Ben Alnwick
Encyclopedia
Benjamin Robert "Ben" Alnwick (born 1 January 1987) is an English
footballer who plays for Leyton Orient
on loan from Tottenham Hotspur
as a goalkeeper. He has also been capped at under-16 and under-18 level for the England team.
town of Prudhoe
. He spent his boyhood years playing for the Prudhoe youth side. He started his professional career at Sunderland
, and came to prominence at the climax of their 2004–05
Football League Championship
-winning season, replacing the injured Thomas Myhre
for Sunderland's last three games. His performances against Leicester City
and West Ham United
, the games that won Sunderland promotion to the Premier League and Championship win respectively, were impressive. In November 2005, he spent a stint as the number one goalkeeper at Sunderland, replacing Kelvin Davis
. Despite impressing, particularly in Sunderland's 3–2 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur
where he made a penalty save from Robbie Keane
Alnwick was dropped in favour of Kelvin Davis
. After the departure of Davis to Southampton
, Alnwick was given the number one shirt for the 2006–07 season
.
After a disappointing start to the season 2006–07 season, Alnwick was relegated to the substitutes bench in favour of Darren Ward
by new boss Roy Keane
.
going the other way for £500,000.
side Luton Town
on a three-month loan deal. He was recalled from Luton in October, due to an injury to Paul Robinson
. However, on 7 January 2008, Alnwick joined Leicester City on loan until the end of the season.
Alnwick made his league debut in an M69 Derby
on 12 January, keeping a clean sheet as Leicester won 2–0 at the Walkers Stadium
. He kept four clean sheets in eight league games, conceding six goals before suffering a thigh injury as Leicester were relegated from the Championship.
On 16 October 2008, Alnwick joined League One side Carlisle United
on an initial one-month loan deal and was recalled by Tottenham after the one month loan ended to become another serious option for the first team goal-keeper position.
semi-final second leg against Burnley
, which ended in a 3–2 loss, although Tottenham won 6–4 on aggregate.
for three months. Alnwick made his debut in the 4–0 win over Yeovil Town
and kept a clean sheet. He returned to Tottenham on 5 September after picking up a hip injury that was expected to keep him out for six weeks.
on the final day of the 2009-10 season, 9 May; he conceded four goals as Burnley won 4–2.
on loan for 28 days. Alnwick was named on the bench against Middlesbrough
and Leicester City
.
Alnwick moved to Doncaster Rovers
on 4 March 2011 and will stay until 9 April 2011 after their goalkeeper Neil Sullivan
has become injured. He was an unused sub in games against Leeds United and Coventry City
.
ahead of the 15 August 2006 match against Moldova
. Still awaiting his debut, Alnwick was named in Stuart Pearce
's first squad as England under-21 coach, alongside another uncapped goalkeeper, Joe Hart
. He was not chosen to start the match, on 6 February 2007, against Spain
.
Alnwick was named in the first England U21 squad to play at the new Wembley against Italy U21s
on 24 March 2007, but he remained an unused sub. He was also named in England's squad for the U21 European Championships
in the Netherlands
. He debuted a year after his first call-up, in a friendly against Romania
at Ashton Gate
. He came on for the second half as a substitute for Joe Hart
, and kept a clean sheet.
as a first year scholar in 2008. Jak won Newcastle's "Wor Jackie" award (named after legend Jackie Milburn) for best under-18 player in 2011.
reported Alnwick, along with team-mates Chris Brown and Liam Lawrence
had filmed themselves in an orgy with a brunette girl referred to as 'Stevie'. In the video, Brown films his team-mates perform sexual acts
on the girl as well as themselves, and is said to give "Match of the Day
" style commentary throughout. Former Sunderland midfielder Martin Woods
also features on the tape partially clothed, along with two other men. In reference to the watching men, Brown reportedly comments “Here’s the boys — the watching faithful — every week without fail.”
On 8 December, The Sun reported that the girl in the video was just 16 years old, with the girl claiming she had no idea she was being filmed.
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...
footballer who plays for Leyton Orient
Leyton Orient F.C.
Leyton Orient F.C. are an English professional football club in East London. They currently play in Football League One and are known to their fans as the O's.Leyton Orient have spent one season in the top flight of English football, in 1962–63...
on loan from Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
as a goalkeeper. He has also been capped at under-16 and under-18 level for the England team.
Sunderland
Alnwick was born in the small NorthumberlandNorthumberland
Northumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...
town of Prudhoe
Prudhoe
Prudhoe is a medium sized town just south of the River Tyne, in the southern part of the county of Northumberland, England about west of the city of Newcastle upon Tyne. The town is sited on a steep, north-facing hill in the Tyne valley and nearby settlements include Ovingham, Ovington, Wylam,...
. He spent his boyhood years playing for the Prudhoe youth side. He started his professional career at Sunderland
Sunderland A.F.C.
Sunderland Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear who currently play in the Premier League...
, and came to prominence at the climax of their 2004–05
2004-05 in English football
The 2004–05 season was the 125th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:*2004–05 was the first season to feature the rebranded Football League. The First Division, Second Division and Third Division were renamed the Football League Championship, Football League One and Football League...
Football League Championship
Football League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
-winning season, replacing the injured Thomas Myhre
Thomas Myhre
Thomas Myhre is a Norwegian international football goalkeeper. He currently plays for Kongsvinger, having returned to Norwegian football in July 2007...
for Sunderland's last three games. His performances against Leicester City
Leicester City F.C.
Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester...
and West Ham United
West Ham United F.C.
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Upton Park, Newham, East London. They play in The Football League Championship. The club was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks FC and reformed in 1900 as West Ham United. In 1904 the club relocated to their current...
, the games that won Sunderland promotion to the Premier League and Championship win respectively, were impressive. In November 2005, he spent a stint as the number one goalkeeper at Sunderland, replacing Kelvin Davis
Kelvin Davis
Kelvin Geoffrey Davis is an English footballer who currently plays as a goalkeeper for newly-promoted Championship club Southampton. Born in Bedford, Davis began his career with Luton Town as a youth player in 1991 and remained there until 1999. Davis later played for Wimbledon, Ipswich Town and...
. Despite impressing, particularly in Sunderland's 3–2 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
where he made a penalty save from Robbie Keane
Robbie Keane
Robert David "Robbie" Keane is an Irish association football player who plays as a striker for Los Angeles Galaxy in Major League Soccer and captains the Irish national football team....
Alnwick was dropped in favour of Kelvin Davis
Kelvin Davis
Kelvin Geoffrey Davis is an English footballer who currently plays as a goalkeeper for newly-promoted Championship club Southampton. Born in Bedford, Davis began his career with Luton Town as a youth player in 1991 and remained there until 1999. Davis later played for Wimbledon, Ipswich Town and...
. After the departure of Davis to Southampton
Southampton F.C.
Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club...
, Alnwick was given the number one shirt for the 2006–07 season
2006-07 in English football
The 2006–07 season was the 127th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:* The number of divisions at Level 8 of the English football league system increased from four to five...
.
After a disappointing start to the season 2006–07 season, Alnwick was relegated to the substitutes bench in favour of Darren Ward
Darren Ward (goalkeeper)
Darren Ward is a former Welsh international football goalkeeper and current Academy goalkeeping coach at Sheffield United.-Club career:...
by new boss Roy Keane
Roy Keane
Roy Maurice Keane is an Irish former footballer and manager. In his 18-year playing career, he played for Cobh Ramblers in the League of Ireland, Nottingham Forest and Manchester United, before ending his career at Celtic in Scotland....
.
Tottenham Hotspur
Just two days after the January 2007 transfer window had opened, Alnwick joined Tottenham Hotspur for a fee of £900,000 in a deal that could rise to £1.3 million and saw Márton FülöpMárton Fülöp
Márton Fülöp is a Hungarian footballer who plays for West Bromwich Albion as a goalkeeper. After playing in Hungary for MTK Budapest FC, BKV Előre SC and BFC Siófok, he signed for English club Tottenham Hotspur....
going the other way for £500,000.
Loan moves
In September 2007 he was loaned to League OneFootball League One
Football League One is the second-highest division of The Football League and third-highest division overall in the English football league system....
side Luton Town
Luton Town F.C.
Luton Town Football Club is an English professional football club based since 1905 at Kenilworth Road, Luton, Bedfordshire. The club currently competes in the fifth tier of English football, the Conference National, for the third consecutive season during the 2011–12 season.Formed in 1885, it was...
on a three-month loan deal. He was recalled from Luton in October, due to an injury to Paul Robinson
Paul Robinson (goalkeeper)
Paul William Robinson is an English footballer who plays for Blackburn Rovers as a goalkeeper in the Premier League. He had also been an England international and he earned 41 caps between 2003 and 2007 before his retirement from international football in August 2010.He joined Leeds United at 16...
. However, on 7 January 2008, Alnwick joined Leicester City on loan until the end of the season.
M69 Derby
The M69 Derby is a term used to describe football matches played between Coventry City and Leicester City. It takes its name from the motorway that connects the two cities, which are only 24 miles apart....
on 12 January, keeping a clean sheet as Leicester won 2–0 at the Walkers Stadium
Walkers Stadium
The King Power Stadium is a football stadium which hosts home matches of English football club Leicester City. The all-seater stadium, inaugurated in July 2002, holds 32,500 and has the 19th largest stadium capacity in England. The stadium is named after King Power, a company owned by club owner...
. He kept four clean sheets in eight league games, conceding six goals before suffering a thigh injury as Leicester were relegated from the Championship.
On 16 October 2008, Alnwick joined League One side Carlisle United
Carlisle United F.C.
Carlisle United F.C. is an English football club based in Carlisle, Cumbria, where they play at Brunton Park. Formed in 1904, the club currently compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system....
on an initial one-month loan deal and was recalled by Tottenham after the one month loan ended to become another serious option for the first team goal-keeper position.
Return to Tottenham Hotspur
Alnwick made his debut for Tottenham in a League CupFootball League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
semi-final second leg against Burnley
Burnley F.C.
Burnley Football Club are a professional English Football League club based in Burnley, Lancashire. Nicknamed the Clarets, due to the dominant colour of their home shirts, they were founder members of the Football League in 1888...
, which ended in a 3–2 loss, although Tottenham won 6–4 on aggregate.
Loan to Norwich City
In July 2009, he signed on loan at Norwich CityNorwich City F.C.
Norwich City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. As of the 2011–12 season, Norwich City are again playing in the Premier League after a six-year absence, having finished as runner up in the Championship in 2010–11 and winning automatic promotion.The...
for three months. Alnwick made his debut in the 4–0 win over Yeovil Town
Yeovil Town F.C.
Yeovil Town F.C. are an English association football team based in Yeovil, Somerset. The club play in League One after having won the League Two championship in 2004–05...
and kept a clean sheet. He returned to Tottenham on 5 September after picking up a hip injury that was expected to keep him out for six weeks.
Return to Tottenham
His first Premier League game for Tottenham was at BurnleyBurnley F.C.
Burnley Football Club are a professional English Football League club based in Burnley, Lancashire. Nicknamed the Clarets, due to the dominant colour of their home shirts, they were founder members of the Football League in 1888...
on the final day of the 2009-10 season, 9 May; he conceded four goals as Burnley won 4–2.
More loan moves
On 14 October 2010 Alnwick joined Leeds UnitedLeeds United A.F.C.
Leeds United Association Football Club are an English professional association football club based in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, who play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system...
on loan for 28 days. Alnwick was named on the bench against Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough F.C.
Middlesbrough Football Club , also known as Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Football League Championship. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August 1995, their third ground since turning professional in 1889...
and Leicester City
Leicester City F.C.
Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester...
.
Alnwick moved to Doncaster Rovers
Doncaster Rovers F.C.
Doncaster Rovers Football Club is an English football club, based at the Keepmoat Stadium in Doncaster, South Yorkshire. The team currently competes in the Football League Championship, after being promoted via the League One play-offs in 2008, and have remained there since.The club was founded in...
on 4 March 2011 and will stay until 9 April 2011 after their goalkeeper Neil Sullivan
Neil Sullivan
Neil Sullivan is an English-born Scottish ex-international professional Association footballer. A goalkeeper, Sullivan currently plays for Doncaster Rovers after signing on a permanent basis from Leeds United at the end of the 2006–07 season, following two loan moves to Doncaster...
has become injured. He was an unused sub in games against Leeds United and Coventry City
Coventry City F.C.
Coventry City Football Club, otherwise known as the Sky Blues owing to the traditional colour of their strip, are a professional English Football league club based in Coventry...
.
International career
Alnwick received his first call-up to the England under-21 squadEngland national under-21 football team
England's national Under-21 football team, also known as England Under-21s or England U21, is considered to be the feeder team for the England national football team....
ahead of the 15 August 2006 match against Moldova
Moldova
Moldova , officially the Republic of Moldova is a landlocked state in Eastern Europe, located between Romania to the West and Ukraine to the North, East and South. It declared itself an independent state with the same boundaries as the preceding Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1991, as part...
. Still awaiting his debut, Alnwick was named in Stuart Pearce
Stuart Pearce
Stuart Pearce OBE is an English football manager and former player. He is currently the manager of the England national under-21 team and the Great Britain and Northern Ireland Olympic football team...
's first squad as England under-21 coach, alongside another uncapped goalkeeper, Joe Hart
Joe Hart
Charles Joseph John "Joe" Hart is an English football goalkeeper who plays for Premier League club Manchester City and the England national football team and was previously a regular for the England under-21 team....
. He was not chosen to start the match, on 6 February 2007, against Spain
Spain national under-21 football team
The Spain national under-21 football team, is the national under-21 football team of Spain and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation. The team, nicknamed La Rojita , competes in the biannual European Under-21 Football Championship.Following the realignment of UEFA's youth...
.
Alnwick was named in the first England U21 squad to play at the new Wembley against Italy U21s
Italy national under-21 football team
The Italy national under-21 football team is the national under-21 football team of Italy and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation.The team competes in the UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship, held every two years...
on 24 March 2007, but he remained an unused sub. He was also named in England's squad for the U21 European Championships
2007 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship
The UEFA U-21 Championship 2007 were held from 10 June 2007 to 23 June 2007. It is the 16th staging of UEFA's European Under-21 Football Championship....
in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. He debuted a year after his first call-up, in a friendly against Romania
Romania national under-21 football team
The Romania national under-21 football team is the national under-21 football team of Romania and is controlled by the Romanian Football Federation. The team competes in the European Under-21 Football Championship, held every two years....
at Ashton Gate
Ashton Gate
Ashton Gate Stadium is a stadium in Ashton Gate, Bristol, England, and is the home of Bristol City F.C. Located in the south-west of the city, just south of the River Avon, it has an all-seated capacity of 21,497, with an effective capacity for football matches of around 19,500, with an average...
. He came on for the second half as a substitute for Joe Hart
Joe Hart
Charles Joseph John "Joe" Hart is an English football goalkeeper who plays for Premier League club Manchester City and the England national football team and was previously a regular for the England under-21 team....
, and kept a clean sheet.
Personal life
His younger brother Jak, who is also a goalkeeper, was at the Prudhoe local youth clubs and the Sunderland youth academy but joined North East rivals Newcastle UnitedNewcastle 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...
as a first year scholar in 2008. Jak won Newcastle's "Wor Jackie" award (named after legend Jackie Milburn) for best under-18 player in 2011.
Sex Tape Scandal
On 7 December 2006, tabloid newspaper The SunThe Sun (newspaper)
The Sun is a daily national tabloid newspaper published in the United Kingdom and owned by News Corporation. Sister editions are published in Glasgow and Dublin...
reported Alnwick, along with team-mates Chris Brown and Liam Lawrence
Liam Lawrence
Liam Lawrence is a professional footballer who plays as a right winger for Football League Championship side Portsmouth and the Republic of Ireland....
had filmed themselves in an orgy with a brunette girl referred to as 'Stevie'. In the video, Brown films his team-mates perform sexual acts
Sex
In biology, sex is a process of combining and mixing genetic traits, often resulting in the specialization of organisms into a male or female variety . Sexual reproduction involves combining specialized cells to form offspring that inherit traits from both parents...
on the girl as well as themselves, and is said to give "Match of the Day
Match of the Day
Match of the Day is the BBC's main football television programme. Typically, it is shown on BBC One on Saturday evenings during the English football season, showing highlights of the day's matches in English football's top division, the Premier League...
" style commentary throughout. Former Sunderland midfielder Martin Woods
Martin Woods
Martin Paul Woods is a Scottish footballer currently playing for Doncaster Rovers. He is an attacking left-sided midfield player noted for his long range shooting and free kicks. He is also a former Scotland U21 international.-Leeds United:Woods started his career at the Leeds United academy,...
also features on the tape partially clothed, along with two other men. In reference to the watching men, Brown reportedly comments “Here’s the boys — the watching faithful — every week without fail.”
On 8 December, The Sun reported that the girl in the video was just 16 years old, with the girl claiming she had no idea she was being filmed.
External links
- Ben Alnwick profile at the Tottenham Hotspur website