Will Hoskins
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| Will Hoskins | ||
| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full name | William Richard Hoskins | |
| Date of birth | May 6, 1986 | |
| Place of birth | Nottingham, England | |
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | |
| Playing position | Striker | |
| Club information | ||
| Current club | Watford | |
| Number | 22 | |
| Senior clubs1 | ||
| Years | Club | App (Gls)* |
| 2004–2007 2007– 2007 2008 |
Rotherham United Watford → Millwall (loan) → Nottingham Forest (loan) |
73 (23) 10 (0) 10 (2) 2 (0) |
| National team2 | ||
| 2004 2004 2005 |
England U18 England U19 England U20 |
1 (0) 1 (0) 3 (0) |
|
1 Senior club appearances and goals |
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William Richard "Will" Hoskins (born 6 May 1986 in Nottingham) is an English football striker who is currently playing for Watford.
He came through the youth scheme at Rotherham United and has represented England at many levels up to Under 20.
Contents |
[edit] Career
[edit] Rotherham United
Hoskins was heralded as a talent when at just 17 he came into the first team fold at Rotherham and made an impact scoring both goals in a 2-1 win at Wigan Athletic in December 2003. However, he had a stop start early career, only making one start under managers Ronnie Moore and subsequently Mick Harford.
Alan Knill took over as manager half way through the 2005-06 season, with the Millers half-way through their first campaign back in League One and saved the club from a second successive relegation. As youth coach Knill brought Hoskins up through the youth ranks at Milmoor and handed 12 further starts that season. Hoskins reciprocated the faith shown in him by being the only one of six out-of-contract players at the end of the 2005-06 season to sign an immediate contract renewal. Knill offered the youngster an initial one year deal, stating that should Will prove himself in the first team, he would be rewarded with a new contract before Christmas.
Hoskins had an excellent 2006-07 pre-season alongside his new strike partner Delroy Facey, notably scoring twice against Scottish Cup finalists Gretna. However, he suffered a slight injury before the first match of the season and Dave Hibbert had to step up to take his place. Hoskins returned to the squad less than a week later, coming on as a second half substitute against Huddersfield Town. The following week he came off the bench to score the winner against Blackpool, securing his place in the starting eleven for the Millers. He was in the team consistently, but never had a regular strike partner due to injuries.
By the end of December he had scored 15 goals in 22 appearances - 7 of those in successive away games - making him the third highest scorer in League One.[1] Due to his consistent excellent performances he was awarded the Player of the Month award in October and was valued at an estimated £750,000+ by The Guardian.
[edit] Watford
After turning down a contract extension, Hoskins signed for Premier League club Watford along with teammate Lee Williamson on 5 January 2007 for a combined fee of £1.2million. He made his debut on 13 January 2007[2] after coming off the bench against Liverpool. He struggled to make an impact at Waford in the 2007-08 campaign, making only three appearances. He did move on loan to League One side Millwall in September 2007, where he made 12 appearances, netting four goals in his spell. He then returned to Watford and after months of speculation, he signed for Nottingham Forest.
[edit] Nottingham Forest
After months of speculation, Will Hoskins finally completed his transfer to Nottingham Forest on February 8, 2008, joining The Reds on loan for the rest of the season, with Forest having the option of signing Hoskins permanently in the summer for £500,000, if he impresses boss Colin Calderwood. He made his debut in a 2-0 win over Millwall at the City Ground and impressed in his first two games in a Reds shirt, being credited for his liveliness and willingness to work hard.
He endured a frustrating spell on the sidelines with a troublesome back injury, and with Brett Ormerod joining from Preston North End, Hoskins returned to Watford.
[edit] England Youth
Hoskins made an immediate impact when first introduced into the England U-18 squad, setting up the winning goal against Sweden on 29 April 2004.[3] He made his full first team debut for the International U20's side in the 4–0 defeat to Russia on 16 August 2005 in Moscow.
[edit] References
- ^ League 1 Top Scorers
- ^ Tactical Formation. Football-Lineups.com. Retrieved on January 20, 2007.
- ^ England U19 vs Sweden report
[edit] External links
- Will Hoskins profile at watfordfc.co.uk
- Will Hoskins profile at millwallfc.co.uk
- Will Hoskins career stats at Soccerbase
- Guardian Player Review
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