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Paul Heckingbottom

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Paul Heckingbottom
Personal information
Height 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Position(s) Defender
Team information
Current team
 Bradford City
Number 3

Paul Heckingbottom (born 17 July 1977 in Barnsley) is an English footballer, playing for Bradford City. His normal position is in defence.

Career

Early career

Heckingbottom started his career at Manchester United as a trainee but joined Sunderland after failing to gain a professional contract. He had loan spells at Scarborough, Hartlepool United and Darlington without featuring for Sunderland before joining Darlington permanently in 1999. He made 128 appearances scoring 6 goals before catching the attention of Norwich City who signed him in 2002.

His stay in East Anglia was not so successful. A journalist from The Observer said, 'Heckingbottom looked more like someone who had wandered onto the pitch from the chip shop.'[citation needed] He was included in a football supplement as Nigel Worthington's worst signing.[citation needed]

Heckingbottom made just 16 appearances for Norwich before signing for Bradford City in 2003 where he was named their player of the year at the end of his first season.[1] But Bradford were relegated to League One at the end of the 2003–04 season, and he left to join Sheffield Wednesday during the close-season.

Sheffield Wednesday

Heckingbottom was well favoured under both Chris Turner and Paul Sturrock and made a total of 41 appearances at left back in his first season - more than any other player that year. He also scored four goals, helping Wednesday to the League One play-off final at the end of the 2004–05 season. Due to an injury sustained in pre-season he was put out of contention for the first 16 games of the 2005–06 season. When he returned to fitness, new signing John Hills had begun to make the left back spot his own. An injury to Hills allowed him to re-stake a claim on the team but he only managed a 4 game streak in the team before once again becoming injured and it was this time Peter Gilbert that took his place in the squad. Sturrock allowed him a chance to prove himself in an FA Cup 3rd round game against Charlton Athletic. He scored both of Wednesday's goals in the 4–2 defeat at Hillsborough but his defensive attributes were criticised by Sturrock.[citation needed]

Barnsley

Heckingbottom was sent on loan with a view to a permanent move to his boyhood club Barnsley.[2] He played an important part in their promotion campaign and win against Swansea City in the League One play-off final, scoring one of the four penalties that secured their promotion to the Championship. Heckingbottom has currently made 42 appearances for Barnsley scoring one goal.

Bradford City

In July 2007, Heckingbottom returned to Bradford City on loan until 1 January 2008.[3] A week after his loan deal expired, his contract at Barnsley was cancelled by mutual consent and he signed a permanent 18 month deal at Bradford.[4]

References

  1. ^ [1]
  2. ^ [2]
  3. ^ "Heckingbottom seals Bradford move". BBC Sport. 16 July 2007. Retrieved 2008-01-08. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  4. ^ "Heckingbottom seals Bradford move". BBC Sport. 8 January 2008. Retrieved 2008-01-08. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
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