David Forde
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David Forde (born December 20, 1979 in Galway, Republic of Ireland) is an Irish football (soccer) player currently with English Championship club Cardiff City F.C.
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[edit] Career
At an early age, Forde showed huge promise as a goalkeeper and was rewarded, as a teenager, with a move to Welsh side Barry Town. Here, he continued to show his potential as an excellent shot stopper and in February 2002, he turned down an offer from Portsmouth F.C. to join West Ham United for a fee of £75,000. Forde initially had a trial at Upton Park before earning a professional contract. He was recommended to the 'Hammers' by Barry Town boss Kenny Brown, a former West Ham player.
Initially, Forde had ambitions of "looking to make the first team" at a time when David James was firmly established as England's World Cup number one, however, the signing of Raimond van der Gouw in the summer of 2002 pushed him further down the pecking order. At the start of the 2002/2003 season, manager Glenn Roeder made Forde available for loan and it was then when Forde first joined Derry City F.C. After spending the season on loan at The Brandywell, Forde moved back to his hometown and signed for League of Ireland First Division side Galway United. It was here, that Forde built a fine reputation in Irish football circles and his form earned him a permanent move back to Derry City F.C. for the 2005 season. During this season and the next, he was ever present for 'City', consistently producing excellent performances and helping them to a second place finish in the League of Ireland Premier Division on both occasions. He also helped the club win the FAI Cup on 03 December 2006.
On 05 December 2006, it was announced that Forde had signed a 2 and a half-year contract with Championship side Cardiff City F.C. following the expiry of his contract with Derry City. He stated that the move back to Wales, where he began his career, was "a dream come true". He hopes to challenge Neil Alexander for the number one spot immediately, with an international spot surely not too far away.
Even after he left Derry City for Cardiff City F.C. his contributions during the 2006 season were recognised by eircom and the Soccer Writers Association of Ireland who, together, nominated him for their 'Goalkeeper of the Year' award on 13 December.
[edit] Trivia
Contrary to popular belief, Forde is not a former Welsh under-21 international. Forde stated, "I'm not sure where that came from, but it's wrong," and continued: "That story started a long time ago when I played for Barry Town and seems to have stuck. I even read that I have a Welsh grandmother, but that's not right. Don't get me wrong because I love it here in Wales, but I am only qualified to play for the Republic of Ireland."[1]
[edit] References
- ^ "Forde is focused on club and country", South Wales Echo, 2006-12-16.
[edit] External links
| Cardiff City F.C. - Current Squad |
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1 Alexander | 2 Gilbert | 3 McNaughton | 5 Purse | 6 Loovens | 7 Whittingham | 8 Chopra | 9 Thompson | 10 McPhail | 11 Parry | 12 Johnson | 14 Flood | 15 Forde | 16 Ledley | 17 Cooper | 19 Scimeca | 20 Campbell | 23 Margetson | 25 Redan | 26 Ferretti | 27 Byrne | 29 Easter | 31 Allison | 34 McCoubrey | 35 Walton | 36 Green | 40 Blake | 44 Gunter | –– Simmonds | Manager: Jones |
