on Walsh". BBC Sport. 7 January 2004. Retrieved 29 May 2009.
  12. "Vale injuries bite". BBC Sport. 5 February 2004. Retrieved 29 May 2009.
  13. "Walsh operation delayed". BBC Sport. 21 May 2004. Retrieved 29 May 2009.
  14. "Sonner and Walsh sign Vale deals". BBC Sport. 22 May 2006. Retrieved 29 May 2009.
  15. "Foyle to rest Hulbert and Walsh". BBC Sport. 25 July 2006. Retrieved 29 May 2009.
  16. "Walsh likely to leave Port Vale". BBC Sport. 13 May 2007. Retrieved 29 May 2009.
  17. "Walsh: 'I love it at Port Vale'". portvale.vitalfootball.co.uk. Retrieved 5 June 2011.
  18. "Walsh signs for Alsager Town". portvale.vitalfootball.co.uk. 6 July 2007. Retrieved 5 June 2011.
  19. Pope, Tom (8 March 2019). "Happy memories of the Port Vale team that won in the LDV at Stoke City". Stoke Sentinel. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  20. "Cult Hero 26: Michael Walsh". onevalefan.co.uk. 31 March 2012. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
  21. "Ex-Vale star Walshy swaps life as footballer for gas fitting". The Sentinel. 5 August 2008. Retrieved 5 June 2011.
  22. Includes other competitive competitions, including the Football League Trophy.
  23. "Games played by Michael Walsh in 1994/1995". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
  24. "Games played by Michael Walsh in 1995/1996". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
  25. "Games played by Michael Walsh in 1996/1997". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
  26. "Games played by Michael Walsh in 1997/1998". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
  27. "Games played by Michael Walsh in 1998/1999". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
  28. "Games played by Michael Walsh in 1999/2000". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
  29. "Games played by Michael Walsh in 2000/2001". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
  30. "Games played by Michael Walsh in 2001/2002". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
  31. "Games played by Michael Walsh in 2002/2003". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
  32. "Games played by Michael Walsh in 2003/2004". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
  33. "Games played by Michael Walsh in 2004/2005". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
  34. "Games played by Michael Walsh in 2005/2006". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
  35. "Games played by Michael Walsh in 2006/2007". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
  36. "Vale vault Brentford to lift Vans trophy". BBC Sport. 22 April 2001. Retrieved 19 January 2016.
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