Steve Davies (footballer)
Encyclopedia
Steven Gary "Steve" Davies (born 29 December 1987 in Liverpool
, England
) is an English footballer who currently plays as a striker for Derby County
.
, making his first team debut at the age of 17 on the 12 August 2005 in a 4–0 victory against Oldham Athletic. He went on to make another 25 appearances in all competitions (the majority as substitute) during the 2005–06 season
, scoring twice.
Though initially established as a striker, lack of starting opportunities due to the form of Chris Greenacre
saw him switch to the left wing from which he scored his first goal of the 2006–07 season
in Tranmere's victory over Blackpool
. Davies impressed on the wing and made 33 appearances, though he only scored once.
Following an impressive performance against them on the opening day of the 2007–08 season
, Leeds United unsuccessfully attempted to sign the winger on three separate occasions, though a statement on the Tranmere
website on 29 August 2007 saw manager Ronnie Moore
refuse to rule out that a deal might eventually be made, though nothing eventually came of Leeds interest. Davies was involved in all 10 of Tranmere's opening fixtures but missed the majoirty of the rest of the campaign through injury, only returning to the side in April 2008 for the 2–0 home defeat against Forest
. Davies finished the season with 12 appearances and two goals.
Davies contract with Tranmere expired at the close of the 2007–08 season
season and he attracted the interest of Championship
side Derby
, with Rams manager Paul Jewell
willing to go to a tribunal to secure his services.
Davies scored his first goal for Derby County
on 16 July 2008 in a pre season friendly against Burton Albion, taking on 3 players before driving it into the bottom corner with his right foot. He made his competitive first team debut against Doncaster Rovers on 9 August 2008 replacing Andrejs Perepļotkins
in the 64th minute, before making his first start against Lincoln City
on 12 August 2008 in the 3–1 Carling Cup victory. He scored his first goal against Birmingham City on 30 September 2008, equalising in the closing minutes by getting on the end of a Nacer Barazite
free kick to earn a 1–1 draw. He scored the winning goal in the F.A. Cup tie against Forest Green Rovers from the penalty spot to seal a 4–3 win before again scoring from the penalty spot against local rivals Nottingham Forest in a game which Derby won 3–1. Davies' fourth goal for the club came in the 84th minute away at Southampton where he salvaged a 1–1 draw for the Rams. At the end of March 2009, he suffered a hairline fracture of the fifth metatarsal in his right foot and was ruled out for the rest of the season.
Davies enjoyed a successful 2009/10 pre season for Derby, scoring four goals in as many games, prompting manager Nigel Clough
to challenge to maintain the form and claim a first team spot heading into the new season. Despite starting in the first team, a succession of injuries meant that Davies only played in two matches between the end of August 2009 and January 2010. After returning to the side in a 1–1 draw away to Millwall
in the FA Cup third round on 2 January 2010, Davies embarked on a run of five consecutive appearances, though four were as substitute, his best run of matches since March 2009, and netted twice – the equaliser in the Third Round replay against Millwall
and a penalty in a 3–0 win at Peterborough United
. Following this run, however, his fitness problems returned and he made four starts in the next seventeen fixtures and, after a late substitute appearance against Crystal Palace
in the penultimate home fixture of the campaign, the club announced Davies was to undergo ankle surgery which ruled him out until 1 June. Davies finished the season with just 8 starts and 13 substitute appearances from Derby's 51 league and cup game programme, scoring twice. Clough stated his intent to improve Davies conditioning for the 2010/11 season, stating "He will be back in training on 1 June, four weeks before everybody else." Davies subsequently damaged his cruciate ligaments in pre-season training and was ruled out for a further six months. Davies returned to the side in the final game of 2010, making a substitute appearance in a 5–2 defeat at Nottingham Forest
. Two months later, Davies signed a one-year contract extension which will keep him at the club until the summer of 2012. He scored his third goal of the season as Derby beat Swansea 2–1 on the 12 March 2011. Davies finished the season of with 5 league goals, the joint second top scorer with Alberto Bueno
& Jamie Ward
, with the three being behind leading scorer Kris Commons
who netted 13 times.
After a full pre-season schedule, Davies started in Derby's starting line-up and netted five times in his first eight league games, including the winner over Birmingham City
and Watford
as Derby found themselves in the top four for the majority of the opening 12 games of the season. Davies was displaying his best form in his three years at Derby before an innocuous looking clash of heads in the 1-1 home draw with league leaders Southampton
left Davies ruled out for 12 weeks after it left him with 10 metal plates in his skull. The injury meant that Davies had had six operation in his three years at Pride Park, following treatment for a fractured eye-socket and cheekbone, cruciate ligament damage in his knee, an ankle problem, a broken foot, hamstring, groin and hernia problems, and an infected big toe. It meant Davies had played a role in just 78 of Derby's 169 games (46%) during his time at the club, despite being considered a first-team player by most commentators.
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, 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...
) is an English footballer who currently plays as a striker for Derby County
Derby County F.C.
Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...
.
Tranmere Rovers
Davies came through the youth ranks at Tranmere RoversTranmere Rovers F.C.
Tranmere Rovers Football Club are an English team based in Birkenhead, Wirral. The club currently compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system...
, making his first team debut at the age of 17 on the 12 August 2005 in a 4–0 victory against Oldham Athletic. He went on to make another 25 appearances in all competitions (the majority as substitute) during the 2005–06 season
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...
, scoring twice.
Though initially established as a striker, lack of starting opportunities due to the form of Chris Greenacre
Chris Greenacre
Chris Greenacre is an English footballer who plays as a striker for Wellington Phoenix in the A-League.-Club career:...
saw him switch to the left wing from which he scored his first goal of 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...
in Tranmere's victory over Blackpool
Blackpool F.C.
Blackpool Football Club are an English football club founded in 1887 from the Lancashire seaside town of Blackpool. They are competing in the 2011–12 season of the The Championship, the second tier of professional football in England, having been relegated from the Premier League at the end of the...
. Davies impressed on the wing and made 33 appearances, though he only scored once.
Following an impressive performance against them on the opening day of the 2007–08 season
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...
, Leeds United unsuccessfully attempted to sign the winger on three separate occasions, though a statement on the Tranmere
Tranmere Rovers F.C.
Tranmere Rovers Football Club are an English team based in Birkenhead, Wirral. The club currently compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system...
website on 29 August 2007 saw manager Ronnie Moore
Ronnie Moore
Ronald David "Ronnie" Moore is an English football manager and former player. He is considered one of the greatest Rotherham United players of all time, and is also considered the best manager Rotherham United have ever had, becoming a club legend. and went on to manage the Millers for seven years...
refuse to rule out that a deal might eventually be made, though nothing eventually came of Leeds interest. Davies was involved in all 10 of Tranmere's opening fixtures but missed the majoirty of the rest of the campaign through injury, only returning to the side in April 2008 for the 2–0 home defeat against 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...
. Davies finished the season with 12 appearances and two goals.
Davies contract with Tranmere expired at the close of the 2007–08 season
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 and he attracted the interest of 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...
side Derby
Derby County F.C.
Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...
, with Rams manager Paul Jewell
Paul Jewell
Paul Steven Jewell is a former English footballer who is currently the manager of Ipswich Town.His playing career started with Liverpool before moving to Wigan Athletic and then a ten-year spell with Bradford City...
willing to go to a tribunal to secure his services.
Derby County
Davies signed a three year deal with Derby on 12 June 2008. As the two clubs could not agree a fee for Davies, on the 26th August 2008 a tribunal ordered Derby to pay Tranmere up to £725,000 in compensation. This figure comprises an initial fee of £275,000, an extra £250,000 based on appearances and an additional £200,000 if Derby win promotion to the Premiership within 3 years.Davies scored his first goal for Derby County
Derby County F.C.
Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...
on 16 July 2008 in a pre season friendly against Burton Albion, taking on 3 players before driving it into the bottom corner with his right foot. He made his competitive first team debut against Doncaster Rovers on 9 August 2008 replacing Andrejs Perepļotkins
Andrejs Pereplotkins
Andrejs Perepļotkins , is a Ukrainian born - Latvian footballer, who plays primarily as a right winger for Nasaf Qarshi in the Uzbek League.Although born in Ukraine, he plays internationally for Latvia...
in the 64th minute, before making his first start against 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 12 August 2008 in the 3–1 Carling Cup victory. He scored his first goal against Birmingham City on 30 September 2008, equalising in the closing minutes by getting on the end of a Nacer Barazite
Nacer Barazite
Nacer Barazite is a Dutch footballer of Moroccan descent who plays for Austria Wien. Barazite can play as either an attacking midfielder or striker.-Club career:...
free kick to earn a 1–1 draw. He scored the winning goal in the F.A. Cup tie against Forest Green Rovers from the penalty spot to seal a 4–3 win before again scoring from the penalty spot against local rivals Nottingham Forest in a game which Derby won 3–1. Davies' fourth goal for the club came in the 84th minute away at Southampton where he salvaged a 1–1 draw for the Rams. At the end of March 2009, he suffered a hairline fracture of the fifth metatarsal in his right foot and was ruled out for the rest of the season.
Davies enjoyed a successful 2009/10 pre season for Derby, scoring four goals in as many games, prompting manager Nigel Clough
Nigel Clough
Nigel Howard Clough is an English former footballer and the current manager of Derby County. Playing predominately as a striker, but later in his career was used as a midfielder, Clough was capped by England 14 times in the early 1990s....
to challenge to maintain the form and claim a first team spot heading into the new season. Despite starting in the first team, a succession of injuries meant that Davies only played in two matches between the end of August 2009 and January 2010. After returning to the side in a 1–1 draw away to Millwall
Millwall F.C.
Millwall Football Club is an English professional football club based in South Bermondsey, south east London, that plays in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football. Founded as Millwall Rovers in 1885, the club has retained its name despite having last played in the...
in the FA Cup third round on 2 January 2010, Davies embarked on a run of five consecutive appearances, though four were as substitute, his best run of matches since March 2009, and netted twice – the equaliser in the Third Round replay against Millwall
Millwall F.C.
Millwall Football Club is an English professional football club based in South Bermondsey, south east London, that plays in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football. Founded as Millwall Rovers in 1885, the club has retained its name despite having last played in the...
and a penalty in a 3–0 win at Peterborough United
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...
. Following this run, however, his fitness problems returned and he made four starts in the next seventeen fixtures and, after a late substitute appearance against Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace F.C.
Crystal Palace Football Club are an English Football league club based in South Norwood, London. The team plays its home matches at Selhurst Park, where they have been based since 1924. The club currently competes in the second tier of English Football, The Championship.Crystal Palace was formed in...
in the penultimate home fixture of the campaign, the club announced Davies was to undergo ankle surgery which ruled him out until 1 June. Davies finished the season with just 8 starts and 13 substitute appearances from Derby's 51 league and cup game programme, scoring twice. Clough stated his intent to improve Davies conditioning for the 2010/11 season, stating "He will be back in training on 1 June, four weeks before everybody else." Davies subsequently damaged his cruciate ligaments in pre-season training and was ruled out for a further six months. Davies returned to the side in the final game of 2010, making a substitute appearance in a 5–2 defeat at 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...
. Two months later, Davies signed a one-year contract extension which will keep him at the club until the summer of 2012. He scored his third goal of the season as Derby beat Swansea 2–1 on the 12 March 2011. Davies finished the season of with 5 league goals, the joint second top scorer with Alberto Bueno
Alberto Bueno
Alberto Bueno Calvo is a Spanish footballer who plays for Real Valladolid. He mainly operates as a second striker, but can also appear as a left winger.-Real Madrid:...
& Jamie Ward
Jamie Ward
Jamie John Ward is an English-born Northern Irish international professional footballer, who plays as a midfielder or forward for Derby County...
, with the three being behind leading scorer Kris Commons
Kris Commons
Kris Commons is an English-born Scottish footballer who currently plays as a left winger for Scottish Premier League club Celtic and the Scotland national team...
who netted 13 times.
After a full pre-season schedule, Davies started in Derby's starting line-up and netted five times in his first eight league games, including the winner over 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...
and Watford
Watford F.C.
Watford Football Club is an English professional football club based in Watford, Hertfordshire. It is often referred to as Watford F.C., Watford, or by the team's nickname The Hornets . Watford Rovers, Founded in 1881, entered the FA Cup for the first time in 1886, and the Southern League a decade...
as Derby found themselves in the top four for the majority of the opening 12 games of the season. Davies was displaying his best form in his three years at Derby before an innocuous looking clash of heads in the 1-1 home draw with league leaders 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...
left Davies ruled out for 12 weeks after it left him with 10 metal plates in his skull. The injury meant that Davies had had six operation in his three years at Pride Park, following treatment for a fractured eye-socket and cheekbone, cruciate ligament damage in his knee, an ankle problem, a broken foot, hamstring, groin and hernia problems, and an infected big toe. It meant Davies had played a role in just 78 of Derby's 169 games (46%) during his time at the club, despite being considered a first-team player by most commentators.