Adrian Webster
Encyclopedia
Adrian Webster is a New Zealand
football (soccer) player who plays for Cockburn City
. He has represented New Zealand at full international level.
when he was a toddler and he was brought up there. Injuries have been a source of problems for Webster. In 1995, while on trial at Newcastle United
, he broke his ankle and was forced to return to Australia, where he finished school and played junior football for MacArthur Rams and Blacktown City.
He returned to England in 1996 and joined Charlton Athletic
as a trainee. He turned professional in August 1998, but failed to make the first team squad and was released. He was briefly with Faversham Town
before joining Colchester United
in May 1999. However, with Colchester in the midst of a financial crisis, he was released before he had made his debut. He then played for Ashford Town
and Welling United
.
He joined Torquay United
on trial in February 2002, but was not offered a contract. He joined Margate
in August 2002, but played just once, as a late substitute for John Keister
as Margate drew 1-1 at home to Morecambe
in the Conference on 17 August. He joined Maidstone United
later the same month.
He returned to Australia in 2003 to play for St George Saints
where in the last match of the season he snapped a medial ligaments
in his knee.
However, David Hodgson
, Darlington's
manager, saw potential in Webster and decided to give him an opportunity to regain fitness at his club which eventually led to Webster signing for Darlington in October 2004. He made his league debut on 6 November, as a late substitute for Craig Hignett
who had scored both goals as Darlington won 2-1 away to Rushden & Diamonds
.
Webster was released by Darlington in May 2006 and returned to Australia
. He was signed by A-League
club Perth Glory
where he played every game in a failed campaign to make the final series. The low point of the season was when he came to blows
with his captain at the Glory, Jamie Harnwell
, on the pitch after a home match. It went down in history as an A-League
classic.
After leaving Perth Glory, he had a brief spell with Blacktown City Demons
before returning to England
to work as a personal trainer in Teesside
, close to his pregnant girlfriend's home. He had trials with Brighton & Hove Albion
and Burton Albion
(scoring for the Brewers against Nottingham Forest
in the Bass Charity Vase Final) in England
and also with a side in Bratislava
before joining Workington.
He moved to Conference North
rivals Blyth Spartans at the start of October 2007, but left in April 2008 to join Finnish side Myllykosken Pallo -47. He played 10 games with MyPa before joining another Finnish club, Kuopion Palloseura. Webster played 8 games for KuPS and helped the team to keep their place in Veikkausliiga
. In January 2009 Webster re-joined Blyth Spartans. In January 2010 he signed for Australian side Cockburn City.
in a 0-1 loss to Australia
in London
on 9 June 2005. In 2006 he returned to New Zealand for the first time since his childhood, for the two match series against Malaysia
. In 2006 he overcome ankle injury to gain selection for the All Whites in their off season tour which included footballing giants Brazil. He has made a total of five official international appearances for New Zealand.
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
football (soccer) player who plays for Cockburn City
Cockburn City
Cockburn City Soccer Club is an Australian Football Club currently playing in the Football West State League Premier Division in Perth, Western Australia however on 7 August 2011 they were relegated to Division One for the 1st time since 1998 as they lost 1 - 0 to Mandurah City FC confirming...
. He has represented New Zealand at full international level.
Biography
Webster's family moved to AustraliaAustralia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
when he was a toddler and he was brought up there. Injuries have been a source of problems for Webster. In 1995, while on trial at Newcastle United
Newcastle United F.C.
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...
, he broke his ankle and was forced to return to Australia, where he finished school and played junior football for MacArthur Rams and Blacktown City.
He returned to England in 1996 and joined Charlton Athletic
Charlton Athletic F.C.
Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, in the London Borough of Greenwich. They compete in Football League One, the third tier of English football. The club was founded on 9 June 1905, when a number of youth clubs in the southeast London area,...
as a trainee. He turned professional in August 1998, but failed to make the first team squad and was released. He was briefly with Faversham Town
Faversham Town F.C.
Faversham Town F.C. are a football club based in Faversham, England. They joined the Kent League in 1949 and won the title in 1970, 1971 and 1990...
before joining Colchester United
Colchester United F.C.
Colchester United Football Club is an English football club based in Colchester. The club was formed in 1937, and briefly shared their old Layer Road home with now defunct side Colchester Town who had previously used the ground from 1910....
in May 1999. However, with Colchester in the midst of a financial crisis, he was released before he had made his debut. He then played for Ashford Town
Ashford Town F.C. (Kent)
Ashford United F.C. are an English football club based in Ashford, Kent. The 'new' United was formed in 2011 . Between 1930 and 2010 the town was represented by Ashford Town FC, before it ultimately went into administration...
and Welling United
Welling United F.C.
Welling United Football Club are an English football club, based in Welling in the London Borough of Bexley. They currently play in the Conference South. The 2010–11 season was not a good one for them as the club had financial problems, nearly going bankrupt but lots of supporters chipped in and...
.
He joined Torquay United
Torquay United F.C.
Torquay United Football Club, nicknamed the Gulls, are an English association football club based in the tourist resort town of Torquay, Devon. They played in the Conference National in 2008–09, but were promoted to Football League Two after a 2–0 win over Cambridge United on 17 May 2009 at Wembley...
on trial in February 2002, but was not offered a contract. He joined Margate
Margate F.C.
Margate Football Club is an English football team based in the seaside resort of Margate, Kent, currently playing in the Isthmian League Premier Division. The club was known for a number of years during the 1980s as Thanet United....
in August 2002, but played just once, as a late substitute for John Keister
John Keister
John Keister is a Seattle-based comedian, writer, commentator and motivational speaker, best known as the host of the local comedy program Almost Live! from 1988 to 1999....
as Margate drew 1-1 at home to Morecambe
Morecambe F.C.
Morecambe Football Club is an English football club based in Morecambe, Lancashire. It plays its football in League Two, the fourth division of English football, having been promoted in 2007 for the first time in their history to the Football League. They played their home matches at Christie Park...
in the Conference on 17 August. He joined Maidstone United
Maidstone United F.C.
Maidstone United Football Club is an English football team from Maidstone, Kent.The current club is a continuation of the old Maidstone United, which was a member of the Football League between 1989 and 1992. The club was forced out of the league by financial ruin but the youth squad formed the...
later the same month.
He returned to Australia in 2003 to play for St George Saints
St George Saints
The St. George Saints Football Club are an Association football club based in the St. George region of Sydney in New South Wales, Australia. The club plays its home games at St. George Stadium, after playing a brief stint at Belmore Sports Ground in the 2007-08. The St...
where in the last match of the season he snapped a medial ligaments
Medial collateral ligament
The medial collateral ligament of the knee is one of the four major ligaments of the knee. It is on the medial side of the knee joint in humans and other primates. It is also known as the tibial collateral ligament, or abbreviated as the MCL.- Structure :It is a broad, flat, membranous band,...
in his knee.
However, David Hodgson
David Hodgson (footballer)
David James Hodgson , is an English former footballer who played for Middlesbrough, Liverpool, Norwich City, Sunderland and Sheffield Wednesday, as well as lower division clubs and teams in France, Japan, and Spain....
, Darlington's
Darlington F.C.
Darlington Football Club is a professional association football club based in Darlington, County Durham, currently playing in the Conference National. The club was founded in 1883, and originally played its games at Feethams, before moving to the Darlington Arena in 2003...
manager, saw potential in Webster and decided to give him an opportunity to regain fitness at his club which eventually led to Webster signing for Darlington in October 2004. He made his league debut on 6 November, as a late substitute for Craig Hignett
Craig Hignett
Craig Hignett, , is an English former professional footballer who now works as an agent and a commentator on BBC Radio 5 Live...
who had scored both goals as Darlington won 2-1 away to Rushden & Diamonds
Rushden & Diamonds F.C.
Rushden & Diamonds Football Club was an association football club based in Irthlingborough, Northamptonshire, England. Formed by a merger of Rushden Town and Irthlingborough Diamonds in 1992, the club played in the Conference National following a short spell in the Football League at the start of...
.
Webster was released by Darlington in May 2006 and returned to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. He was signed by A-League
A-League
The A-League is the top Australasian professional football league. Run by Australian governing body Football Federation Australia , it was founded in 2004 following the folding of the National Soccer League and staged its inaugural season in 2005–06. It is sponsored by Hyundai Motor Company...
club Perth Glory
Perth Glory FC
Perth Glory Football Club is a professional football club in Perth, Western Australia, Australia, competing in Australia's top football competition the A-League. Perth Glory is one of only three clubs to survive from the now defunct National Soccer League...
where he played every game in a failed campaign to make the final series. The low point of the season was when he came to blows
Punch (strike)
A punch is a striking blow with the fist. It is the most commonly used attack in hand to hand combat. It is used in some martial arts and combat sports, most notably boxing where it is the only type of technique allowed...
with his captain at the Glory, Jamie Harnwell
Jamie Harnwell
Jamie Richard Harnwell is an Australian football player. He last played as a centre half for Sorrento FC.-Perth Glory:...
, on the pitch after a home match. It went down in history as an A-League
A-League
The A-League is the top Australasian professional football league. Run by Australian governing body Football Federation Australia , it was founded in 2004 following the folding of the National Soccer League and staged its inaugural season in 2005–06. It is sponsored by Hyundai Motor Company...
classic.
After leaving Perth Glory, he had a brief spell with Blacktown City Demons
Blacktown City Demons
Blacktown City FC, formerly The Demons, are an Australian football club based in Blacktown, New South Wales, Australia. The club was formed in 1953 as Toongabbie Soccer Club and changed their name to Blacktown City in 1979...
before returning to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
to work as a personal trainer in Teesside
Teesside
Teesside is the name given to the conurbation in the north east of England made up of the towns of Middlesbrough, Stockton-on-Tees, Redcar, Billingham and surrounding settlements near the River Tees. It was also the name of a local government district between 1968 and 1974—the County Borough of...
, close to his pregnant girlfriend's home. He had trials with Brighton & Hove Albion
Brighton & Hove Albion F.C.
Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club are an English association football club based in the coastal city of Brighton & Hove, East Sussex. They currently play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system....
and Burton Albion
Burton Albion F.C.
Burton Albion Football Club are a professional English football club based in the town of Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire. The club's home ground is the Pirelli Stadium, having moved from Eton Park in 2005...
(scoring for the Brewers against Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest F.C.
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an English Association Football club based in West Bridgford, Nottingham, that plays in the Football League Championship...
in the Bass Charity Vase Final) in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and also with a side in Bratislava
Bratislava
Bratislava is the capital of Slovakia and, with a population of about 431,000, also the country's largest city. Bratislava is in southwestern Slovakia on both banks of the Danube River. Bordering Austria and Hungary, it is the only national capital that borders two independent countries.Bratislava...
before joining Workington.
He moved to Conference North
Conference North
The Conference North also known as Blue Square Bet North for sponsorship reasons, is a division of the Football Conference in England, taking its place immediately below the Conference National. Along with Conference South it is at Step 2 of the National League System and the sixth overall tier of...
rivals Blyth Spartans at the start of October 2007, but left in April 2008 to join Finnish side Myllykosken Pallo -47. He played 10 games with MyPa before joining another Finnish club, Kuopion Palloseura. Webster played 8 games for KuPS and helped the team to keep their place in Veikkausliiga
Veikkausliiga
Veikkausliiga is the premier division of Finnish football, comprising the top 12 clubs of the country. Veikkausliiga is currently ranked as the 28th best league in Europe. Its main sponsor is the Finnish national betting agency Veikkaus, hence the league's name...
. In January 2009 Webster re-joined Blyth Spartans. In January 2010 he signed for Australian side Cockburn City.
International career
Webster made his international debut for New ZealandNew Zealand national soccer team
The New Zealand national football team, nicknamed the All Whites, is the national association football team of New Zealand and is governed by New Zealand Football . The team plays in an all-white strip rather than the traditional New Zealand sporting black due to a former FIFA regulation that...
in a 0-1 loss to Australia
Australia national football (soccer) team
The Australia national association football team represents Australia in international association football competitions. Its official nickname is the "Socceroos"...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
on 9 June 2005. In 2006 he returned to New Zealand for the first time since his childhood, for the two match series against Malaysia
Malaysia national football team
The Malaysian national football team nicknamed Harimau Malaya, as the Malayan Tiger, is the national team of Malaysia and is controlled by the Football Association of Malaysia...
. In 2006 he overcome ankle injury to gain selection for the All Whites in their off season tour which included footballing giants Brazil. He has made a total of five official international appearances for New Zealand.