Magnus Okuonghae

Magnus Okuonghae
Personal information
Full name Magnus Erharuyi Okuonghae[1]
Date of birth (1986-02-16) 16 February 1986[2]
Place of birth Nigeria
Height 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)[2]
Playing position Defender
Club information
Current team
 Luton Town
Number 18
Youth career
0000–2002 Fulham
Senior career*
Years Team Apps† (Gls)†
2002–2006 Rushden & Diamonds 22 (1)
2004–2005 → Bishop's Stortford (loan) 8 (0)
2006 Aldershot Town 2 (0)
2006–2007 St Albans City 18 (0)
2007 Crawley Town 21 (2)
2007–2009 Dagenham & Redbridge 55 (2)
2008 → Weymouth (loan) 5 (0)
2009–2015 Colchester United 196 (8)
2015– Luton Town 7 (0)
2015 → Hartlepool United (loan) 4 (0)
National team‡
2006 England C 1 (0)

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 17:53, 13 February 2016 (UTC).
† Appearances (goals)

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 23:41, 6 January 2013 (UTC)

Magnus Erharuyi Okuonghae (born 16 February 1986) is a professional footballer who plays as a defender for Luton Town. He made over 200 appearances in all competitions for Colchester United where he was club captain, and has also played for Rushden & Diamonds, Aldershot Town, St Albans City, Crawley Town and Dagenham & Redbridge. He has made loan appearances for Bishop's Stortford and Weymouth, and he has been capped at international level by England at semi-professional level.

Club career

Rushden & Diamonds

Born in Nigeria,[2][3] Okuonghae spent his early youth career with Fulham, but prior to signing for Rushden & Diamonds in 2002, Okuonghae had appeared for Norwich City under-19s in March 2002, and was later playing for Leicester City under-19s.[4]

During Okuonghae's first season with the club, he failed to make an appearance for the first-team but he did feature on the bench for the Diamonds match against Cambridge United in January 2003.[4] He his professional debut on 22 November 2003 as Rushden hammered Colchester United 4–0 at Nene Park.[5] Okuonghae came on as an 88th-minute substitute.[6]

A spell on loan at Bishop's Stortford followed in the 2004–05 season, where he made eight Conference South appearances before returning to Rushden & Diamonds.[7] During the 2005–06 season, Okuonghae found himself playing more regularly for the Diamonds, making a late substitute appearance in a 1–0 away victory at Mansfield Town on 9 August 2005.[8] He would make a further 22 appearances in League Two, the League Cup and the Football League Trophy throughout the season,[9] as he also registered his first professional goal in a 2–1 away defeat to Rochdale on 1 October 2005.[10] However, the season ended in relegation for Rushden, and Okuonghae rejected their offer of a new contract and left the club.[4]

Aldershot Town

Following an unsuccessful trial at Gillingham, Okuonghae joined Conference side Aldershot Town in August 2006.[4] He made his club debut on 15 August 2006 as the Shots fell to a 1–0 defeat.[11] His second and final appearance for the club came just four days later as Aldershot beat St Albans City 5–3 on the road.[12]

St Albans City

In late August 2006, after just two games for Aldershot, Okuonghae joined St Albans City on a non-contract basis.[4] He made his debut for the Saints in a 2–1 away defeat to Oxford United on 1 September 2006,[12] and four days later he made his international debut as he represented England at semi-professional level.[4][13] Okuonghae played 18 Conference games for St Albans between August 2006 and January 2007.[12]

Crawley Town

Okuonghae moved on from St Albans in January 2007, representing his third Conference club of the season as he signed for Crawley Town.[4][14] He made his debut for the Red Devils on 13 January as they defeated his former club Aldershot 2–0 at the Recreation Ground.[15] He scored his first of two goals for the club in a 2–2 draw against his previous club St Albans on 10 February, netting the opening goal after 12 minutes.[16] His second and final goal came in Crawley's 2–1 defeat to Northwich Victoria on 14 April 2007.[17] Okuonghae ended his stint with the club with 21 appearances to his name.[12]

Dagenham & Redbridge

Dagenham & Redbridge signed Okuonghae in May 2007 from Crawley.[18] After making his debut on 1 September in a 1–0 win against Lincoln City,[19] Okuonghae found his chances limited, making just 10 appearances between September 2007 and January 2008.[20]

Okuonghae was sent out on loan to Conference side Weymouth in February 2008, making his debut in a 1–0 home defeat to Histon on 23 February.[21] He made six appearances for the Terras in all competitions.[20]

Okuonghae returned to the Daggers for the 2008–09 season and started every game in the early stages of the season, winning a regular spot in the right-back position. He said he was "happy to be playing and happy to be an influence".[22] He scored his first goal for the club during the campaign in a 2–1 away defeat to Luton Town on 15 November 2008.[23] He also scored against Notts County in a 6–1 rout on 22 November, making the score 5–0 after 56 minutes.[24] He played all but one league game for Dagenham & Redbridge through the campaign as they fell just short of the play-off positions.[25]

Colchester United

2009–10 season

With Okuonghae out of contract, he decided to join League One club and fellow Essex club Colchester United in July 2009. He signed a two-year deal with the U's, although compensation had to be paid to Dagenham & Redbridge for the transfer.[26] The fee for Okuonghae was set at a tribunal in August 2009, with the Professional Football Compensation Committee deciding that Colchester United should pay Dagenham & Redbridge an initial fee of £45,000, with an additional £5,000 paid after the player had made 15, 30, 45 and 60 appearances; a total further payment of £20,000. Other stipulations included a £15,000 payment if Colchester were promoted within the next two seasons if Okuonghae remained with the club, and a 20% sell-on fee would be paid on any profit if Colchester United were to sell Okuonghae.[27]

Although Dagenham & Redbridge had offered Okuonghae a new contract, he described his move to Colchester as a "no-brainer" and felt that he could make the step up to League One football.[28]

Okuonghae had a memorable debut for Colchester on 8 August 2009 as he starred in the club's huge 7–1 away win against recently relegated Norwich City.[29] Having played every game for the club since his move, he was firstly given the captains armband following Pat Baldwin's injury in September 2009, and then he was rewarded with a new deal in December 2009 to keep him at the Community Stadium until 2012.[30] Okuonghae ended the 2009–10 season with 49 appearances in all competitions for the U's.[31]

2010–11 season

For his second season with the club, Okuonghae remained a regular starter, appearing in Colchester's longest unbeaten run from the beginning of a season with 10 matches played.[32] He scored his first goal for the club on 25 September 2010 with the final U's goal in a 3–1 win at home to Tranmere Rovers.[33] Soon after, he scored his second goal for the club in a 1–1 away draw with Milton Keynes Dons on 2 October.[34] Until November, Okuonghae had made 17 first-team appearances in the 2010–11 season,[35] however, an ankle injury kept him out of action for the rest of the year, with Okuonghae unsure of when he would be able to return to action.[36] He then had to undergo ankle surgery in February 2011, ruling him out for the remainder of the season.[37]

2011–12 season

Okuonghae returned to the first-team for the beginning of the 2011–12 season as the U's dispatched Preston North End 4–2 on the opening day of the season.[38] He received his first red card for Colchester on 15 October when he was sent of in their 2–2 draw with Rochdale.[39] Okuonghae had another solid season, racking up 45 appearances in all competitions.[40] In the latter part of the season, Okuonghae struck up a good relationship in the centre of defence with Tom Eastman, at one stage conceding just two goals in six games. With his contract expiring in the summer, Okuonghae said that rumours linking him with a move away from the club "helps me to raise my game" and gives him the confidence to improve his performances.[41]

During a summer of uncertainty for Okuonghae, it was reported that a number of Championship clubs were keen on capturing his signature, including Blackburn Rovers, Bolton Wanderers, Burnley, Charlton Athletic, Derby County, Millwall, Sheffield Wednesday and Scottish Premier League giants Celtic. He had also been offered a new contract by Colchester.[42] He decided to leave Colchester after three years with the club on 3 July 2012 with the hope of securing a move to a Championship club.[43][44] However, he made a u-turn on his decision, returning to Colchester and signing a three-year deal on 14 July 2012.[45][46]

2012–13 season

In a season where Colchester battled against the threat of relegation to League Two, Okuonghae made 46 appearances and scored three goals for the U's;[47] converting Anthony Wordsworth's corner kick in a 2–2 draw with Portsmouth on 21 August 2012,[48] Colchester's only goal in a 2–1 home defeat to Doncaster Rovers on 15 September[49] and a consolation goal for the U's in a 5–1 hammering by Tranmere Rovers on 23 February 2013.[50]

2013–14 season

Following a solid start to the 2013–14 season, Okuonghae was nominated for the League One Player of the Month award for August, having been an ever-present member of the Colchester defence that conceded just four goals in five games.[51] In a 4–1 defeat by his former club Dagenham & Redbridge in the Football League Trophy on 3 September, Okuonghae received his second red card of his Colchester United career.[52] He scored two goals during the course of the season; the opening goal in a 3–1 defeat to Brentford on 19 October,[53] and once again in another defeat, this time at the hands of Swindon Town on 16 November.[54] He went on to make 46 appearances for the club throughout the season.[55]

2014–15 season

Ahead of the 2014–15 season, Okuonghae was announced as the club's new captain following Brian Wilson's decision to leave the club over the summer. His vice captain was named as new-boy Sean Clohessy on 7 August 2014.[56] He scored the opening goal in Colchester's first game of the season as they held Oldham Athletic to a 2–2 home draw on 9 August.[57] He received a red card in only his second game of the season as the U's fell to a 4–0 League Cup defeat to Charlton Athletic on 12 August.[58] He then received his second red card of the campaign a little over one month later when he was shown a straight red for fouling former team-mate Dave Mooney in a match against Leyton Orient. He committed the foul just before half-time in what ended a 2–0 victory for Colchester on 13 September, their first win of the season.[59]

After missing a number of matches through suspension and the ensuing form of his replacement Frankie Kent, Okuonghae returned to action when he replaced Kent following a head injury he received after being struck by the ball on 21 October. Okuonghae was brought on after only five minutes in Colchester's 2–1 home victory over Chesterfield.[60] In Colchester's 1–0 home defeat by Coventry City on 22 November, Okuonghae suffered an achilles tendon rupture and had to be stretchered off the field late in the game. This ruled him out of action for the rest of the season.[61]

With his contract expiring in the summer of 2015, Colchester United took the decision to not renew Okhuonghae's contract, ending his six-year association with the club. Manager Tony Humes described Okuonghae as "an excellent servant to the club". He made 215 appearances for the U's in all competitions.[62]

Luton Town

Okuonghae joined Luton Town on a two-year deal on 1 July 2015, once again teaming-up with John Still, who was manager of Dagenham & Redbridge during Okuonghae's time at the club.[63]

International career

While playing for St Albans City, Okuonghae was selected for the semi-professional England National Game XI. He played in a friendly against Forest Green Rovers on 5 September 2006 to mark the official opening of their New Lawn stadium. England National Game XI lost the fixture 1–0, with Okuonghae scoring an own goal.[13]

Career statistics

As of match played 13 February 2016.
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League FA Cup League Cup Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Rushden & Diamonds 2003–04[6] Second Division 1000000010
2004–05[64] League Two 0000000000
2005–06[9] League Two 21100101[lower-alpha 1]0231
Total 221001010241
Bishop's Stortford (loan) 2006–07[7] Conference South 8000000080
Aldershot Town 2006–07[12] Conference National 2000000020
St Albans City 2006–07[12] Conference National 180000000180
Crawley Town 2006–07[12] Conference National 212000000212
Dagenham & Redbridge 2007–08[20] League Two 10000001[lower-alpha 1]0110
2008–09[25] League Two 45230103[lower-alpha 1]0522
Total 552301040632
Weymouth (loan) 2007–08[20] Conference Premier 5000001[lower-alpha 2]060
Colchester United 2009–10[31] League One 44030101[lower-alpha 1]0490
2010–11[35] League One 14200201[lower-alpha 1]0172
2011–12[40] League One 420201000450
2012–13[47] League One 43310101[lower-alpha 1]0463
2013–14[55] League One 44210101[lower-alpha 1]0472
2014–15[65] League One 91101000111
Total 19688070402158
Luton Town 2015–16[66] League Two 7010002[lower-alpha 1]0100
Hartlepool United (loan) 2015–16[66] League Two 4000000040
Career total 338131209012037113
  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Appearance(s) in Football League Trophy
  2. ↑ Appearance(s) in Conference League Cup

References

  1. ↑ "Professional Retain List & Free Transfers 2012/13" (PDF). The Football League. p. 31. Retrieved 29 September 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 "Magnus Okuonghae". Soccerbase. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
  3. ↑ "Daggers sign Crawley's Okuonghae". BBC Sport. 31 May 2007. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Magnus Okuonghae". Flown From the Nest. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
  5. ↑ "Rushden 4–0 Colchester". BBC Sport. 22 November 2003. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
  6. 1 2 "Games played by Magnus Okuonghae in 2003/2004". Soccerbase. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
  7. 1 2 "Magnus Okuonghae". Coludaybyday.co.uk. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
  8. ↑ "Mansfield 0–1 Rushden". BBC Sport. 9 August 2005. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
  9. 1 2 "Games played by Magnus Okuonghae in 2005/2006". Soccerbase. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
  10. ↑ "Rochdale 2–1 Rushden". BBC Sport. 1 October 2005. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
  11. ↑ "Weymouth 1–0 Aldershot". BBC Sport. 15 August 2006. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Games played by Magnus Okuonghae in 2006/2007". Soccerbase. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
  13. 1 2 "England XI suffer Rovers defeat". BBC Sport. 6 September 2006. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
  14. ↑ "Defender Okuonghae joins Crawley". BBC Sport. 8 January 2007. Retrieved 4 May 2014.
  15. ↑ "Aldershot 0–2 Crawley". BBC Sport. 13 January 2007. Retrieved 4 May 2014.
  16. ↑ "St Albans 2–2 Crawley". BBC Sport. 10 February 2007. Retrieved 4 May 2014.
  17. ↑ "Northwich 2–1 Crawley". BBC Sport. 14 April 2007. Retrieved 4 May 2014.
  18. ↑ "Daggers sign Crawley's Okuonghae". BBC Sport. 31 May 2007. Retrieved 4 May 2014.
  19. ↑ "Dag & Red 1–0 Lincoln". BBC Sport. 1 September 2007. Retrieved 4 May 2014.
  20. 1 2 3 4 "Games played by Magnus Okuonghae in 2007/2008". Soccerbase. Retrieved 4 May 2014.
  21. ↑ "Weymouth 0–1 Histon". BBC Sport. 22 February 2008. Retrieved 4 May 2014.
  22. ↑ "Okuonghae thrilled to get chance". BBC Sport. 17 September 2008. Retrieved 4 May 2014.
  23. ↑ "Luton 2–1 Dag & Red". BBC Sport. 16 November 2008. Retrieved 4 May 2014.
  24. ↑ "Dag & Red 6–1 Notts County". BBC Sport. 22 November 2008. Retrieved 4 May 2014.
  25. 1 2 "Games played by Magnus Okuonghae in 2008/2009". Soccerbase. Retrieved 4 May 2014.
  26. ↑ "Colchester snare Daggers defender". BBC Sport. 1 July 2009. Retrieved 4 May 2014.
  27. ↑ "OKUONGHAE COMPENSATION FEE SET". The Football League. 10 August 2009. Retrieved 4 May 2014.
  28. ↑ "Okuonghae thrilled with U's move". BBC Sport. 1 July 2009. Retrieved 4 May 2014.
  29. ↑ "Norwich 1–7 Colchester". BBC Sport. 8 August 2009. Retrieved 4 May 2014.
  30. ↑ "Okuonghae delight for Us". Sky Sports. 1 December 2009. Retrieved 4 May 2014.
  31. 1 2 "Games played by Magnus Okuonghae in 2009/2010". Soccerbase. Retrieved 4 May 2014.
  32. ↑ "Magnus Okuonghae targets more Colchester United wins". BBC Sport. 4 October 2010. Retrieved 4 May 2014.
  33. ↑ "Colchester 3–1 Tranmere". Football.co.uk. 25 September 2010. Retrieved 4 May 2014.
  34. ↑ "Milton Keynes Dons 1–1 Colchester United". Football.co.uk. 2 October 2010. Retrieved 4 May 2014.
  35. 1 2 "Games played by Magnus Okuonghae in 2010/2011". Soccerbase. Retrieved 4 May 2014.
  36. ↑ "Okuonghae hopes to be back soon". Sky Sports. 22 December 2010. Retrieved 4 May 2014.
  37. ↑ "Colchester United suffer Magnus Okuonghae injury blow". BBC Sport. 25 February 2011. Retrieved 4 May 2014.
  38. ↑ "Preston 2–4 Colchester". BBC Sport. 6 August 2011. Retrieved 4 May 2014.
  39. ↑ "Rochdale 2–2 Colchester". BBC Sport. 15 October 2011. Retrieved 4 May 2014.
  40. 1 2 "Games played by Magnus Okuonghae in 2011/2012". Soccerbase. Retrieved 4 May 2014.
  41. ↑ "Colchester exit talk improves me – Magnus Okuonghae". BBC Sport. 14 March 2012. Retrieved 4 May 2014.
  42. ↑ "Bhoys join Magnus hunt". BBC Sport. 11 June 2012. Retrieved 4 May 2014.
  43. ↑ "Kem Izzet stays at Colchester but Magnus Okuonghae leaves". BBC Sport. 4 July 2012. Retrieved 4 May 2014.
  44. ↑ "Okuonghae leaves Us". Sky Sports. 3 July 2012. Retrieved 4 May 2014.
  45. ↑ "Magnus Okuonghae returns to sign new Colchester United deal". BBC Sport. 14 July 2012. Retrieved 4 May 2014.
  46. ↑ "Okuonghae makes U's U-turn". Sky Sports. 14 July 2012. Retrieved 4 May 2014.
  47. 1 2 "Games played by Magnus Okuonghae in 2012/2013". Soccerbase. Retrieved 4 May 2014.
  48. ↑ "Colchester 2–2 Portsmouth". BBC Sport. 21 August 2012. Retrieved 4 May 2014.
  49. ↑ "Colchester 1–2 Doncaster". BBC Sport. 15 September 2012. Retrieved 4 May 2014.
  50. ↑ "Colchester 1–5 Tranmere". BBC Sport. 23 February 2013. Retrieved 4 May 2014.
  51. ↑ "Player of the Month nominations". The Football League. 4 September 2013. Retrieved 4 May 2014.
  52. ↑ "Dag & Red 4–1 Colchester". BBC Sport. 3 September 2013. Retrieved 4 May 2014.
  53. ↑ "Brentford 3–1 Colchester". BBC Sport. 19 October 2013. Retrieved 4 May 2014.
  54. ↑ "Colchester 1–2 Swindon". BBC Sport. 16 November 2013. Retrieved 4 May 2014.
  55. 1 2 "Games played by Magnus Okuonghae in 2013/2014". Soccerbase. Retrieved 4 May 2014.
  56. ↑ "Okuonghae is the U's new captain". Daily Gazette (Colchester). 7 August 2014. Retrieved 7 August 2014.
  57. ↑ "Colchester 2–2 Oldham". BBC Sport. 9 August 2014. Retrieved 10 August 2014.
  58. ↑ "Charlton 4–0 Colchester". BBC Sport. 12 August 2014. Retrieved 12 August 2014.
  59. ↑ "Leyton Orient 0–2 Colchester". BBC Sport. 13 September 2014. Retrieved 13 September 2014.
  60. ↑ Waldron, Jonathan (21 October 2014). "Sears scores superb late winner as U's beat Chesterfield". Daily Gazette (Colchester). Retrieved 21 October 2014.
  61. ↑ Waldron, Jonathan (24 November 2014). "Okuonghae likely to miss the rest of the season after rupturing Achilees tendon". Daily Gazette (Colchester). Retrieved 24 November 2014.
  62. ↑ Marston, Carl (15 May 2015). "Farewell to Colchester United stalwart, Magnus Okuonghae". Green'Un (Colchester). Retrieved 24 May 2015.
  63. ↑ "Paddy McCourt and Magnus Okuonghae join Luton Town". BBC Sport. 1 July 2015. Retrieved 1 July 2015.
  64. ↑ "Games played by Magnus Okuonghae in 2004/2005". Soccerbase. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
  65. ↑ "Games played by Magnus Okuonghae in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
  66. 1 2 "Games played by Magnus Okuonghae in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Retrieved 6 August 2015.

External links

Sporting positions
Preceded by
Dean Hammond		 Colchester United captain
2009–2010 		Succeeded by
Kemal Izzet
Preceded by
Brian Wilson		 Colchester United captain
2014–2015 		Succeeded by
Chris Porter
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