| Jack Collison |
 |
| Personal information |
| Full name |
Jack David Collison |
| Date of birth |
2 October 1988 (1988-10-02) (age 20) |
| Place of birth |
Watford, England |
| Height |
6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
| Playing position |
Midfielder |
| Club information |
| Current club |
West Ham United |
| Number |
31 |
| Youth career |
| 2005–2007 |
West Ham United |
| Senior career1 |
| Years |
Club |
App (Gls)* |
| 2007– |
West Ham United |
22 (3) |
| National team2 |
2007–
2008– |
Wales U21
Wales |
07 (2)
05 (0) |
|
1 Senior club appearances and goals
counted for the domestic league only and
correct as of 06:40, 30 May 2009 (UTC).
2 National team caps and goals correct
as of 06:40, 30 May 2009 (UTC).
* Appearances (Goals)
|
Jack David Collison (born 2 October 1988) is an English-born professional footballer who plays for West Ham United as a midfielder. He is a Welsh international, eligible to play for the Welsh national team as his grandfather was born in Bedwellty, Wales.
[edit] Club career
Collison is a product of West Ham's famous youth academy. A full Wales international at the age of 19, young midfielder Jack Collison has made huge strides forward since leaving his teenage years behind. Originally playing for Peterborough United youths he moved on to Cambridge United youths[1], before having a trial with the Hammers and impressing youth team manager Tony Carr enough to be offered a first year scholarship in 2005.
Collison continued his development under Academy Director Tony Carr and his staff at Little Heath before being made reserve-team captain at the start of the 2007/08 season. That summer, the teenager also featured in pre-season friendlies against Hornchurch and MK Dons. He was named in the West Ham first team squad for the first time in November 2007 for the home game against Bolton Wanderers,[2] and made his first team debut on 1 January 2008, when he came on as a substitute for Freddie Ljungberg in the Premier League away to Arsenal. [3]
A dream summer was completed as Collison signed a new five-year contract with the Hammers shortly before joining the first-team squad on the pre-season tour of North America. There, he appeared as a second-half substitute in the 3-1 win over MLS side Columbus Crew and 3-2 defeat by the MLS All-Stars. The 2008/09 season began with Collison in Alex Dyer's reserve team, and a loan move to League One promotion-chasers Peterborough had been lined up before he made an impressive substitute appearance in the 2-0 Barclays Premier League loss at Manchester United on 29 October. That performance convinced manager Gianfranco Zola that Collison would be better served by remaining at Chadwell Heath and training with the first-team squad. From then on, the midfielder did not look back. He scored his first goal for West Ham on 8 November against Everton in a 3-1 loss at Upton Park, [4] and also away at Portsmouth on Boxing Day and the winner against Manchester City on 1 March 2009 in a 1-0 win.
Despite an injury away at Wigan Athletic three days later, Collison returned to the team in May coming on as a late substitute in the 1-0 win away at Stoke City. After an impressive 2008/09 season, Collison was chosen as Young Hammer Of The Year by West Ham Youth Director Tony Carr.[5]
[edit] International career
Collison is eligible to play for Wales through his grandfather who was born in Bedwellty, Monmouthshire.[6] and is related to John Gwilliam, a former captain of the Wales Rugby Union Team[7]
At international level, further caps came his way as the West Ham Academy graduate confirmed his status as one of Wales' stars of the future.
He made his debut for the Wales Under-21 team and scored in the 4-0 win against Bosnia-Herzegovina Under-21 in November 2007 in the UEFA European U-21 Championship.[8] He made further appearances in the 4-2 win over France Under-21 in November 2007,[9] against Malta Under-21 in February 2008, when he scored his second international goal,[10] against Bosnia-Herzegovina Under-21 in March 2008[11] and England Under-21 in May 2008.[12] He made his senior international debut for Wales against Iceland in May 2008.[13] Collison has also found praise from his national captain and former West Ham colleague Craig Bellamy, "I've seen him every afternoon at West Ham and he does extra training. If you want to give this career a good go then you get the rewards and that seems to be how Jack is looking at it."
[edit] References
[edit] External links
