Gareth McAuley
Encyclopedia
Gareth Gerald McAuley is a Northern Ireland
footballer who plays for West Bromwich Albion
as a defender
.
and spent some time in early 2000 on loan at Ballyclare Comrades
. After four years at Linfield, he moved to Crusaders
in the summer of 2000. After two successful seasons, he moved to Coleraine
. During this period, he worked as a window draftsman.
and Stockport County
he linked up with Edgeley Park
based club for a two week trial under the eye of the former Northern Ireland
manager Sammy McIlroy
who had given McAuley his first Northern Ireland B
call-up. After impressing in his trial, McAuley seemed set to sign for Stockport but talks broke down and he instead joined Lincoln City
on a two-year deal with Coleraine receiving £10,000 for his services. With Lincoln already boasting one of the strongest defences in League Two at the time of McAuley's arrival, he did not walk straight into the first team. His first few appearances for the club were all as a substitute, and often in the role of a target man striker.
However, when Dean West was dropped from the squad and club captain Paul Morgan sidelined with injury, McAuley moved into central defence to partner Ben Futcher. He immediately drew the plaudits for his excellent performances, which included a man of the match display against Derby County. He thereafter battled for a starting centre back roll with fellow giant Jamie McCombe for much of the season.
However, in March 2005, McAuley earnt a starting roll as the right full back, replacing the perpetually out of form fan favourite Matthew Bloomer. He continued to play in this position for the rest of the season, helping Lincoln to the play off final, not just with his exceptional defensive performances, but with 5 goals, including both in a 2–1 aggregate victory over Macclesfield in the play off semi final.
The 2005/2006 season however saw him cement a spot in the centre of the Imps defence. With Ben Futcher leaving on a free transfer to join rivals Boston United, McAuley took his place. He enjoyed a fantastic season, which culminated ultimately in play off defeat for Lincoln again, but saw him named in the League Two Team of the Year, and also caught the attention of a number of bigger clubs.
The lure of playing at a higher level saw McAuley reject Lincoln City's offer of a new contract in the summer of 2006, and he moved on a free transfer to Leicester City.
on 5 June 2006, after reaching the end of his contract at Lincoln, signing a three-year deal. He scored his first senior goal for Leicester on January 17 in a 4–3 defeat to Fulham
in the FA Cup
, and was also on the scoresheet against Ipswich Town
on February 10, heading in both as Leicester won 2–0.
In the 2007–08
season, McAuley was appointed captain in a 0–0 draw against on October 2, 2007, following Stephen Clemence
's injury. He scored his fourth goal on 5 October against Sheffield Wednesday, helping Leicester earn their second only league win of the season, and was then named in the Championship Team of the Week three days later. McAuley is one of three players (DJ Campbell & Carl Cort
) who netted in three goals against in a League Cup
match on October 31 at Stamford Bridge
, but could not prevent his side from losing 4–3.
In January 2008, manager Jim Magilton
made two bids to sign McAuley, but both of these were turned down. Despite signing a new three-and-a-half year deal on 8 February, McAuley decided to leave Leicester following their relegation three months later.
on 18 June 2008 and was named captain for the 08/09 season. The defender got off too a somewhat shakey start, but after settling into the squad, established himself as a commanding leader and consistent defender. McAuley further enhanced his international credentials whilst with the Suffolk team. On 6 November 2010, McAuley played his 100th game for Ipswich Town, in which he scored the winner in a 2–1 win against Sheffield United.
officially announced McAuley would be signing a three year contract (pending a medical) beginning 1 July.
team fixture with Scotland B
on 20 May 2003. Selected in the starting eleven, the team fell to a 2–1 defeat in front of just 1,502 spectators at Firhill Stadium
.
He received his first cap against Germany
as his team lost 4–1 in a friendly match on 4 June 2005.
McAuley contemplated international retirement after being left out of the squad to face Sweden
on 17 October 2007. But on 9 October, Nigel Worthington
recalled him to the squad. McAuley made his comeback against Sweden on October 17, drawing 1–1. He was also part of the squad that defeated Denmark
2–1 in a memorable victory on November 17, keeping the national team's hopes of qualifying for the UEFA Euro 2008. Their hopes were dashed when they lost 1–0 to Spain
in Las Palmas on November 21, finishing third in Group F with twenty points. McAuley scored his first international goal against San Marino
on February 11, 2009.
McAuley was called up to the Northern Ireland squad for the European qualification games against Serbia and Slovenia in March 2011. He scored his second international goal against Serbia, but could not prevent his side losing 2-1. For the second game, against Slovenia, McAuley was named captain for the first time. He led his side to a 0-0 draw, putting in a man of the match display himself at the same time.
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
footballer who plays for West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion F.C.
West Bromwich Albion Football Club, also known as West Brom, The Baggies, The Throstles, Albion or WBA, are an English Premier League association football club based in West Bromwich in the West Midlands...
as a defender
Defender (association football)
Within the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposition from attacking....
.
Early career
Coming from Glenoe outside of Larne and nicknamed "Big G", McAuley began his career at LinfieldLinfield F.C.
Linfield F.C. , is a semi-professional, Northern Irish football club, whose home ground is Windsor Park in Belfast, which is also the home of the Northern Ireland international team....
and spent some time in early 2000 on loan at Ballyclare Comrades
Ballyclare Comrades F.C.
Ballyclare Comrades is an intermediate, Northern Irish football club playing in IFA Championship 2. The club was founded in 1919 by veterans of the 1914–18 War, most of them from "C" Company of the 12th Royal Irish Rifles - a battalion made up entirely of East Antrim men, who fought at the Somme...
. After four years at Linfield, he moved to Crusaders
Crusaders F.C.
Crusaders Football Club is a semi-professional, Northern Irish association football club, playing in the IFA Premiership. The club, founded in 1898, hails from Belfast and plays its home matches at Seaview. Club colours are red and black. The current manager is Stephen Baxter, appointed in 2005...
in the summer of 2000. After two successful seasons, he moved to Coleraine
Coleraine F.C.
Coleraine F.C. is a semi-professional, Northern Irish football club, playing in the IFA Premiership. The club, founded in 1927, hails from Coleraine, County Londonderry and plays its home matches at the Showgrounds. Club colours are blue and white...
. During this period, he worked as a window draftsman.
Lincoln City
In the summer of 2004, McAuley decided the time had come to look for a move into full-time football in the English Football League. After attracting interest from Lincoln CityLincoln City F.C.
Lincoln City Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Lincoln, Lincolnshire. The club are currently members of the Conference National in 2011–12 following relegation from the Football League....
and Stockport County
Stockport County F.C.
Stockport County Football Club is an English football club based in Stockport, Greater Manchester. The club formed in 1883 as Heaton Norris Rovers, shortly afterwards merging with Heaton Norris F.C., and adopted the current name on 24 May 1890 on the creation of the County Borough of Stockport...
he linked up with Edgeley Park
Edgeley Park
Edgeley Park is an association football and rugby union stadium in Stockport, England. The stadium was initially built for the rugby league club Stockport in 1901, but by 1902, the rugby club was defunct and in the same year, Stockport County Football Club, who were looking for a bigger ground,...
based club for a two week trial under the eye of the former Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland national football team
The Northern Ireland national football team represents Northern Ireland in international association football. Before 1921 all of Ireland was represented by a single side, the Ireland national football team, organised by the Irish Football Association...
manager Sammy McIlroy
Sammy McIlroy
Samuel Baxter "Sammy" McIlroy is a former Northern Ireland international footballer whose clubs included Manchester United....
who had given McAuley his first Northern Ireland B
Northern Ireland B national football team
Northern Ireland B is a secondary football team run occasionally as support for the Northern Ireland national football team. Primarily seen as a stepping-stone between the Under-21 and Full international teams, the matches are also used to give a run-out for fringe players and to honour Irish...
call-up. After impressing in his trial, McAuley seemed set to sign for Stockport but talks broke down and he instead joined Lincoln City
Lincoln City F.C.
Lincoln City Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Lincoln, Lincolnshire. The club are currently members of the Conference National in 2011–12 following relegation from the Football League....
on a two-year deal with Coleraine receiving £10,000 for his services. With Lincoln already boasting one of the strongest defences in League Two at the time of McAuley's arrival, he did not walk straight into the first team. His first few appearances for the club were all as a substitute, and often in the role of a target man striker.
However, when Dean West was dropped from the squad and club captain Paul Morgan sidelined with injury, McAuley moved into central defence to partner Ben Futcher. He immediately drew the plaudits for his excellent performances, which included a man of the match display against Derby County. He thereafter battled for a starting centre back roll with fellow giant Jamie McCombe for much of the season.
However, in March 2005, McAuley earnt a starting roll as the right full back, replacing the perpetually out of form fan favourite Matthew Bloomer. He continued to play in this position for the rest of the season, helping Lincoln to the play off final, not just with his exceptional defensive performances, but with 5 goals, including both in a 2–1 aggregate victory over Macclesfield in the play off semi final.
The 2005/2006 season however saw him cement a spot in the centre of the Imps defence. With Ben Futcher leaving on a free transfer to join rivals Boston United, McAuley took his place. He enjoyed a fantastic season, which culminated ultimately in play off defeat for Lincoln again, but saw him named in the League Two Team of the Year, and also caught the attention of a number of bigger clubs.
The lure of playing at a higher level saw McAuley reject Lincoln City's offer of a new contract in the summer of 2006, and he moved on a free transfer to Leicester City.
Leicester City
McAuley signed for Leicester CityLeicester 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...
on 5 June 2006, after reaching the end of his contract at Lincoln, signing a three-year deal. He scored his first senior goal for Leicester on January 17 in a 4–3 defeat to Fulham
Fulham F.C.
Fulham Football Club is a professional English Premier League club based in southwest London Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Founded in 1879, they play in the Premier League, their 11th current season...
in the FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
, and was also on the scoresheet against Ipswich Town
Ipswich Town F.C.
Ipswich Town Football Club are an English professional football team based in Ipswich, Suffolk. As of 2011, they play in the Football League Championship, having last appeared in the Premier League in 2001–02....
on February 10, heading in both as Leicester won 2–0.
2007-08 in English football
The 2007–08 season was the 128th season of competitive football in England.-European competitions:In October 2007 Arsenal equalled the UEFA Champions League record victory with a 7–0 win over Slavia Prague at the Emirates Stadium. The record was broken the following month when Liverpool...
season, McAuley was appointed captain in a 0–0 draw against on October 2, 2007, following Stephen Clemence
Stephen Clemence
Stephen Neal Clemence is a retired English football midfielder who last played for Leicester City where he was team captain....
's injury. He scored his fourth goal on 5 October against Sheffield Wednesday, helping Leicester earn their second only league win of the season, and was then named in the Championship Team of the Week three days later. McAuley is one of three players (DJ Campbell & Carl Cort
Carl Cort
Carl Edward Richard Cort is an Guyanese-English footballer who plays as a forward. Most recently, he played for League One side Brentford until he was released in January 2011....
) who netted in three goals against in a League Cup
Football 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...
match on October 31 at Stamford Bridge
Stamford Bridge (stadium)
Stamford Bridge is a football stadium in Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, West London, and is the home of Chelsea Football Club. The stadium is located within the Moore Park Estate also known as Walham Green and is often referred to as simply The Bridge...
, but could not prevent his side from losing 4–3.
In January 2008, manager Jim Magilton
Jim Magilton
James "Jim" Magilton is a Northern Irish former footballer and manager, who is currently employed as Football Consultant at Shamrock Rovers F.C. after being appointed on 6 July 2011....
made two bids to sign McAuley, but both of these were turned down. Despite signing a new three-and-a-half year deal on 8 February, McAuley decided to leave Leicester following their relegation three months later.
Ipswich Town
McAuley signed for Ipswich TownIpswich Town F.C.
Ipswich Town Football Club are an English professional football team based in Ipswich, Suffolk. As of 2011, they play in the Football League Championship, having last appeared in the Premier League in 2001–02....
on 18 June 2008 and was named captain for the 08/09 season. The defender got off too a somewhat shakey start, but after settling into the squad, established himself as a commanding leader and consistent defender. McAuley further enhanced his international credentials whilst with the Suffolk team. On 6 November 2010, McAuley played his 100th game for Ipswich Town, in which he scored the winner in a 2–1 win against Sheffield United.
West Bromwich Albion
On 23 May 2011, West Bromwich AlbionWest Bromwich Albion F.C.
West Bromwich Albion Football Club, also known as West Brom, The Baggies, The Throstles, Albion or WBA, are an English Premier League association football club based in West Bromwich in the West Midlands...
officially announced McAuley would be signing a three year contract (pending a medical) beginning 1 July.
International career
In May 2003, McAuley received his first senior international call when he was one of five Irish League players named in the squad for the Northern Ireland BNorthern Ireland B national football team
Northern Ireland B is a secondary football team run occasionally as support for the Northern Ireland national football team. Primarily seen as a stepping-stone between the Under-21 and Full international teams, the matches are also used to give a run-out for fringe players and to honour Irish...
team fixture with Scotland B
Scotland B national football team
The Scotland B national football team, controlled by the Scottish Football Association, is a secondary football team of Scotland, run occasionally as support for the Scotland national football team as a second string side to the first team....
on 20 May 2003. Selected in the starting eleven, the team fell to a 2–1 defeat in front of just 1,502 spectators at Firhill Stadium
Firhill Stadium
Firhill Stadium or Firhill Arena is a football, rugby union and rugby league stadium located in the Maryhill area of Glasgow, Scotland. As of 2010 it is the home ground of football club Partick Thistle F.C...
.
He received his first cap against Germany
Germany national football team
The Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900....
as his team lost 4–1 in a friendly match on 4 June 2005.
McAuley contemplated international retirement after being left out of the squad to face Sweden
Sweden national football team
The Swedish national football team represents Sweden in association football and is controlled by the Swedish Football Association, the governing body for Football in Sweden. Sweden's home ground is Råsunda Stadium in Stockholms län and their head coach is Erik Hamrén. Sweden made their first...
on 17 October 2007. But on 9 October, Nigel Worthington
Nigel Worthington
Nigel Worthington is a former Northern Ireland international footballer and manager.He was manager of the Northern Ireland national team from 2007 until after their final Euro 2012 qualifying campaign match against Italy in October 2011.As a player, he was a left full back and occasional left...
recalled him to the squad. McAuley made his comeback against Sweden on October 17, drawing 1–1. He was also part of the squad that defeated Denmark
Denmark national football team
The Denmark national football team represents Denmark in association football and is controlled by the Danish Football Association , the governing body for the football clubs which are organized under DBU...
2–1 in a memorable victory on November 17, keeping the national team's hopes of qualifying for the UEFA Euro 2008. Their hopes were dashed when they lost 1–0 to Spain
Spain national football team
The Spain national football team represents Spain in international association football and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain. The current head coach is Vicente del Bosque...
in Las Palmas on November 21, finishing third in Group F with twenty points. McAuley scored his first international goal against San Marino
San Marino national football team
The San Marino national football team is the national football team of San Marino, controlled by the San Marino Football Federation...
on February 11, 2009.
McAuley was called up to the Northern Ireland squad for the European qualification games against Serbia and Slovenia in March 2011. He scored his second international goal against Serbia, but could not prevent his side losing 2-1. For the second game, against Slovenia, McAuley was named captain for the first time. He led his side to a 0-0 draw, putting in a man of the match display himself at the same time.
International goals
Scores and results list Northern Ireland's goal tally first.| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11 February 2009 | Serravalle, San Marino San Marino San Marino, officially the Republic of San Marino , is a state situated on the Italian Peninsula on the eastern side of the Apennine Mountains. It is an enclave surrounded by Italy. Its size is just over with an estimated population of over 30,000. Its capital is the City of San Marino... |
1–0 | 3–0 | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification The qualification competition for the 2010 FIFA World Cup was a series of tournaments organised by the six FIFA confederations. Each confederation — the AFC , CAF , CONCACAF , CONMEBOL , OFC , and UEFA — was allocated a certain number of the 32 places at the tournament... |
|
| 2 | 25 March 2011 | Stadion Crvena Zvezda Stadion Crvena Zvezda The Red Star Stadium is a multi-use stadium in Belgrade, Serbia. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home stadium of Red Star Belgrade. The stadium is all-seated and the capacity is 51,328. It was opened in 1963 after construction which had started three years... , Serbia Serbia Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans... |
1–0 | 1-2 | UEFA Euro 2012 Qualification UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying The qualifying competition for UEFA Euro 2012 is a series of parallel association football competitions held over 2010 and 2011 to decide the qualifiers for UEFA Euro 2012, to be held in Poland and Ukraine... |