Joel Porter

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Personal information
Joel Porter

Full name	Joel Porter
Date of birth	25 December 1978
Place of birth	Sydney, Australia
Height	5'9" (175cm)
Nickname	Skippy
Playing position	Striker
Club information
Current club	Hartlepool United
Number	9
Senior clubs¹
Years	Club	App (Gls)*
1998–1999 2000–2002 20002–2003 2003–Present	West Adelaide Melbourne Knights Sydney Olympic Hartlepool United Total	20 (3) 56 (24) 32 (8) 90 (24)
National team²
2003–Present	Australia	4 (6)
¹ Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 09:10, 25 November 2006 (UTC). ² National team caps and goals correct as of 09:10, 25 November 2006 (UTC). * Appearances (Goals)

Joel Porter (born 25 December 1978) is an Australian football (soccer) player who plays as a striker for Hartlepool United in Football League Two.

Before joining Hartlepool United, Joel Porter had previously played for West Adelaide, Melbourne Knights and Sydney Olympic. During his final season at Sydney Olympic Joel Porter managed to score 6 goals in 19 starts, having played many of those matches as a midfielder. Joel Porter also represented Australia in the 2002 Oceania Cup where he went on to make 5 appearances for the Socceroos, scoring 4 goals in the process and finished as his country’s top scorer. Joel was gifted the chance to play in the tournament as Soccer Australia couldn’t afford to fund for its big overseas stars to play.

Joel decided to look to Europe in a bid to find a club. Joel almost signed for Rayo Vallecano but the Spanish La Liga club were unprepared to take a gamble by signing him after doubts arouse over his fitness. After previously having trails in England with Wigan Athletic and being offered a trial with Sunderland before visa problems prevented it, Joel finally signed for Hartlepool.

Joel Porter made his Hartlepool debut against Swindon Town and scored his first goal against Burton Albion shortly afterwards during a live televised FA Cup match. Hartlepool manager Neale Cooper decided to offer him an 18-month contract at the end of 2003. However Joel struggled to score in his first season and only notched up 5 goals in 31 appearances. Joel’s fifth goal for the club was perhaps one of the most important as it earned Hartlepool a draw in the first leg of the play-off semi-final against Bristol City.

During the following 2004/2005 season, Porter became a fan favourite and was a massive success. After a slow start he forced his way into the team after coming on as a substitute against Doncaster Rovers and scoring two late goals. This earned him a place alongside Adam Boyd in the Hartlepool line-up. He then went on to notch 14 goals in 37 appearances. Joel’s performances earned him the Hartlepool United’s Fans’ Player of the Year award. His performances attracted the attention of a host of Australian clubs such as Perth Glory who wanted to see him return home to play in the newly formed A-League. However in July 2005 Joel signed an extension to his contact.

In the 2005/06 season, Joel Porter struggled with a long-term knee injury that lasted 10 months and prevented him from playing for the majority of the season. Porter returned to Hartlepool squad after 10 months injured and came on as a substitute against Huddersfield, scoring after 6 minutes to mark his return. However, his return could not prevent Hartlepool from being relegated from Football League One.