Ched Evans

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Ched Evans
Ched Evans in his Wales shirt prior to a fixture

Evans before a Wales under-21 game
Personal information
Full nameChedwyn Michael Evans[1]
Date of birth (1988-12-28) 28 December 1988[1]
Place of birthSt Asaph, Wales[2]
Height6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)[1]
Playing positionStriker
Youth career
199?–2000Rhyl
2000–2002Chester City
2002–2007Manchester City
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps†(Gls)†
2007–2009Manchester City16(1)
2007–2008→ Norwich City (loan)28(10)
2009–2012Sheffield United103(42)
National team‡
2006–2007Wales U194(1)
2007–2009Wales U2113(13)
2008–2011Wales13(1)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 10:48, 30 May 2012 (UTC).

† Appearances (Goals).

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 15:43, 23 June 2012 (UTC)

Chedwyn Michael "Ched" Evans (born 28 December 1988) is a footballer who plays as a striker. He is currently serving a prison sentence following a conviction for rape in 2012.

Born in St Asaph, Denbighshire, Evans was signed by Manchester City from Chester City's youth set up in 2002 and he subsequently progressed through the ranks with his new club. He was loaned to Norwich City in 2007 where he scored 10 goals in 28 league appearances, before returning to his parent club. With first team opportunities at City limited he was subsequently sold to Sheffield United for £3,000,000 in 2009. After an unspectacular first two seasons at Bramall Lane he scored 35 goals during the 2011–12 season. Evans also represented Wales at Wales under-21 and senior level, scoring on his debut for the national side in 2008, and making a total of 13 appearances. Evans was jailed in April 2012, and subsequently had appeals to have his conviction overturned rejected.

Club career

Manchester City

Evans began his playing career in Rhyl,[1] before spending two seasons in Chester City's youth set-up from where he moved to Manchester City in 2002 following the closure of Chester's youth team.[3] During the 2006–07 season, Evans was a regular in the Academy and reserve teams and was also in the side that reached the final of the 2006 FA Youth Cup, where City lost to Liverpool.[4]

Ched Evans warming up before a match for Manchester City
Evans warming up before a Manchester City game in 2008
In September 2007 Evans came off the bench to make his senior debut in City’s 1–0 League Cup victory against Norwich City.[5] With first choice opportunities at City limited Evans moved on loan to Norwich City in November of that year, agreeing a deal until 1 January 2008.[6] He made his debut for Norwich the following week when he came on as a substitute in the 3–1 victory over Blackpool.[7] His first goal for the club came two games later, and just two minutes into his first start in a 2–1 victory over Plymouth Argyle at the start of December.[8] Evans returned to Manchester City after his initial loan deal expired in January 2008, having made eight appearances and scored two goals.[9]

Initially, Norwich manager Glenn Roeder's attempts to extend the loan were refused, however, on 10 January, the two clubs agreed a deal to allow Evans to return to Norwich on loan until 26 February, with Manchester City able to recall him after an initial period.[10] However, after talks between the two clubs at the end of January 2008, the deal was extended to allow Evans to stay with the Carrow Road club until the end of the season.[11] Then Manchester City manager Sven-Göran Eriksson stated he had no plans to sell Evans and that he would not be leaving the summer transfer window.[3] Evans played regularly for Norwich for the remainder of his loan spell and by the end of the season he had notched up 10 goals from 20 starts and eight substitute appearances.[9]

Evans made his Premiership debut for Manchester City in the opening game of the following season on 18 August, against Aston Villa. He wasn't chosen for the starting eleven but replaced Valeri Bojinov, who suffered an injury during the pre-game warm-up.[12] Evans scored his first Premier League goal for Manchester City against Portsmouth on 21 September, scoring the fifth goal as City went on to win 6–0.[13] With City's acquisition of Craig Bellamy and later Emmanuel Adebayor, Roque Santa Cruz and Carlos Tévez, Evans opted to leave in order to get more first team football.[14]

Sheffield United

Evans joined Sheffield United for an initial fee of £3 million plus possible future add-ons on a three-year deal in July 2009,[15] making his debut for United in the first game of the new season; a 0–0 draw with Middlesbrough.[16] Having bagged a brace for the Wales U21s during the midweek fixtures he then scored his first goal in Blades colours on his home debut, a 2–0 win over Watford.[17] Despite a promising start Evans struggled to maintain any real form and was often relegated to the role of substitute during his first season with the Blades, making 36 appearances but scoring only four goals.[18] The following season Evans was a regular first team choice and his form and scoring rate began to improve, despite the club going through a season of turmoil and battling against relegation. He finished the campaign as top scorer with nine goals in all competitions,[19] but was unable to prevent the team dropping out of the division.[20]

With the Blades now in League One there was speculation that Evans would be sold to ease the clubs wage bill but an injury picked up in the last days of the previous campaign meant he was unavailable until early September,[21] preventing him from moving on to another club. Having returned from injury Evans hit a rich vein of form scoring regularly in both league and cup competitions as the Blades battled for promotion.[22] On 28 March 2012 Evans scored a second half hat trick within 15 minutes against Chesterfield giving him his thirtieth goal of the season in a 4–1 win for the Blades at Bramall Lane.[23] During an impressive third season, Evans drew attention from the Championship and other top flight clubs with his contract scheduled to expire in the summer. However Blades boss Danny Wilson stated that Evans "isn’t even thinking about leaving Bramall Lane. Of course we don’t want to lose Ched. We still need to achieve sustainability whatever division we are in and of course people are bound to take notice of the goals he’s getting, maybe I’m in cloud cuckoo land but I don’t think it always comes down to money and, talking to Ched, I know he’s very happy."[24] Evans was named League One Player of the Month for March 2012,[25] as well as being nominated for 'League One Player of the Season',[26] and in April 2012 Evans was named in the League One PFA Team of the Year.[27] He ended the season with 35 goals in all competitions,[22] but following his rape conviction Evans was released by United at the end of the season.[28]

International career

Wales U21s

Evans gained his first Wales U21 cap in 2007. He became a regular member of the squad and in November 2007 he scored a hat-trick against France U21s.[29] In doing so he became only the fourth player to have scored a hat-trick for the under-21 side, along with John Hartson, Craig Davies and Lee Jones. Evans scored a brace against Bosnia and Herzegovina U21s in October 2009,[30] taking his tally for the Welsh U21s to 13 goals in 12 games.[3]

Wales

Evans made his senior debut for Wales on 28 May 2008, scoring the winning goal (with a back heel) in a 1–0 victory against Iceland.[31] He has made 13 appearances for Wales in total, scoring once.[32]

Team GB ambitions

On 28 March 2012 Stuart Pearce the Great Britain Olympic football team manager was present at the match against Chesterfield, in which Evans scored a hat-trick, taking his season tally to thirty, in a 4–1 at Bramall Lane. Evans commented on the possibility of representing Team GB at the London 2012 Summer Olympics: "If I was asked then it's something I'd definitely look at doing. I don't know whether I even will be though... But if the chance was there then, like anyone else, I’d certainly have to think about it."[24]

Personal life

After signing for Sheffield United, Evans moved to Millhouse Green, Penistone in the nearby Barnsley area.[33][34] After the death of former Wales boss and Sheffield United player, coach and manager Gary Speed, Evans revealed a message under his shirt after scoring his first goal in the FA Cup win over Torquay United, which read: "Rest in peace Speedo." Evans stated regarding the death of Gary Speed that "I was a man on a mission. I had a message on my top for Gary Speed which I wanted to show. I'm thankful I got the goal... the crowd started singing [Speed's name] – it gave me goose pimples... not one person has a bad word to say about him, he was a gentleman... even people who haven't met him know how much of a nice man he was... it still hasn't hit home, it still feels surreal."[35]

Rape conviction

Main article: R v Evans and McDonald

Evans and another footballer, Clayton McDonald, were tried at the Crown Court at Caernarfon after being indicted of the rape a 19-year-old woman at a hotel near Rhyl in May 2011. Evans was convicted on 20 April 2012 and was sentenced to five years imprisonment. He will be eligible for release after serving half of that sentence.[34][36][37] In August 2012, Evans was refused leave to appeal against the conviction, and he appealed to the Court of Appeal of England and Wales,[38] this decision was upheld by the Court of Appeal in London in November of the same year.[39] Evans continues to maintain his innocence,[40] and in November 2013 recruited a new legal team to attempt to clear his name.[41]

Career statistics

Club

As of 14 April 2012.[42]
Club performanceLeagueCupLeague CupContinentalOtherTotal
ClubLeagueSeasonAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
EnglandLeagueFA CupLeague CupEuropeOther1Total
Manchester City Premier League 2007–08 0 0 0 0 1 0 — — 1 0
Norwich City (loan) Championship 2007–08 28 10 0 0 0 0 — — 28 10
Manchester City Premier League 2008–09 16 1 0 0 1 0 8 0 — 25 1
Sheffield United Championship 2009–10 33 4 3 0 0 0 — — 36 4
2010–11 34 9 1 0 0 0 — — 35 9
League One 2011–12 36 29 4 5 0 0 — 2 1 42 35
Career totalsManchester City16100208000261
Norwich City2810000000002810
Sheffield United103428500002111348
Career statistics147538520802116759

International

International statistics

As of 5 May 2012.[32]
National team Season Apps Goals
Wales 2008 7 1
2009 4 0
2010 1 0
2011 1 0
Total 13 1

International goals

Scores and results list Wales' goal tally first.[32]
# Date Venue Opponent Result Competition Scored
1 28 May 2008 Laugardalsvöllur, Reykjavík  Iceland 1–0 Friendly 1

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Hugman, Barry J., ed. (2010). The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2010–11. Mainstream Publishing. p. 143. ISBN 9781845966010. 
  2. ↑ "2011/12 stats". United! The Original – Matchday Magazine. 19 November 2011. p. 63. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "The Graduates No.25: Ched Evans". mcfc.co.uk. 25 October 2011. Retrieved 23 June 2012. 
  4. ↑ "Threlfall sets Liverpool on way to youth glory". The Guardian. 14 April 2006. Retrieved 23 June 2012. 
  5. ↑ "Man City 1–0 Norwich". BBC Sport. 25 September 2007. Retrieved 19 July 2009. 
  6. ↑ "Norwich recruit Man City striker". BBC Sport. 22 November 2008. Retrieved 19 July 2009. 
  7. ↑ "Blackpool vs Norwich City". canaries.co.uk. 27 November 2007. Retrieved 22 June 2012. 
  8. ↑ "Ched hungry for more goals". Eastern Daily Press. 6 December 2007. Retrieved 22 June 2012. 
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 "Games played by Ched Evans in 2007/2008". Soccerbase. Retrieved 22 June 2012. 
  10. ↑ "Ched Returns". canaries.co.uk. 10 January 2008. Retrieved 22 June 2012. 
  11. ↑ "Thank Evans!". canaries.co.uk. 31 January 2008. Retrieved 22 June 2012. 
  12. ↑ "Evans surprised by Man City debut". tribalfootball.com. 19 August 2008. Retrieved 23 June 2012. 
  13. ↑ "Man City 6–0 Portsmouth". BBC Sport. 21 September 2008. Retrieved 19 July 2009. 
  14. ↑ "Ched Evans: I just couldn't handle it at Man City". South Wales Echo. 26 July 2009. Retrieved 26 July 2009. 
  15. ↑ "Blackwell completes triple deal". Sheffield United F.C. 24 July 2009. Retrieved 24 July 2009. 
  16. ↑ "Boro 0 – 0 Sheff Utd". BBC Sport. 7 August 2009. Retrieved 8 August 2009. 
  17. ↑ "Ched Evans almighty as Blades bury Watford". TimesOnline. 15 August 2009. Retrieved 16 August 2009. 
  18. ↑ "Games played by Ched Evans in 2009/2010". Soccerbase. Retrieved 22 June 2012. 
  19. ↑ "Games played by Ched Evans in 2010/2011". Soccerbase. Retrieved 22 June 2012. 
  20. ↑ "Blades relegated: Tears as Sheffield United drop to third tier of football". Sheffield Star. 2 May 2011. Retrieved 23 June 2012. 
  21. ↑ "Evans update". Sheffield United F.C. 6 May 2011. Retrieved 23 June 2012. 
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 "Games played by Ched Evans in 2011/2012". Soccerbase. Retrieved 23 June 2012. 
  23. ↑ "Blades V Chesterfield". BBC Sport. 28 March 2012. Retrieved 28 March 2012. 
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 "Ched warms to Olympic invitation". Sheffield Star. 30 March 2012. Retrieved 30 March 2012. 
  25. ↑ "Blades striker Ched Evans named Player of the Month". The Sheffield Star. 6 April 2012. Retrieved 7 April 2012. 
  26. ↑ "Shortlists 2012". The Football League. 9 February 2012. Retrieved 23 June 2012. 
  27. ↑ "PFA decided against dropping Ched Evans from League One team of year". The Guardian. 23 April 2012. Retrieved 23 June 2012. 
  28. ↑ "Trio offered new deals - 11 released". Sheffield United F.C. 30 May 2012. Archived from the original on 2 June 2012. Retrieved 14 July 2013. 
  29. ↑ "Wales U21 4–2 France U21". BBC Sport. 20 November 2007. Retrieved 19 July 2009. 
  30. ↑ "Evans brace downs Bosnia". skysports.com. 10 October 2009. Retrieved 23 June 2012. 
  31. ↑ "Toshack's Welsh youngsters look to Evans for inspiration". dailymail.co.uk. 28 May 2008. Retrieved 24 April 2011. 
  32. ↑ 32.0 32.1 32.2 "Ched Evans". European Football. Retrieved 23 June 2012. 
  33. ↑ "Bail varied so Sheffield United's Ched Evans can visit parents for Christmas". BBC News. 20 December 2011. Retrieved 20 December 2011. 
  34. ↑ 34.0 34.1 "Wales footballer Ched Evans raped drunk teen as friend filmed, court told". walesonline.co.uk. 11 April 2012. Retrieved 11 April 2012. 
  35. ↑ "Ched Evans was 'man on a mission' to pay Gary Speed tribute". BBC Sport. 5 December 2011. Retrieved 20 December 2011. 
  36. ↑ "Evans jailed for five years". Sky Sports. 20 April 2012. Retrieved 20 April 2012. 
  37. ↑ "Sheffield Utd star gets five years for raping hotel woman". Yorkshire Post. 20 April 2012. Retrieved 20 April 2012. 
  38. ↑ "Ched Evans loses first stage of appeal against rape conviction". The Guardian. 21 August 2012. Retrieved 29 August 2012. 
  39. ↑ "Ched Evans refused appeal against rape conviction". BBC News. 6 November 2012. Retrieved 7 November 2012. 
  40. ↑ "Ched Evans was wrongly convicted of rape on 20th April 2012". Retrieved 25 May 2013. 
  41. ↑ "Former Sheffield United footballer recruits new legal team". Sheffield Star. 26 November 2013. Retrieved 28 November 2013. 
  42. ↑ "Ched Evans". Soccerbase. Retrieved 23 June 2012. 

External links

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2011–12 Football League One PFA Team of the Year
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