Carl Ikeme

Carl Ikeme

Ikeme playing for Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2014
Personal information
Full name Carl Onora Ikeme[1]
Date of birth (1986-06-08) 8 June 1986[2]
Place of birth Sutton Coldfield, England
Height 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)[2]
Playing position Goalkeeper
Club information
Current team
 Wolverhampton Wanderers
Number 1
Youth career
0000–2003 Wolverhampton Wanderers
Senior career*
Years Team Apps† (Gls)†
2003– Wolverhampton Wanderers 151 (0)
2004 → Accrington Stanley (loan) 3 (0)
2005–2006 → Stockport County (loan) 9 (0)
2009 → Charlton Athletic (loan) 4 (0)
2009 → Sheffield United (loan) 2 (0)
2010 → Queens Park Rangers (loan) 17 (0)
2010 → Leicester City (loan) 5 (0)
2011 → Middlesbrough (loan) 10 (0)
2011 → Doncaster Rovers (loan) 5 (0)
2012 → Doncaster Rovers (loan) 10 (0)
National team‡
2015– Nigeria 4 (0)

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 18:33, 15 March 2016 (UTC).
† Appearances (goals)

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 16:12, 30 October 2015 (UTC)

Carl Onora Ikeme (born 8 June 1986) is a Nigerian footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Wolverhampton Wanderers and the Nigeria national football team. He has previously played, on loan, at Accrington Stanley, Stockport County, Charlton Athletic, Sheffield United, Queens Park Rangers, Leicester City, Middlesbrough, and Doncaster Rovers.

Club career

Wolverhampton Wanderers

Ikeme progressed through Wolverhampton Wanderers' academy and made the first team squad in their 2003–04 Premier League season. Due to Matt Murray's long term injury, he was promoted to the substitutes' bench for a string of games but never played.

First loan moves

To gain first team action, he moved on loan to League Two side Accrington Stanley.[3] He made senior debut on 16 October 2004 when he played the first of four games for them, keeping a clean sheet at Aldershot Town. He also had a further loan move to Stockport County in Autumn 2005 which was cut short due to a hand injury.[4]

Wolves breakthrough

Ikeme playing for Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2012

He finally made his Wolves debut the following season, in a 5–1 win over Chester City in the League Cup on 23 August 2005.[5] However, although often on the bench, he had to wait until 26 August 2006 for his first league appearance for the club when he appeared as a late substitute in a 1–0 win over Luton Town.[6]

Ikeme suffered a knee injury during the 2006–07 season and had to undergo surgery, which kept him out of contention until late 2007. After recovering, he was an unused substitute or only employed in reserve team fixtures. It was not until September 2008 that he got his chance to return to Wolves' first team after regular keeper Wayne Hennessey was suspended.[7] Impressing, he enjoyed his longest run of games in a Wolves shirt until injury ruled him out for the remainder of the season, during which the club went on to claim the Championship and reach the Premier League.

Championship loan spells

After regaining fitness, he joined League One side Charlton Athletic on a month's loan in October 2009 to cover for injured Robert Elliot,[8] making five appearances. Upon the end of this loan he immediately went out on loan again, this time to Championship side Sheffield United for a month[9] but a hamstring injury halted his stay. He recovered from this setback and was again sent out on loan to a Championship club, this time Queens Park Rangers during January 2010, where he made 17 appearances.[10]

In August 2010, he again went out on loan when he joined Leicester City on a one-month emergency deal as cover for injured keeper Chris Weale.[11] This spell was later extended but ended when the Foxes recruited Chris Kirkland at the end of November, after four appearances by Ikeme. He spent the remainder of the 2010–11 season back at Wolves.

Ikeme completed a one-month loan move to Championship side Middlesbrough in August 2011, after impressing in a pre-season trial.[12] This loan deal was extended for a further month in August,[13] and then for a third and final month until 1 November.[14] He kept six clean sheets in ten games before a hand injury saw him return to Molineux.

Once recovered, he had a loan spell at another Championship side when he joined Doncaster Rovers in November 2011. He made five appearances for the club as they struggled at the foot of the table before the deal expired in January.[15] He returned to them once again in March 2012, joining on an initial one-month loan deal,[16] later extended to run until the end of the season.[17] However, he was recalled by Wolves following an injury to first choice goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey; by this point, Doncaster had been confirmed as relegated to League One under his future Wolves manager Dean Saunders.

Return to Wolves

Ikeme started the 2012–13 season as Wolves' first choice goalkeeper in the Championship following injuries to Wayne Hennessey and Dorus de Vries; he maintained his place in the first team when the latter returned in September 2012.

In March 2013 he conceded a bizarre own goal during a league game against Bristol City, when he allowed a David Davis backpass to go between his legs and roll over the line.[18] Ikeme was substituted at half time, and it was later confirmed that he had broken his hand during the interval by punching a tactics board in the dressing room in frustration at the incident.[19] This injury kept him out for the remainder of the season,[20] which ended in relegation to League One.

Ikeme retained the goalkeeping position at Wolves for the 2013–14 season but again suffered a broken hand when he was injured in a collision against Tranmere on 1 January 2014.[21] He returned to Wolves' goal now as the established first choice, following the sale of Wayne Hennessey, and was a part of the team that won the League One title with a record points tally. He is contracted to Wolves until summer 2017.[22]

International career

Ikeme was born in Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands,[2] and was eligible to represent England or Nigeria at international level. He chose Nigeria, and was first called up to the Super Eagles squad in 2007.[23] He made his international debut for Nigeria on 5 September 2015 against Tanzania in a 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualification game.[24]

Honours

References

  1. ↑ "The Mons take on the Wolves". The Northern Standard. 8 July 2011. Retrieved 12 January 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 Hugman, Barry J., ed. (2010). The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2010–11. Mainstream Publishing. p. 212. ISBN 978-1-84596-601-0.
  3. ↑ "Accrington snap up keeper Ikeme". BBC Sport. 14 October 2004.
  4. ↑ "Keeper Howarth loaned to Hatters". BBC Sport. 12 January 2006.
  5. ↑ "Wolves 5–1 Chester". BBC Sport. 23 August 2005.
  6. ↑ "Wolves 1–0 Luton". BBC Sport. 26 August 2006.
  7. ↑ "McCarthy tipping Ikeme to shine". BBC Sport. 26 September 2008.
  8. ↑ "Charlton sign Wolves keeper Ikeme". BBC Sport. 28 October 2009.
  9. ↑ "Sheff Utd sign Ikeme and Kallio". BBC Sport. 26 November 2009.
  10. ↑ "Queens Park Rangers sign Wolves keeper Carl Ikeme". BBC Sport. 6 January 2010.
  11. ↑ "Wolves loan keeper Carl Ikeme to Leicester City". BBC Sport. 26 August 2010.
  12. ↑ "Keeper completes Boro loan". Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. 2 August 2011.
  13. ↑ "Ikeme Loan Extended". Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. 26 August 2011.
  14. ↑ "Wolves keeper Carl Ikeme extends Middlesbrough loan". BBC Sport. 27 September 2011. Retrieved 4 October 2011.
  15. ↑ "Doncaster Rovers sign Carl Ikeme on loan from Wolves". BBC Sport. 10 November 2011.
  16. ↑ "Doncaster Rovers re-sign Wolves goalkeeper Carl Ikeme". BBC Sport. 1 March 2012.
  17. ↑ "Duo depart Rovers on loan". Yahoo. 22 March 2012.
  18. ↑ "Own-goal calamity at Wolves as keeper nutmegged by his defender". Daily Mail. 17 March 2013.
  19. ↑ "Angry keeper breaks own hand". 3 News NZ. 20 March 2003.
  20. ↑ "Boss confirms Ikeme break". Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. 19 March 2013.
  21. ↑ "Carl Ikeme: Wolves keeper out for six weeks with broken hand". BBC Sport. 2 January 2014.
  22. ↑ "Carl Ikeme: Wolves keeper signs new three-year deal". Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. 26 June 2014.
  23. ↑ "Vogts' first squad causes a stir". BBC Sport. 7 March 2007.
  24. ↑ https://twitter.com/NGSuperEagles/status/640135413814960128

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Tuesday, March 15, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.