Kovács playing for Lincoln City in 2009 |
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | János Kovács[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 11 September 1985 [1] | ||
| Place of birth | Budapest, Hungary | ||
| Height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)[2] | ||
| Playing position | Defender | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Luton Town | ||
| Number | 34 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| ?–2003 | MTK | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2003–2005 | MTK | 1 | (0) |
| 2004–2005 | → Bodajk (loan) | ? | (?) |
| 2005–2008 | Chesterfield | 57 | (2) |
| 2007 | → York City (loan) | 8 | (1) |
| 2008–2010 | Lincoln City | 59 | (4) |
| 2010 | Luton Town | 17 | (1) |
| 2010–2012 | Hereford United | 25 | (2) |
| 2011–2012 | → Luton Town (loan) | 17 | (2) |
| 2012– | Luton Town | 0 | (0) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 23:27, 4 January 2012 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals). |
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János Kovács (born 11 September 1985) is a Hungarian footballer who plays for Luton Town as a defender.
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Born in Budapest, Hungary, Kovács started his career with MTK and made his debut towards the end of the 2003–04 season, playing in a 2–1 defeat against Ferencváros in the Nemzeti Bajnokság I.[3] He spent the 2004–05 season on loan with Bodajk, the reserve team of MTK, and played regularly for them in the Nemzeti Bajnokság II.[4]
Kovács joined English League One club Chesterfield on a two-year contract on 3 August 2005 following a trial with the club,[5] with international clearance being received a week later on 11 August.[6] He was sent-off in Chesterfield's game against Southend United on 18 February 2006, which the club appealed against. This was however rejected by The Football Association, who gave Kovács a one-match suspension.[7]
Kovács joined York City in the Conference National on a one-month loan on 1 March 2007 and made his debut in a 0–0 draw with Forest Green Rovers.[8][9] He scored in a 5–0 victory over Cambridge United and finished his spell with the club with eight appearances and one goal.[10][11] His loan was not extended and so returned to Chesterfield after the completion of the spell,[12] after which he made three appearances for the club as they were relegated to League Two.[13] Kovács was offered a new one-year contractwith Chesterfield at the end of the 2006–07 season,[14] which he signed in May.[15] He finished the 2007–08 season with 43 appearances and two goals for Chesterfield and was runner-up in the club's CFSS player of year award.[16][17]
He was offered a new contract at the end of the season,[18] but the likelihood of him signing looked unlikely after Chesterfield signed Swansea City defender Kevin Austin.[19] Lincoln City were revealed to be his likely destination by Chesterfield manager Lee Richardson, with a fee to be settled by a tribunal.[20] Lincoln completed the signing on a two-year deal in June 2008.[21] Kovács scored in his first home appearance for the team with a headed equaliser in a pre-season friendly against Premier League side Aston Villa on 15 July 2008, which Lincoln eventually won 3–1.[22] A Football League tribunal ordered Lincoln to pay a compensation fee of £17,500 for Kovács in August, and Chesterfield would also receive 20% of a sell-on fee.[23] He made 66 appearances for Lincoln, scoring four goals, before being placed on the transfer list in January 2010.[24]
On 26 January Kovács' contract with Lincoln was cancelled by mutual consent, and he subsequently signed for Conference side Luton Town on a five-month contract. Luton fought off competition from English clubs Southend United and Barnet, as well as Hungarian side Ferencváros - the country's most successful club - to secure Kovács' signature.[25] He made his debut in a 2–0 win over Histon, scoring the opening goal.[26] Kovács made 17 appearances during his time at Luton.
His Luton contract expired in June 2010 and he signed a two-year contract with League Two side Hereford United on a free transfer later in the month.[27] He made his Hereford debut in a 1–0 away win at Crewe Alexandra in which he scored his first goal with a header from a corner.
After being transfer listed at the start of the 2011–12 season, Kovács joined former club Luton Town on an emergency one-month loan on 19 September 2011.[28] This loan was extended until 1 January 2012, with a view to a permanent move upon completion of the loan period.[29] He was released by Hereford on 2 January 2012, subsequently signing permanently for Luton on a one-and-a-half-year contract.[30]
| Club | Season | League[A] | FA Cup | League Cup | Other[B] | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| MTK | 2003–04[31] | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2004–05[31] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Total | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Chesterfield | 2005–06[32] | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| 2006–07[13] | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 0 | |
| 2007–08[16] | 41 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 43 | 2 | |
| Total | 57 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 62 | 2 | |
| York City (loan) | 2006–07[11] | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 1 |
| Lincoln City | 2008–09[33] | 45 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 49 | 3 |
| 2009–10[34] | 14 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 1 | |
| Total | 59 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 66 | 4 | |
| Luton Town | 2009–10[34] | 17 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 1 |
| Hereford United | 2010–11[35] | 25 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 2 |
| 2011–12[36] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Total | 25 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 2 | |
| Luton Town (loan) | 2011–12[36] | 17 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 2 |
| Luton Town | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Total | 17 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 2 | |
| Career totals | 184 | 12 | 9 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 201 | 12 | |
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