David Cotterill
Encyclopedia
David Rhys George Best Cotterill (born 4 December 1987, Cardiff
) is a Wales international footballer who plays for Swansea City
as a winger.
, making his debut as a substitute for Michael Bell
during a 0–0 draw with Colchester United
on 30 October 2004. He played 57 games and scored seven goals for them before the end of the 2005–06
season and was subsequently voted Bristol City's Young Player of the Season.
on a three-year deal for £2 million on 31 August 2006.
He scored his first goal for Wigan with a curling shot against West Ham United
in a 2–0 victory at the Boleyn Ground
, on 6 December 2006. Despite scoring 2 goals in 24 games with the Latics, his other goal coming against Sunderland in the FA Cup, he never fully established himself in the first team and was made available for loan.
on 8 February 2008 on a loan deal to last until the end of the 2007–2008 season. He made his debut for the Blades the next day in a 0–0 home draw with Scunthorpe United
eventually going on to play sixteen games for the Blades during his loan spell.
Cotterill returned to Bramall Lane
later that summer and signed permanently for the Blades in July 2008 for an undisclosed fee. Having made his move permanent Cotterill found it difficult to find the form that had made his loan spell a success and struggled to hold down a place in the side. It wasn't until the turn of the year that he began to force his way into the Blades first team and was rewarded in March with his first goal in United colours, slotting home a penalty in a 2–1 home win against Birmingham City
. Having taken over spot-kick duties he finished the season with four goals. After the Blades failure to secure promotion Cotterill once again found form and first team starts hard to come by in the following season and was largely used as a substitute by manager Kevin Blackwell
.
on loan in November 2009, signing until the following January with a view to making the move permanent. He made his debut in the away fixture against Newcastle United, coming on as a second-half substitute, and scored his first goal for Swansea in a 2–1 FA Cup 3rd Round defeat to on 2 January 2010. Following the move being made permanent for a then-club record fee of £600,000, Cotterill went on to score three more goals during the 2009/10 season; a free-kick against , a long-range effort against Newcastle
, and a penalty against Peterborough
. The arrival of Scott Sinclair
from Chelsea
at the beginning of the 2010/11 season saw Cotterill employed more as a second striker behind Stephen Dobbie
, rather than in his preferred position on the wing. He started the season off well under new Swans manager Brendan Rodgers
, putting in some good performances and converting a penalty in a 4-0 win over Preston. However, Cotterill then missed his next two penalties, which on both occasions would have put his side in the lead, and his confidence on the pitch appeared to drop. The first miss came against , a game which the Swans eventually lost 2-0, and the second came in a 0-0 draw with Championship pace-setters at the Liberty Stadium
. Cotterill did not feature in any games following a 1-0 home win over Barnsley on the 28th December, and was sent out on loan to fellow Championship side Portsmouth on the 17th February 2011.
on a one-month loan deal, taking the number 17 shirt vacated by John Utaka
. He made his debut two days later in a 1-0 win over Barnsley
, and scored his first goal for his new club against Ipswich Town on the 26th February.
Cotterill extended his loan with Pompey and stay on the club until the end of the season.
|2004–05||rowspan="3"|Bristol City
||rowspan="3"|Football League One
||12||0||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||12||0
|-
|2005–06||45||7||1||0||colspan="2"|-||46||7
|-
|2006–07||5||1||colspan="2"|-||1||1||6||2
|-
|2006–07||rowspan="2"|Wigan Athletic
||rowspan="2"|Premier League||16||1||1||0||colspan="2"|-||17||1
|-
|2007–08||2||0||1||1||1||0||4||1
|-
|2007–08||rowspan="1"|Sheffield United
(loan)||rowspan="7"|Football League Championship
||16||0||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||16||0
|-
|2008–09||rowspan="2"|Sheffield United
||26||4||3||0||3||0||32||4
|-
|2009–10||14||2||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||14||2
|-
|2009–10||rowspan="1"|Swansea City
(loan)||4||0||1||1||colspan="2"|-||5||1
|-
|2009–10||rowspan="2"|Swansea City
||17||3||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||17||3
|-
|2010–11||14||1||colspan="2"|-||2||0||16||1
|-
|2010–11||rowspan="1"|Portsmouth
(loan)||15||1||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||15||1
|-
|2011–12||rowspan="1"|Swansea City
||rowspan="1"|Premier League||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-
|-
186||20||7||2||7||1||200||23
186||20||7||2||7||1||200||23
and nine times scoring four goals for the Under 21's
.
Cotterill is a full Welsh
international, making his debut against Azerbaijan
in October 2005. He attracted controversy when he criticised the Wales manager John Toshack
in 2007, for having not been picked in the squad. Since the turn of 2009 and gaining games for Sheffield United and giving man of the match displays for the Blades, Cotterill was awarded a place in John Toshack's team for upcoming World Cup Qualifiers.
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
) is a Wales international footballer who plays for Swansea City
Swansea City A.F.C.
Swansea City Association Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Swansea, Wales. One of the most successful clubs in Welsh football, it has won 10 Welsh Cups and led the English Football League First Division in December 1981, before finishing the season in 6th position...
as a winger.
Bristol City
Cotterill started his career at Bristol CityBristol City F.C.
Bristol City Football Club is one of two football league clubs in Bristol, England . They play at Ashton Gate, located in the south-west of the City...
, making his debut as a substitute for Michael Bell
Michael Bell (footballer)
Michael "Mickey" Bell is an English former football defender, turned manager. In a seventeen year career as a professional in the Football League he made 599 league appearances with five different clubs....
during a 0–0 draw with 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....
on 30 October 2004. He played 57 games and scored seven goals for them before the end of the 2005–06
2005-06 in English football
The 2005–06 season was the 126th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:*The rebuilt Wembley Stadium was due to open in time for the FA Cup final in May. However, in August 2005, The Football Association reserved the Millennium Stadium as a backup, as there was some doubt whether...
season and was subsequently voted Bristol City's Young Player of the Season.
Wigan Athletic
Cotterill joined Wigan AthleticWigan Athletic F.C.
Wigan Athletic Football Club is an English Premier League Association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, having been promoted from the Championship in 2005. Wigan's current spell in the Premier League is the only top flight run in the club's history.They have played at the DW...
on a three-year deal for £2 million on 31 August 2006.
He scored his first goal for Wigan with a curling shot against 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...
in a 2–0 victory at the Boleyn Ground
Boleyn Ground
The Boleyn Ground, more commonly referred to as Upton Park due to its location in Upton Park, London is the football stadium of West Ham United.-History:...
, on 6 December 2006. Despite scoring 2 goals in 24 games with the Latics, his other goal coming against Sunderland in the FA Cup, he never fully established himself in the first team and was made available for loan.
Sheffield United
Seeking first team football to aid his international career, Cotterill joined Championship side Sheffield UnitedSheffield United F.C.
Sheffield United Football Club is a professional English football club based in the city of Sheffield, South Yorkshire.They were the first sporting team to use the name 'United' and are nicknamed 'The Blades', thanks to Sheffield's worldwide reputation for steel production...
on 8 February 2008 on a loan deal to last until the end of the 2007–2008 season. He made his debut for the Blades the next day in a 0–0 home draw with Scunthorpe United
Scunthorpe United F.C.
Scunthorpe United Football Club is an English association football team based in the town of Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire, who play in the Football League One....
eventually going on to play sixteen games for the Blades during his loan spell.
Cotterill returned to Bramall Lane
Bramall Lane
-Cricket at the Lane:Bramall Lane opened as a cricket ground in 1855, having been leased by Michael Ellison from the Duke of Norfolk at an annual rent of £70. The site was then away from the town's industrial area, and relatively free from smoke. It was built to host the matches of local cricket...
later that summer and signed permanently for the Blades in July 2008 for an undisclosed fee. Having made his move permanent Cotterill found it difficult to find the form that had made his loan spell a success and struggled to hold down a place in the side. It wasn't until the turn of the year that he began to force his way into the Blades first team and was rewarded in March with his first goal in United colours, slotting home a penalty in a 2–1 home win against Birmingham City
Birmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
. Having taken over spot-kick duties he finished the season with four goals. After the Blades failure to secure promotion Cotterill once again found form and first team starts hard to come by in the following season and was largely used as a substitute by manager Kevin Blackwell
Kevin Blackwell
Kevin Patrick Blackwell is an English former professional football goalkeeper who since retiring as a player has worked as a coach and a manager. He has an identical twin, Noel.-Early career:...
.
Swansea City
Cotterill moved to Swansea CitySwansea City A.F.C.
Swansea City Association Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Swansea, Wales. One of the most successful clubs in Welsh football, it has won 10 Welsh Cups and led the English Football League First Division in December 1981, before finishing the season in 6th position...
on loan in November 2009, signing until the following January with a view to making the move permanent. He made his debut in the away fixture against Newcastle United, coming on as a second-half substitute, and scored his first goal for Swansea in a 2–1 FA Cup 3rd Round defeat to on 2 January 2010. Following the move being made permanent for a then-club record fee of £600,000, Cotterill went on to score three more goals during the 2009/10 season; a free-kick against , a long-range effort against Newcastle
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...
, and a penalty against Peterborough
Peterborough United F.C.
Peterborough United Football Club are a professional English football club based in Peterborough. Peterborough United formed in 1934 and played in the old Midland League, which they won six times; eventually being admitted to the Football League in 1960, replacing Gateshead. Their home ground is...
. The arrival of Scott Sinclair
Scott Sinclair
Scott Andrew Sinclair is an English footballer who plays for Premier League club Swansea City as a winger, having previously played for Bristol Rovers, Chelsea, Plymouth Argyle, Queens Park Rangers, Charlton Athletic, Crystal Palace, Birmingham City and Wigan Athletic...
from Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
at the beginning of the 2010/11 season saw Cotterill employed more as a second striker behind Stephen Dobbie
Stephen Dobbie
Stephen Dobbie is a Scottish professional footballer who plays for Swansea City.Dobbie began his career with Rangers in 2002, but did not play in a first team match. He had more opportunities at Hibernian, whom he joined in 2003 and then St. Johnstone whom he joined, initially on loan, in 2005....
, rather than in his preferred position on the wing. He started the season off well under new Swans manager Brendan Rodgers
Brendan Rodgers
Brendan Rodgers is a Northern Irish former footballer, who is currently the manager of Swansea City.After retiring as a footballer at the age of 20, Rodgers stayed at Reading and was appointed as youth team coach. He joined Chelsea, under the leadership of José Mourinho, as youth team manager in...
, putting in some good performances and converting a penalty in a 4-0 win over Preston. However, Cotterill then missed his next two penalties, which on both occasions would have put his side in the lead, and his confidence on the pitch appeared to drop. The first miss came against , a game which the Swans eventually lost 2-0, and the second came in a 0-0 draw with Championship pace-setters at the Liberty Stadium
Liberty Stadium, Swansea
The Liberty Stadium is a purpose-built sports stadium and conferencing venue in the Landore area of Swansea, Wales. The stadium is all-seated, with a capacity of 20,532 making it the largest purpose-built venue in Swansea and the third largest stadium in Wales after the Millennium Stadium and the...
. Cotterill did not feature in any games following a 1-0 home win over Barnsley on the 28th December, and was sent out on loan to fellow Championship side Portsmouth on the 17th February 2011.
Portsmouth
Cotterill joined PortsmouthPortsmouth F.C.
Portsmouth Football Club is an English football club based in the city of Portsmouth. The club is nicknamed Pompey. Portsmouth's home matches have been played at Fratton Park since the club's formation in 1898. The team currently play in the Football League Championship after being relegated from...
on a one-month loan deal, taking the number 17 shirt vacated by John Utaka
John Utaka
John Chukwudi Utaka is a Nigerian footballer who played as a striker for Montpellier of the Ligue 1. He is the older brother of Peter Utaka, who plays for OB in Denmark.- Club career :...
. He made his debut two days later in a 1-0 win over Barnsley
Barnsley F.C.
Barnsley Football Club are a professional English football club based in the town of Barnsley, South Yorkshire. Nicknamed the Tykes, they were founded in 1887 under the name Barnsley St. Peter's...
, and scored his first goal for his new club against Ipswich Town on the 26th February.
Cotterill extended his loan with Pompey and stay on the club until the end of the season.
Career statistics
|-|2004–05||rowspan="3"|Bristol City
Bristol City F.C.
Bristol City Football Club is one of two football league clubs in Bristol, England . They play at Ashton Gate, located in the south-west of the City...
||rowspan="3"|Football League One
Football 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....
||12||0||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||12||0
|-
|2005–06||45||7||1||0||colspan="2"|-||46||7
|-
|2006–07||5||1||colspan="2"|-||1||1||6||2
|-
|2006–07||rowspan="2"|Wigan Athletic
Wigan Athletic F.C.
Wigan Athletic Football Club is an English Premier League Association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, having been promoted from the Championship in 2005. Wigan's current spell in the Premier League is the only top flight run in the club's history.They have played at the DW...
||rowspan="2"|Premier League||16||1||1||0||colspan="2"|-||17||1
|-
|2007–08||2||0||1||1||1||0||4||1
|-
|2007–08||rowspan="1"|Sheffield United
Sheffield United F.C.
Sheffield United Football Club is a professional English football club based in the city of Sheffield, South Yorkshire.They were the first sporting team to use the name 'United' and are nicknamed 'The Blades', thanks to Sheffield's worldwide reputation for steel production...
(loan)||rowspan="7"|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...
||16||0||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||16||0
|-
|2008–09||rowspan="2"|Sheffield United
Sheffield United F.C.
Sheffield United Football Club is a professional English football club based in the city of Sheffield, South Yorkshire.They were the first sporting team to use the name 'United' and are nicknamed 'The Blades', thanks to Sheffield's worldwide reputation for steel production...
||26||4||3||0||3||0||32||4
|-
|2009–10||14||2||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||14||2
|-
|2009–10||rowspan="1"|Swansea City
Swansea City A.F.C.
Swansea City Association Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Swansea, Wales. One of the most successful clubs in Welsh football, it has won 10 Welsh Cups and led the English Football League First Division in December 1981, before finishing the season in 6th position...
(loan)||4||0||1||1||colspan="2"|-||5||1
|-
|2009–10||rowspan="2"|Swansea City
Swansea City A.F.C.
Swansea City Association Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Swansea, Wales. One of the most successful clubs in Welsh football, it has won 10 Welsh Cups and led the English Football League First Division in December 1981, before finishing the season in 6th position...
||17||3||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||17||3
|-
|2010–11||14||1||colspan="2"|-||2||0||16||1
|-
|2010–11||rowspan="1"|Portsmouth
Portsmouth F.C.
Portsmouth Football Club is an English football club based in the city of Portsmouth. The club is nicknamed Pompey. Portsmouth's home matches have been played at Fratton Park since the club's formation in 1898. The team currently play in the Football League Championship after being relegated from...
(loan)||15||1||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||15||1
|-
|2011–12||rowspan="1"|Swansea City
Swansea City A.F.C.
Swansea City Association Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Swansea, Wales. One of the most successful clubs in Welsh football, it has won 10 Welsh Cups and led the English Football League First Division in December 1981, before finishing the season in 6th position...
||rowspan="1"|Premier League||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-
|-
186||20||7||2||7||1||200||23
186||20||7||2||7||1||200||23
International career
Having been capped three times, scoring once for the Under-19'sWales national under-19 football team
The Wales national under-19 football team is the national under-19 football team of Wales and is controlled by the Football Association of Wales. The team competes in the UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship held every year.-Recent history:...
and nine times scoring four goals for the Under 21's
Wales national under-21 football team
The Wales national under-21 football team, also known as the Wales U21s, is the national under-21 football team of Wales and is controlled by the Football Association of Wales. The team competes in the UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship, held every two years...
.
Cotterill is a full Welsh
Wales national football team
The Wales national football team represents Wales in international football. It is controlled by the Football Association of Wales , the governing body for football in Wales, and the third oldest national football association in the world. The team have only qualified for a major international...
international, making his debut against Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan national football team
The Azerbaijan national football team is the national football team of Azerbaijan and is controlled by Association of Football Federations of Azerbaijan...
in October 2005. He attracted controversy when he criticised the Wales manager John Toshack
John Toshack
John Benjamin Toshack OBE is a Welsh former footballer and manager. He is currently the manager of Macedonia. He has also managed several others clubs including Swansea City, who he took from the Fourth Division to the First in four seasons.As a player, he is remembered for being part of the...
in 2007, for having not been picked in the squad. Since the turn of 2009 and gaining games for Sheffield United and giving man of the match displays for the Blades, Cotterill was awarded a place in John Toshack's team for upcoming World Cup Qualifiers.
International goals
Wales' goal tally first| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 11 August 2010 | Parc y Scarlets Parc y Scarlets Parc y Scarlets is a rugby union stadium in Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, that opened in November 2008 as the new home of the Scarlets and Llanelli RFC. The ground replaced Stradey Park, the home of Llanelli's rugby teams for almost 130 years... , Llanelli Llanelli Llanelli , the largest town in both the county of Carmarthenshire and the preserved county of Dyfed , Wales, sits on the Loughor estuary on the West Wales coast, approximately west-north-west of Swansea and south-east of the county town, Carmarthen. The town is famous for its proud rugby... , Wales Wales Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²... |
1 – 0 | 5–1 | Friendly Exhibition game An exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition... |