Jordan Obita
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Jordan John Obita[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 8 December 1993 | ||
| Place of birth | Oxford, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||
| Playing position | Winger | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Reading | ||
| Number | 37 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2002–2010 | Reading | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2010– | Reading | 16 | (1) |
| 2012 | → Barnet (loan) | 5 | (0) |
| 2012 | → Gillingham (loan) | 6 | (3) |
| 2012 | → Portsmouth (loan) | 8 | (1) |
| 2013 | → Oldham Athletic (loan) | 8 | (0) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2010 | England U18 | 1 | (1) |
| 2011 | England U19 | 6 | (0) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 11:44, 30 January 2014 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals). | |||
Jordan John Obita (born 8 December 1993) is an English footballer who plays for Championship club Reading.
Club career
Born in Oxford,[2] Obita had trials with his hometown club but chose instead to sign for Reading, joining their Academy at the age of eight.[3] He played initially as a central midfielder but competition for places and his abundance of pace meant he was moved out to the wing.[4] He made his first team debut for Reading age 16 in the first round of the League Cup against Torquay United on 11 August 2010, coming on as a 113th minute substitute for Michail Antonio.[5] He travelled with the first team squad for Reading's pre-season trip to Slovenia prior to the 2011–12 season and made his first senior start in a League Cup game against Charlton Athletic in August that season.[6][7]
On 27 January 2012 he signed for League Two side Barnet on loan, making his debut for the club the following day against Crewe Alexandra.[8][9] After one month with Barnet he joined Gillingham on a similar arrangement and scored his first professional goal against his former loan side.[10][11] He scored twice in the next game against Cheltenham Town and made a further three appearances before returning to Reading in April after turning down the chance to extend his stay.[12][13] During his loan spell he was also nominated for 2011–12 Football League Championship Apprentice of the Year though he ultimately lost out to Coventry City's Gael Bigirimana.[14]
In August Obita signed for League One club Portsmouth on a one-month loan,[15] adding that he "didn't have to think twice" about joining the club.[16] Later that evening he made his debut against Colchester United and scored a late equaliser with his first touch.[17] His loan was extended for a second month in September though he eventually returned to Reading a few days early following a death in his family.[18][19] He left on loan again in January 2013, signing a one-month agreement with Oldham Athletic.[20] He scored his first goal for the club in their televised FA Cup fifth round tie against Everton the following month.[21] After expressing an interest in extending his stay with the club,[22] his loan was renewed for a second month after which he returned to Reading.[23][24] Despite the option of remaining at Oldham, Obita ended his spell early with a view to impressing incoming Reading manager Nigel Adkins and breaking into the first team.[2]
He made his first Reading appearance for two years in their heavy 6–0 League Cup defeat to Peterborough United in August 2013 before making his league debut a month later at Derby County.[25][26][27] After securing his place in first team squad for the following games he expressed his desire to play in a central midfield role, a position he played in during his formative Academy years.[4] In November he scored his first goal for the club with the winner in a 3–2 victory away at Nottingham Forest and the following month signed a new contract until the summer of 2017.[28][29]
International career
Obita has represented England at under-18 and under-19 level.[30]
Career statistics
- As of match played 28 January 2014.[31]
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Reading | 2010–11 | Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2011–12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | |||
| 2012–13 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2013–14 | Championship | 16 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 1 | |
| Total | 16 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 1 | ||
| Barnet (loan) | 2011–12 | League Two | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1[lower-alpha 1] | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Gillingham (loan) | 2011–12 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 3 | |
| Portsmouth (loan) | 2012–13 | League One | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 1 |
| Oldham Athletic (loan) | 2012–13 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 1 | |
| Career total | 42 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 49 | 6 | ||
- ↑ Appearance in the Football League Trophy
References
- ↑ "List of Players Registered as Scholars in Accordance with Rule C.3 Between 01/07/2010 and 31/07/2010" (PDF). The Football Association. July 2010. Retrieved 6 April 2011.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Watts, Charles (14 October 2013). "Bold move pays off for Royals starlet Obita". Reading Post. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
- ↑ "Jordan Obita", The Royal: Reading v Doncaster Rovers (Reading F.C.), 19 October 2013
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Obita urges Reading FC boss to play him down the middle". Reading Chronicle. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
- ↑ "Torquay 0–1 Reading (aet)". BBC Sport. 11 August 2010. Retrieved 12 August 2010.
- ↑ "Reading FC squad feel benefit of pre-season tour". Reading Post. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
- ↑ "Charlton Athletic 2–1 Reading". BBC Sport. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
- ↑ "Reading prospect Jordan Obita joins Barnet on loan". BBC Sport. Retrieved 27 January 2012.
- ↑ "Barnet 2–0 Crewe Alexandra". BBC Sport. Retrieved 28 January 2012.
- ↑ "Gills make Obita loan swoop". Sky Sports. 5 March 2012. Retrieved 11 September 2012.
- ↑ "Gillingham 3–1 Barnet". BBC Sport. 6 March 2012. Retrieved 11 September 2012.
- ↑ "Cheltenham 0–3 Gillingham". BBC Sport. 17 March 2012. Retrieved 11 September 2012.
- ↑ "Hess: We've Given Them A Bit Of A Rest". Gillingham F.C. Archived from the original on 8 April 2012. Retrieved 6 April 2012.
- ↑ "Bigirimana is Kitbag.com Apprentice of the Year for the Championship". The Football League. 11 March 2012. Retrieved 11 September 2012.
- ↑ "Obita joins Portsmouth on loan". Reading Chronicle. Retrieved 21 August 2012.
- ↑ "Obita happy with Pompey loan". Sky Sports. 22 August 2012. Retrieved 11 September 2012.
- ↑ "Colchester United 2–2 Portsmouth". BBC Sport. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
- ↑ "Loan update". Reading F.C. Retrieved 19 September 2012.
- ↑ "Obita quits Pompey after family tragedy". Portsmouth News. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
- ↑ "Latics sign Obita". Oldham Athletic A.F.C. Retrieved 31 January 2013.
- ↑ "Oldham 2–2 Everton". BBC Sport. Retrieved 18 February 2013.
- ↑ "Obita set to stay". Oldham Athletic A.F.C. Retrieved 5 March 2013.
- ↑ "Obita extends stay". Oldham Athletic A.F.C. Retrieved 5 March 2013.
- ↑ "Obita back at Reading". Oldham Athletic A.F.C. Retrieved 2 April 2013.
- ↑ "Adkins shuffles pack for Peterborough clash". Reading F.C. Retrieved 28 August 2013.
- ↑ "Peterborough United 6–0 Reading". BBC Sport. Retrieved 28 August 2013.
- ↑ "Obita and Baird start". Reading F.C. Retrieved 22 September 2013.
- ↑ "Nigel Adkins delighted as Jordan Obita's first goal for Reading seals victory over Forest". Sky Sports. Retrieved 8 December 2013.
- ↑ "Obita puts pen to paper". Reading F.C. Retrieved 11 December 2013.
- ↑ "Jordan Obita". The Football Association. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
- ↑ "Jordan Obita career statistics". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 25 May 2013.
External links
- Jordan Obita profile at Reading F.C.
- Jordan Obita profile at the FA
- Jordan Obita career stats at Soccerbase
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