| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Christopher John Porter | ||
| Date of birth | 12 December 1983 | ||
| Place of birth | Wigan, England | ||
| Height | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||
| Playing position | Striker | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Sheffield United | ||
| Number | 21 | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2003–2005 | Bury | 71 | (18) |
| 2005–2007 | Oldham Athletic | 66 | (28) |
| 2007–2009 | Motherwell | 59 | (23) |
| 2009–2011 | Derby County | 44 | (9) |
| 2011– | Sheffield United | 20 | (5) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 15:00, 2 January 2012 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals). |
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Christopher John "Chris" Porter (born 12 December 1983 in Wigan, England) is an English footballer, who currently plays for Sheffield United. Born in Wigan, England he has also played for Bury, Oldham Athletic, Motherwell and Derby County.
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Porter started his career at Bury, where his form alerted Oldham Athletic who signed him for a fee of £150,000 after going to a tribunal in 2005. The move proved a successful one and he finished the 2006–07 season with 22 League One goals, taking Oldham into the playoffs. However, with Porter's contract was expiring his exploits earned attention from Scotland and there was controversy surrounding Porter when, in June 2007, Dundee United offered Porter a contract. This angered Oldham, who argued that, as under FIFA directives, they would be entitled to a transfer fee as the player was not moving abroad, as the player is under 24 years old. However, a transfer to Scotland was regarded as a "cross-border transfer" by FIFA and they decreed that no fee would be payable, with Dundee United chairman Eddie Thompson pointing out that his club has breached no rules in doing this, and were acting in a proper manner. Despite all this, on 27 June 2007, Dundee United announced they would not be signing Porter as he had turned down the move.
Porter instead opted to join Motherwell on 3 July 2007[1] and his debut season with them proved to be a huge success. Porter scored 15 league goals, finishing as the club's top goalscorer and joint third highest in the league, helping Motherwell finish third, seven points clear of fourth placed Aberdeen and qualify for the 2008/09 Uefa Cup. Porter had a successful start to the 2008/09 season, hitting 9 goals in the first half of the season, but Motherwell's disappointing league form saw him linked with a move back to England in the 2009 January transfer window, including to clubs such as Sheffield United, Nottingham Forest and Cardiff City. Motherwell manager Mark McGhee then went on to claim that he would not keep Porter at the club if he wished to continue his career elsewhere. At the end of January it was revealed that Porter was on the verge of a £425,000 move to Football League Championship side Cardiff City,[2] but the move was hijacked by Derby County, who signed the player for an undisclosed fee (believed to be around £400,000) a couple of days later.[3] During his time at Motherwell, Porter scored 27 goals in 65 games in all competitions.
Porter was new Derby manager Nigel Clough's first signing and joined on a 2½ year deal which took him through until the end of the 2010/11 season. His début came as a 69th minute substitute in a 3–0 win at Plymouth Argyle on February 7, 2009.[4] His first goals for the club came on his 200th career league appearance, as he grabbed a brace on his full home début in a 2–2 draw with Swansea City on March 3, 2009.[5] He grabbed his third four days later, scoring after just 52 seconds against Bristol City in a 2–1 win,[6] but it proved to be his last meaningful contribution of the 2008–09 campaign as a hip injury ruled him out for the remainder of the season.[7] Porter returned to take part in the 2009–10 pre-season, including scoring the winner in a 1–0 win at Burton Albion[8] but aggravated the injury in training in the summer and was ruled out for 9 months after undergoing hip impingement surgery.[7] He returned to the side in a 0–0 draw away to Preston North End on 8 December 2009[9] and scored his first of the season four days later with the header in a 1–0 win away to Watford, the club's first League away win for 9 months.[10] Porter appeared regularly for Derby through the rest of the campaign as Derby battled relegation, making 10 starts and 12 substitute appearances, scoring three times.[7]
Porter made his first start of the 2010–11 campaign in a League Cup tie away to Crewe Alexandra in August 2010 but picked up another injury.[11] After substitute appearances in the next two games, the hip injury ruled Porter out for the next 3 months before he returned to the side with a series of substitute appearances throughout December 2010. After a run of six defeats in seven fixtures, Porter was handed his first league start of the season on New Year's Day 2011 away to Preston North End and scored twice in a 2-1 Derby victory.[12] Porter's final start of the season came on February 26, 2011 against Sheffield United and he featured only twice as a substitute after this, with loanees Jamie Ward and Theo Robinson often preferred as Derby's forward line. Approaching the end of his contract, questions were raised on Porter's future at the club when he failed to make the 18 man squad for a home fixture against Swansea City, with academy product Callum Ball being preferred to him on the bench, despite Porter being fully fit,[13] which saw him linked with a move to Sheffield United.[14] Derby County subsequently confirmed that Porter would not be offered a new deal.[15] He left Derby having made just 25 starts in two and a half years with the club.
On 15 July 2011, Porter signed for Sheffield United on a two year contract.[16] Porter made his Blades début, starting ironically against his former club Oldham Athletic in the Blades 2-0 win on the opening day of the 2011-2012 npower League One campaign before scoring his first goal for the club against Yeovil Town at the end of August at Huish Park.[17]
Porter attended Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School in Blackburn, where he was a member of the school's ISFA winning side in 2001.[18]
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