Matthew Kilgallon
Encyclopedia
Matthew Shaun Kilgallon (born 8 January 1984 in York
) is an English
professional footballer
currently playing for Sunderland
. He is a central defender who can also operate at left back.
set-up. Once Leeds had dropped to the Championship, Killa (his nickname from his team mates) began to make more appearances and held down a more regular place in the 1st eleven. In his first season in the championship, Kilgallon was mainly playing centre back with Paul Butler
and Sean Gregan
the main centre back partnership. Kilgallon also displaced Clarke Carlisle
and Michael Duberry
in the pecking order. He played a major role in the club's run through to the 2006 championship play-offs, helping them make the final. Which Leeds lost 3–0 against Watford.
Kilgallon played most of Leeds's matches of the first half of the 2006–07 season under Kevin Blackwell
and new manager Dennis Wise
's new look Leeds team, keeping experienced centre-backs Paul Butler
, Sean Gregan
and Hayden Foxe
out of the team. Leeds were struggling both on and off the pitch and Kilgallon was also losing form.
Having been the subject of a failed £1 million bid from Premiership
side Reading
at the start of the 2006–07 season, but Leeds insisted he was not for sale, he was finally transferred to Sheffield United during that seasons January transfer window with Leeds needing the funds.
’s plans and did not make his first team debut until the 1–0 loss at Bolton on 31 March of that year.
Having been used sparingly in the Premiership, Kilgallon fared better in the Championship and under new management. Having become first choice in the centre of defence he still had to wait until December 2007 to score a goal for the Blades when he netted the winner in a 1–0 home victory over local rivals Barnsley
. The following season he was virtually ever present in the Blades first team, his importance being highlighted when he was voted Sheffield United Player of the Season at the end of the 2008–09 season
.
Kilgallon started the next season as regular first choice in defence once more, but with his contract due to expire the following summer he rejected new terms with the club meaning his future was dogged by speculation throughout the year. At the turn of the year however, Kilgallon announced that he intended to remain at Bramall Lane and see out the remainder of his contract and rejected a move to Premiership Burnley
.
on 21 January 2010 on a three and a half year contract. He made his debut in a 2–0 loss to Everton on 27 January 2010. Kilgallon struggled to make an impact during Sunderland's dismal winless run until a Man of the Match performance against Hull City
on 24 April, his first start in months.
on loan for the rest of the 2010–11 season.
on loan for the rest of the season on 12 January 2011.
York
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
) is an English
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...
professional footballer
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
currently playing for 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...
. He is a central defender who can also operate at left back.
Leeds United
A product of the youth set-up at Leeds, Kilgallon first made a senior appearance for Leeds in 2004, scoring two goals that season and working his way into the England Under-21England 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....
set-up. Once Leeds had dropped to the Championship, Killa (his nickname from his team mates) began to make more appearances and held down a more regular place in the 1st eleven. In his first season in the championship, Kilgallon was mainly playing centre back with Paul Butler
Paul Butler
Paul Butler may refer to:* Paul Butler , actor in Crime Story * Paul Butler , Canadian artist* Paul Butler , British-born Canadian novelist...
and Sean Gregan
Sean Gregan
Sean Matthew Gregan is an English professional footballer. A defender, he has played in all of the top four leagues in England.- Early career :...
the main centre back partnership. Kilgallon also displaced Clarke Carlisle
Clarke Carlisle
Clarke James Carlisle is an English professional footballer who plays as a central defender for Football League One side Preston North End, on loan from Burnley. Born in Preston, he began playing football at a young age, taking inspiration from his father who played semi-professionally. Carlisle...
and Michael Duberry
Michael Duberry
Michael Wayne Duberry is an English footballer who plays for League Two club Oxford United. He started his career with Premier League side Chelsea and also played for Leeds United, Reading, Stoke City, Bournemouth and St...
in the pecking order. He played a major role in the club's run through to the 2006 championship play-offs, helping them make the final. Which Leeds lost 3–0 against Watford.
Kilgallon played most of Leeds's matches of the first half of the 2006–07 season under 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:...
and new manager Dennis Wise
Dennis Wise
Dennis Frank Wise is an English former football manager and player, and former Executive Director at Newcastle United....
's new look Leeds team, keeping experienced centre-backs Paul Butler
Paul Butler
Paul Butler may refer to:* Paul Butler , actor in Crime Story * Paul Butler , Canadian artist* Paul Butler , British-born Canadian novelist...
, Sean Gregan
Sean Gregan
Sean Matthew Gregan is an English professional footballer. A defender, he has played in all of the top four leagues in England.- Early career :...
and Hayden Foxe
Hayden Foxe
Hayden Vernon Foxe is a former Australian football player. He last played with A-League club Sydney FC.-Europe:...
out of the team. Leeds were struggling both on and off the pitch and Kilgallon was also losing form.
Having been the subject of a failed £1 million bid from Premiership
FA Premier League
The Premier League is an English professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the English football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with The Football League. The Premier...
side Reading
Reading F.C.
Reading Football Club is an English association football club based in the town of Reading, Berkshire who currently play in the Championship...
at the start of the 2006–07 season, but Leeds insisted he was not for sale, he was finally transferred to Sheffield United during that seasons January transfer window with Leeds needing the funds.
Sheffield United
Kilgallon signed for Sheffield United on 8 January 2007 for £1.75 million rising to £2 million and with a 20% sell on clause. Despite recovering from an early injury he found it difficult to force himself into Neil WarnockNeil Warnock
Neil Warnock is an English former footballer who is currently manager of English Premier League club Queens Park Rangers....
’s plans and did not make his first team debut until the 1–0 loss at Bolton on 31 March of that year.
Having been used sparingly in the Premiership, Kilgallon fared better in the Championship and under new management. Having become first choice in the centre of defence he still had to wait until December 2007 to score a goal for the Blades when he netted the winner in a 1–0 home victory over local rivals 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...
. The following season he was virtually ever present in the Blades first team, his importance being highlighted when he was voted Sheffield United Player of the Season at the end of the 2008–09 season
2008–09 in English football
The 2008–09 season was the 129th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:* West Bromwich Albion, Stoke City and Hull City were all playing in the Premier League after winning promotion from the Championship last season. Stoke returned to the top flight after a 23-year absence, while...
.
Kilgallon started the next season as regular first choice in defence once more, but with his contract due to expire the following summer he rejected new terms with the club meaning his future was dogged by speculation throughout the year. At the turn of the year however, Kilgallon announced that he intended to remain at Bramall Lane and see out the remainder of his contract and rejected a move to Premiership 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...
.
Sunderland
Kilgallon signed for SunderlandSunderland 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...
on 21 January 2010 on a three and a half year contract. He made his debut in a 2–0 loss to Everton on 27 January 2010. Kilgallon struggled to make an impact during Sunderland's dismal winless run until a Man of the Match performance against Hull City
Hull City A.F.C.
Hull City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, founded in 1904. The club participates in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football...
on 24 April, his first start in months.
Middlesbrough
On 20 August, he joined MiddlesbroughMiddlesbrough 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...
on loan for the rest of the 2010–11 season.
Doncaster Rovers
After failing to make an impression at Middlesbrough, Kilgallon joined Doncaster RoversDoncaster 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 loan for the rest of the season on 12 January 2011.
Statistics
| Club | Season | League The Football League The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football... |
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... |
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... |
Europe Europe Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting... |
Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| App | Goals | App | Goals | App | Goals | App | Goals | App | Goals | ||
| 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... |
2009–10 | 21 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 1 |
| 2008–09 | 40 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 46 | 1 | |
| 2007–08 | 40 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 46 | 2 | |
| 2006–07 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | |
| Leeds United | 2006–07 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 0 |
| 2005–06 | 25 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 1 | |
| 2004–05 | 26 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 0 | |
| 2003–04 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 2 | |
| West Ham 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... (loan) |
2003–04 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Leeds United Leeds 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... |
2002–03 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Total | 170 | 6 | 10 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 195 | 7 | |
| Last updated 7 August 2009 | |||||||||||
Honours
External links
- Matthew Kilgallon player profile at sufc.co.uk