Damien Delaney
 Delaney playing for Ipswich Town against Millwall in 2010 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Damien Finbarr Delaney[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 20 July 1981 | ||
| Place of birth | Cork, Ireland | ||
| Height | 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) | ||
| Playing position | Centre back | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Crystal Palace | ||
| Number | 27 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Avondale United | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1998–2000 | Cork City | ||
| 2000–2002 | Leicester City | 8 | (0) |
| 2001–2002 | → Stockport County (loan) | 12 | (1) |
| 2002 | → Huddersfield Town (loan) | 2 | (0) |
| 2002 | → Mansfield Town (loan) | 7 | (0) |
| 2002–2008 | Hull City | 224 | (5) |
| 2008–2009 | Queens Park Rangers | 54 | (2) |
| 2009–2012 | Ipswich Town | 98 | (2) |
| 2012– | Crystal Palace | 63 | (3) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2008– | Republic of Ireland | 8 | (0) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 15:46, 2 February 2014 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals). | |||
Damien Finbarr Delaney (born 20 July 1981) is an Irish footballer who plays as a defender for Crystal Palace.
Delaney began his career at Cork City. He later played for Leicester City, Hull City and Queens Park Rangers before moving to Ipswich Town in 2009. He became a free agent after leaving the club in August 2012.
Early life
Born in Cork, Delaney attended Coláiste Chríost Rí and began his career at local club Avondale United at schoolboy level before moving on to Cork City.[2]
Club career
Leicester City and Hull City
He was brought to England by Peter Taylor at Leicester City, where he made eight FA Premier League appearances. He had spells on loan at Stockport County, Huddersfield Town and Mansfield Town. Whilst at Stockport, he scored his first career goal in a match against Rotherham United.[3] Taylor later made Delaney his first signing for Hull City, on 17 October 2002, for a fee of £50,000.
After a rocky start to his career at Hull, during which time he was tried in midfield and at left-back, Delaney was played regularly at centre-back and began to grow in stature and consistency. He was voted Player of the Year in the 2003–04 promotion-winning season, additionally his strike against Rochdale was voted Goal of the Season.
In the 2005–06 season in the Championship, he played mainly at centre-back, but also at left-back when two players in that position were injured, and in midfield when the manager felt that more height and solidity were required. This versatility made him a key asset to the Tigers squad.
Delaney was the last Hull City player to score a goal at their old ground Boothferry Park, prior to their move to the KC Stadium.
Queens Park Rangers
On 18 January 2008 Delaney signed for Queens Park Rangers on a three-and-a-half-year contract.[4] On 8 March 2008 Delaney scored his first goal for QPR in a 2–1 away defeat to Sheffield Wednesday.
Ipswich Town
On 2 July 2009, Delaney signed for Ipswich Town on a two-year contract for a fee of £750,000, £250,000 if Ipswich reached the play-offs and an extra £100,000 after he has made 50 appearances for the club.[5] He suffered a freak injury in the following year's pre-season which ultimately almost cost him his life. A blood clot in his thigh could have resulted in him losing a leg but he was rushed to an emergency surgery procedure that, he was told, saved his life. He scored his first goal for the club in the East Anglian derby in November 2010, before being sent off following a straight red card.[citation needed] He left the club by mutual consent in August 2012.[6]
Crystal Palace
On 31 August 2012, following his departure from Ipswich, Delaney signed for Crystal Palace on a short-term contract until January 2013.[7] He scored his first goal for the club in Palace's 4–3 comeback against Burnley on 6 October. Due to Delaney's impressive start to his Palace career, he signed a new contract on 22 November 2012, which expires summer 2014.[8]
International career
On 13 May 2008, Delaney was called up to the Republic of Ireland squad for the first time by the new manager Giovanni Trapattoni. On 4 May 2011, he was called into the Irish squad for the 2011 Nations Cup games against Northern Ireland and Scotland. On 24 May 2011, he started and played the full 90 minutes against Northern Ireland as Ireland beat them 5–0. On 11 October 2013, he made a belated competitive debut in a World Cup qualifier against Germany.
Honours
Cork City
- League of Ireland Cup (1): 1998–99
Crystal Palace
International
- Nations Cup (1): 2011
References
- ↑ Hugman, Barry J., ed. (2010). The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2010–11. Mainstream Publishing. p. 113. ISBN 978-1-84596-601-0.
- ↑ http://www.fai.ie/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=46&Itemid=60
- ↑ "Rotherham 3–2 Stockport". BBC. 9 February 2002. Retrieved 23 February 2013.
- ↑ "QPR recruit Hull defender Delaney". BBC Sport. 17 January 2008. Retrieved 2 July 2009.
- ↑ "Defender Delaney moves to Ipswich". BBC Sport. 2 July 2009. Retrieved 2 July 2009.
- ↑ Gooderham, Dave (30 August 2012). "Right time for me to leave says departing Damien Delaney". East Anglian Daily Times. Retrieved 30 August 2012.
- ↑ "Delaney joins up". Crystal Palace F.C. 31 August 2012. Retrieved 31 August 2012.
- ↑ Delany signs 18-month contract Palace
External links
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