Solomon March
 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Solomon Benjamin March[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 20 July 1994 | ||
| Place of birth | Eastbourne, England | ||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||
| Playing position | Midfielder | ||
| Club information | |||
Current team | Brighton & Hove Albion | ||
| Number | 27 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2011–2013 | Brighton & Hove Albion | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2013– | Brighton & Hove Albion | 34 | (1) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2014– | England U21 | 4 | (0) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 09:40, 1 April 2015 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals). | |||
Solomon Benjamin "Solly" March (born 20 July 1994) is an English professional football midfielder who plays for Football League Championship club Brighton & Hove Albion.
Early life
March was born in Eastbourne, East Sussex. His father, Steve, had been an apprentice footballer at Brighton & Hove Albion in the late 1980s.[2]
Club career
Lewes
March began his career in the youth team at East Sussex club Lewes FC. Lewes were playing in the Isthmian Premier Division, the seventh tier of the English football pyramid, and the 17 year old March had made one first team appearance when he was offered a scholarship by Brighton & Hove Albion.[3]
Brighton & Hove Albion
March signed a three-year contract with Brighton in November 2011. At the time of his transfer it was reported by the Brighton Argus that March had also been offered a contract with Millwall and a trial with Newcastle United. Lewes manager Steve King suggested that March had been attracted to Brighton because of the style of football they were playing under manager Gus Poyet and because the move to another East Sussex club would allow him to remain close to his family.[4]
2012-13 season
March impressed in Brighton's youth squad, earning himself the team's Young Player of the Year Award 2013 and a contract extension until 2015.[5] While still a member of Brighton's development squad, 2013 saw the beginning of March's senior career. During the last half of the 2012–13 season, March made the bench for three senior Championship games but did not make an appearance.
2013-14 season
He then performed well in pre-season friendlies with the first team prior to the start of the 2013–14 season; highlighted with a 'superb' goal against Norwich City.[6] March was a named substitute in five of the first six games in the 2013–14 season and was substituted on in the 85th and 91st minutes against Derby County and Burnley respectively,[7] thus creating his debut in Brighton's first team.
March scored his first senior goal for the Albion in an FA Cup fourth round tie at Port Vale on 25 January 2014. The game also saw Rohan Ince and Jon Obika score their first goals for the club in a 3-1 win.
On 14 April 2014, March signed a new four-year deal with the Seagulls.[8]
International career
March was named by Gareth Southgate as a forward in the England Under-21 squad in May 2014. The squad will play a Euro U-21s qualification match against Wales and at least four games at the Toulon Tournament. March had not previously played for England at any level.[9]
Style of play
March typically plays on the wing either in midfield or as part of a forward line. Steve King, his former manager at Lewes, described March as a “technically very good" player who "has bags of energy, is a box-to-box player, has a good left foot, a good shot, he sees things early and the weight of his passes is very good.”[10]
Career statistics
- As of 29 December 2014.[11]
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Brighton & Hove Albion | 2012–13 | Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2013–14 | Championship | 23 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 28 | 1 | |
| 2014–15 | Championship | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | |
| Career total | 29 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 34 | 2 | ||
References
- ↑ "Professional retain lists & free transfers 2012/13" (PDF). The Football League. May 2013. p. 4. Retrieved 7 October 2013.
- ↑ Griggs, Howard (22 November 2011). "Seagulls swoop for Lewes starlet (From The Argus)". Theargus.co.uk. Retrieved 8 September 2013.
- ↑ Griggs, Howard (22 November 2011). "Seagulls swoop for Lewes starlet (From The Argus)". Theargus.co.uk. Retrieved 8 September 2013.
- ↑ Griggs, Howard (22 November 2011). "Seagulls swoop for Lewes starlet (From The Argus)". Theargus.co.uk. Retrieved 8 September 2013.
- ↑ "Four youngsters handed new deals (From The Argus)". Theargus.co.uk. 21 May 2013. Retrieved 8 September 2013.
- ↑ Owen, Brian (30 July 2013). "March strike gives Albion a draw (From The Argus)". Theargus.co.uk. Retrieved 8 September 2013.
- ↑ "March, Solomon bio, stats, news, video at". Football.com. Retrieved 8 September 2013.
- ↑ "March Buzzing Over Future". Brighton & Hove Albion FC. 14 April 2014.
- ↑ "England U21 squad for Wales and Toulon named". thefa.com. 13 May 2014.
- ↑ Griggs, Howard (22 November 2011). "Seagulls swoop for Lewes starlet (From The Argus)". Theargus.co.uk. Retrieved 8 September 2013.
- ↑ Solly March career statistics at Soccerbase
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