Chris Freestone
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Christopher Freestone | ||
| Date of birth | 4 September 1971 | ||
| Place of birth | Nottingham, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||
| Playing position | Striker | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1993–1994 | Arnold Town | ? | (?) |
| 1994–1997 | Middlesbrough | 9 | (1) |
| 1997 | → Carlisle (loan) | 5 | (2) |
| 1997 | → Northampton (loan) | 2 | (2) |
| 1997–1999 | Northampton | 58 | (12) |
| 1999–2000 | Hartlepool | 37 | (7) |
| 2000 | → Cheltenham (loan) | 5 | (2) |
| 2000–2001 | Shrewsbury | 27 | (0) |
| 2001–2003 | Forest Green | 1 | (0) |
| 2002 | → Dundalk (loan) | ? | (?) |
| Total | 144 | (26) | |
|
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. | |||
Chris Freestone (born 4 September 1971) is an English former professional footballer.
As a young striker, Freestone joined Middlesbrough from Nottinghamshire club Arnold Town of the Northern Counties (East) League midway through the 1994-95 season. Before joining Boro for a small fee he had netted 54 goals for Arnold Town and had trials with Leeds United, Nottingham Forest, Notts County and Chesterfield. Fast and confident, he had averaged almost a goal a game for Boro reserves in two seasons since joining. Freestone scored on his full first team debut in the 3-1 win over Sheffield Wednesday in April 1996.[1] His only other goal for Boro came in the League Cup against Barnet in September 1997.[2] He was also on the pitch as a late substitute as Boro confirmed their spot in the 1997 FA Cup Final with a semi final replay victory over Chesterfield,[3] however he was left out of the final match day squad altogether as they lost 2-0 to Chelsea. After a loan spell, Freestone joined Northampton in December 1997. The highlight of his time at Northampton was scoring two goals against Premier League side West Ham United in the 1998-99 League Cup. Freestone's brace in the first leg gave Northampton a 2-0 lead going into the second leg,[4] in which West Ham were only able to muster a 1-0 win with a Frank Lampard goal meaning that Northampton knocked out their illustrious opponents.[5] After leaving Northampton, Freestone had spells at Hartlepool and Cheltenham before signing for Shrewsbury Town. At Shrewsbury he failed to score in the league but did score once in the League Cup against Preston North End[6] and once in the FA Cup against former club Cheltenham.[7]
After football Freestone decided to turn to Football coaching and now works with the Notts FA.
References
- ↑ "Wednesday not out of trouble yet". The Independent. 6 April 1996. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
- ↑ "Hateley's Hull look forward to trip to the Palace". The Independent. 18 September 1997. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
- ↑ Moore, Glenn (22 April 1997). "Foreign legion go back to Wembley". London: The Independent. Retrieved 1 May 2010.
- ↑ "Northampton 2 West Ham 0". Sporting Life. 15 September 1998. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
- ↑ "Hammer horror for Old Lady". The Guardian. 22 September 1998. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
- ↑ "Worthington Cup 2000-2001 Season Round 1 Fixtures & Results". Sky Sports. 22 August 2000. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
- ↑ "Cheltenham 4-1 Shrewsbury". BBC. 18 November 2000. Retrieved 5 September 2012.