Adam Eckersley (footballer)

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Adam Eckersley
Personal information
Full name Adam James Eckersley
Date of birth (1985-09-07) 7 September 1985 (age 38)
Place of birth Worsley, England[1]
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Position(s) Left-back
Team information
Current team
Hibernian
Number 25
Youth career
2002–2004 Manchester United
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2004–2008 Manchester United 0 (0)
2006 Royal Antwerp (loan) 16 (1)
2006 Brøndby (loan) 4 (0)
2007 Barnsley (loan) 6 (0)
2007 Port Vale (loan) 2 (0)
2008 Port Vale 16 (1)
2008–2010 Horsens 40 (2)
2010–2014 AGF Aarhus 75 (5)
2014–2015 Hearts 24 (2)
2015– Hibernian 0 (0)
International career
2001 England U16 3 (0)
2001 England U17 1 (0)
2003 England U18 2 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 20 December 2015

Adam James Eckersley (born 7 September 1985) is an English footballer, who plays primarily as a full-back for Scottish club Hibernian. He is the older brother of fellow professional footballer Richard Eckersley.

He started his career with Manchester United in 2004, but failed to break into the first team in his four years there and was loaned out to Royal Antwerp, Brøndby, Barnsley and Port Vale, before joining Port Vale permanently in 2008. Later that year, he transferred to Danish club Horsens. In 2010, he moved on to AGF Aarhus. He won the Danish 1st Division championship with both clubs, in 2009–10 and then in 2010–11. In 2014, he moved to Hearts, and helped the club to win the Scottish Championship in 2014–15.

He also played for England at U16, U17, and U18 level.

Playing career

Born in Salford, Greater Manchester, Eckersley first joined Manchester United as a nine-year-old, and signed his first contract with the club in 2002. He became a professional in July 2004[2] and was a member of the United reserve team that won the quadruple in 2005. He made his senior team debut in the League Cup on 26 October 2005, starting at left back in the 4–1 home win over Barnet.[3] Eckersley then went on loan to the Belgian Second Division club Royal Antwerp in January 2006, to gain further first team match experience. Eckersley was linked with a move to NEC of the Netherlands as a replacement for Jeffrey Leiwakabessy in April 2006,[4] but instead he was loaned out to Brøndby in August 2006. He was injured during his stay at Brøndby, however, and only played six matches for the club before the loan ended on 31 December 2006.

He joined Barnsley on 8 January 2007 on loan until the end of the season,[5] but the loan was effectively cut short in April 2007 when Eckersley returned to Manchester United after suffering a torn thigh muscle and did not play for Barnsley again.[6] He was promoted to the first-team squad as cover for the injured Mikaël Silvestre at the start of the 2007–08 season, before moving to Port Vale on a month-long loan on 12 October 2007.[7] He made his debut in a defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion on 13 October 2007, in which he was sent off.[8] However, he only made one more appearance before picking up a knee injury and returning to Manchester United for treatment.

On 1 January 2008, Eckersley moved back to Port Vale, this time on a permanent basis, though only signing a six-month deal, becoming manager Lee Sinnott's first non-loan signing.[9] Eckersley scored his first goal in English football and his first anywhere since a loan spell at Royal Antwerp in a 2–2 home draw with Yeovil Town on 29 January 2008,[10] but he soon left the club when his contract expired at the end of the 2007–08 campaign,[11] following Port Vale's relegation to League Two.[12]

Prior to the 2008–09 season, he joined Danish Superliga team Horsens on a free transfer.[13] The "Yellow Danger" were relegated at the end of 2008–09, after manager Kent Nielsen resigned and short-term replacement Henrik Jensen failed to spark a revival; Horsens finished four points behind the safety of SønderjyskE. The club made an immediate return to the top-flight by topping the 1st Division in 2009–10 under Johnny Mølby. Over the course of his seasons, Eckersley made forty league appearances, scoring twice.

In the summer of 2010, Eckersley moved to AGF Aarhus, manager Peter Sørensen intending him to replace Dennis Cagara. In his first season he helped the club to promotion into the Danish top-flight as champions of the 1st Division,[14] and after some consistently great performances for AGF as attacking left back and a tremendous first half season in the Danish Superliga, including a stunning free-kick goal against Lyngby in round 13, he was selected for Les Rosbifs 'Team of the Year 2011' for best Englishmen playing overseas.[15] AGF finished fifth in 2011–12, with Eckersley scoring seven goals in 48 appearances. The club finished in seventh place in 2012–13, and Eckersley played 35 games, including two Europa League matches. AGF dropped out of the top-flight after suffering relegation in 2013–14. At the end of the season, it announced that Eckersley was released by AGF and hinted that he may return to England.[16]

In August 2014, Eckersley signed for Scottish Championship side Heart of Midlothian until the end of the season, and having turned down an offer from a Scottish Premiership club to join Hearts he stated that move was "best decision of his career".[17][18][19][20] He made his Hearts debut on 13 September, coming on as a substitute for Kevin McHattie, in a 0–0 draw with Dumbarton.[21] Eckersley then scored his first goal for Hearts, in a 1–0 win over Alloa Athletic on 11 October,[22] and then scored his second goal for the club in a 4–1 win over Queen of the South on 6 December.[23] He was a regular first team player under manager Robbie Neilson, and helped Hearts to win promotion as champions in the 2014–15 campaign. It was reported in the Edinburgh Evening News that Hearts had decided in April 2015 not to renew Eckersley's contract for the next season.[24] His agent stated that money was not an issue in negotiations, and that the club simply retracted an initial informal offer of a new contract.[25][26]

In September 2015, Eckersley signed a short-term contract with Hibernian.[27]

Personal life

Eckersley married Elizabeth, a Danish woman, during his time playing in Denmark.[28] Eckersley revealed the couple were married "in the City Chambers, right near the Castle".[29]

Eckersley credited Alex Ferguson for helping him to stop gambling after Ferguson grew concerned about Eckersley's habit; Eckersley stopped playing poker after Ferguson told him a story about Keith Gillespie and his gambling habit.[30]

Career statistics

Club statistics

As of 20 December 2015[31][32]
Club Season Division League Cup League Cup Continental Other Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Manchester United 2005–06 Premier League 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0
2006–07 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2007–08 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0
Royal Antwerp (loan) 2006–07 Belgian Second Division 16 1 0 0 16 1
Brøndby (loan) 2006–07 Danish Superliga 4 0 0 0 4 0
Barnsley (loan) 2006–07 Championship 6 0 0 0 0 0 6 0
Port Vale (loan) 2007–08 League One 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0
Port Vale 2007–08 League One 16 1 0 0 0 0 16 1
Total 18 1 0 0 0 0 18 1
Horsens 2008–09 Danish Superliga 17 1 0 0 0 0 17 1
AGF Aarhus 2011–12 Danish Superliga 26 4 6 1 3 1 13 1 48 7
2012–13 26 5 0 0 2 0 7 0 35 5
2013–14 11 1 1 0 0 0 12 1
Hearts 2014–15 Scottish Championship 24 2 1 0 2 0 0 0 27 2
Hibernian 2015–16 Scottish Championship 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Notes

Honours

AC Horsens
AGF Aarhus
Hearts

References

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External links