Mark Crossley
Encyclopedia
Mark Geoffrey Crossley (born 16 June 1969) is a former English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

-born Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...

 international football goalkeeper, who is currently employed as the Goalkeeping Coach of Football League One
Football League One
Football League One is the second-highest division of The Football League and third-highest division overall in the English football league system....

 side Chesterfield
Chesterfield F.C.
Chesterfield Football Club is an English football club based in Chesterfield, Derbyshire. The club currently plays in Football League One, the third tier of English football. Despite being the fourth oldest Football League club in England, they have spent most of their existence in the lower...

.

As a player his career lasted from 1989 until 2011 and he has previously played for numerous clubs in England's top flight, notably for Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest F.C.
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an English Association Football club based in West Bridgford, Nottingham, that plays in the Football League Championship...

, where he became the only goalkeeper to stop a Matthew Le Tissier
Matthew Le Tissier
Matthew "Matt" Le Tissier is a retired English footballer who played for Southampton and England.An attacking midfielder with exceptional technical skills, Le Tissier is the second-highest ever scorer for Southampton behind Mick Channon and was voted PFA Young Player of the Year in 1990. He was...

 penalty kick
Penalty kick
A penalty kick is a type of direct free kick in association football, taken from twelve yards out from goal and with only the goalkeeper of the defending team between the penalty taker and the goal.Penalty kicks are performed during normal play...

. He has also played for Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...

, Milwall
Millwall F.C.
Millwall Football Club is an English professional football club based in South Bermondsey, south east London, that plays in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football. Founded as Millwall Rovers in 1885, the club has retained its name despite having last played in the...

, Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough F.C.
Middlesbrough Football Club , also known as Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Football League Championship. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August 1995, their third ground since turning professional in 1889...

, Stoke City
Stoke City F.C.
Stoke City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire that plays in the Premier League. Founded in 1863, it is the oldest club in the Premier League, and considered to be the second oldest professional football club in the world, after Notts...

, Fulham
Fulham F.C.
Fulham Football Club is a professional English Premier League club based in southwest London Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Founded in 1879, they play in the Premier League, their 11th current season...

, Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday F.C.
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club are a football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, who are currently competing in the Football League One in the 2011-12 season, in England. Sheffield Wednesday are one of the oldest professional clubs in the world and the fourth oldest in the...

, Oldham Athletic
Oldham Athletic A.F.C.
Oldham Athletic Association Football Club is an English association football club based at Boundary Park, on Sheepfoot Lane in Oldham, Greater Manchester. The club currently competes in the Football League One, the third tier of the English league...

 and Chesterfield
Chesterfield F.C.
Chesterfield Football Club is an English football club based in Chesterfield, Derbyshire. The club currently plays in Football League One, the third tier of English football. Despite being the fourth oldest Football League club in England, they have spent most of their existence in the lower...

.

Nottingham Forest

"Norm", as he was known by Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest F.C.
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an English Association Football club based in West Bridgford, Nottingham, that plays in the Football League Championship...

 fans during his stay at the City Ground
City Ground
The City Ground is a football stadium in the West Bridgford area of Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England, on the banks of the River Trent. It has been home to Nottingham Forest Football Club since 1898, and has a capacity of 30,602 ....

, started his football career in 1987 as a trainee with The Reds.

He had a loan spell at Manchester United during the 1989-90 season
1989-90 in English football
-European competitions:English clubs were still banned from competing in European competitions following the Heysel Stadium disaster.- First Division :...

 but was never selected for the first team, although he played several games for the reserves.

He was a huge favourite with the fans, despite being prone to occasional mistakes, and made just under 400 appearances in thirteen years with the club, becoming first-choice 'keeper at the start of the 1990-91 season. This was strengthened by Steve Sutton
Steve Sutton (footballer)
Stephen "Steve" Sutton is an English former professional football goalkeeper, currently working as a coach.-Playing career:...

's move to Derby County
Derby County F.C.
Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...

 in 1992. Crossley played in the 1991 FA Cup Final loss to Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....

. He missed a run of games including the Zenith Data Systems Trophy and Rumbelows League Cup finals against Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...

 and Manchester United respectively due to a breach of club rules. Andrew Marriott wore the gloves in his place, although Crossley regained his place for the next league game after the second final.

He has a great ability to save penalty kicks – he, former Nottingham Forest goalkeeper team mate Dave Beasant
Dave Beasant
David John "Dave" Beasant, is a retired English football goalkeeper who began his career in the late 1970s. A well-travelled player, Beasant's former clubs include Wimbledon, Newcastle United, Chelsea, Southampton, Nottingham Forest, Portsmouth, Tottenham Hotspur, Brighton & Hove Albion and Wigan...

 and Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...

 'keeper Petr Čech
Petr Cech
Petr Čech is a Czech footballer who plays for Chelsea and the Czech Republic as a goalkeeper. Čech previously played for Viktoria Plzeň, Chmel Blšany, Sparta Prague, and Rennes. He was voted into the all-star team of Euro 2004 after helping his country reach the semi-finals...

 remain the only goalkeepers to save a penalty (outside of a shootout) in the FA Cup Final
FA Cup Final
The FA Cup Final, commonly referred to in England as just the Cup Final, is the last match in the Football Association Challenge Cup. With an official attendance of 89,826 at the 2007 FA Cup Final, it is the fourth best attended domestic club championship event in the world and the second most...

, against Gary Lineker
Gary Lineker
Gary Winston Lineker, OBE , is a former English footballer, who played as a striker. He is a sports broadcaster for the BBC, Al Jazeera Sports and Eredivisie Live...

 in 1991. Crossley is also the only 'keeper ever to have denied Matthew Le Tissier
Matthew Le Tissier
Matthew "Matt" Le Tissier is a retired English footballer who played for Southampton and England.An attacking midfielder with exceptional technical skills, Le Tissier is the second-highest ever scorer for Southampton behind Mick Channon and was voted PFA Young Player of the Year in 1990. He was...

 from the penalty spot. He also has the dubious distinction of scoring the first Premier League own goal
Own goal
An own net occurs in goal-scoring games when a player scores a goal that is registered against his or her own team. It is usually accidental, and may be a result of an attempt at defensive play that failed or was spoiled by opponents....

, in Forest's 4–1 defeat at Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn Rovers F.C.
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. The team currently competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football....

 on 5 September 1992.

He was granted a testimonial match during the 1999–2000 season by Nottingham Forest, which was played in front of 15,000 supporters. During that season, Crossley found himself on the bench numerous times, playing second choice 'keeper to Dave Beasant
Dave Beasant
David John "Dave" Beasant, is a retired English football goalkeeper who began his career in the late 1970s. A well-travelled player, Beasant's former clubs include Wimbledon, Newcastle United, Chelsea, Southampton, Nottingham Forest, Portsmouth, Tottenham Hotspur, Brighton & Hove Albion and Wigan...

. He was finally released from Forest, against his will, in 2000 as the club's financial troubles required them to reduce the wage bill.

Middlesbrough

Crossley joined Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough F.C.
Middlesbrough Football Club , also known as Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Football League Championship. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August 1995, their third ground since turning professional in 1889...

 on a free transfer to provide competition as well as cover for the number one spot at the club. He made seven appearances in the 2000–01 season, but was sent off against Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...

 in November 2000, and did not play again for the rest of the season. He played more games in the 2001–02 season, but the following season was loaned out to Stoke City
Stoke City F.C.
Stoke City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire that plays in the Premier League. Founded in 1863, it is the oldest club in the Premier League, and considered to be the second oldest professional football club in the world, after Notts...

 in late 2002 and all of 2003. He made only 23 appearances in three years for Middlesbrough.

Fulham

Frustrated by not playing many games at Boro, Crossley joined Fulham
Fulham F.C.
Fulham Football Club is a professional English Premier League club based in southwest London Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Founded in 1879, they play in the Premier League, their 11th current season...

 for £500,000 in 2003 and made his debut against Wigan Athletic
Wigan Athletic F.C.
Wigan Athletic Football Club is an English Premier League Association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, having been promoted from the Championship in 2005. Wigan's current spell in the Premier League is the only top flight run in the club's history.They have played at the DW...

 at the JJB Stadium
JJB Stadium
The DW Stadium is a sports stadium in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England, that is home to Wigan Athletic football club and Wigan Warriors rugby league club....

 on 23 September 2003.

He was mainly the second-choice goalkeeper during his time at the club, although he did have more opportunities to play in the first team during the 2005–06 season due to the sale of former number 1 goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar
Edwin van der Sar
Edwin van der Sar OON is a former footballer who played as a goalkeeper for AFC Ajax, Juventus, Fulham and Manchester United. He is the most capped player in the Netherlands national football team's history...

. His finest match that season came when, deputising for the injured Finnish international Antti Niemi, he kept a clean sheet against champions Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...

 in a 1–0 victory, producing many saves as Chelsea piled pressure on late in the game. Before joining Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday F.C.
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club are a football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, who are currently competing in the Football League One in the 2011-12 season, in England. Sheffield Wednesday are one of the oldest professional clubs in the world and the fourth oldest in the...

 on loan, he was the number 3 'keeper to Niemi and Czech goalkeeper Jan Laštůvka
Jan Laštuvka
Jan Laštůvka is a Czech football goalkeeper who currently plays for FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk.- Career :Laštůvka started his career at Czech side FC Karviná and moved in summer 2000 to FC Baník Ostrava for four years. In 2003 he won the Talent of the Year award at the Czech Footballer of the Year...

 at Fulham.

Sheffield Wednesday

Former team mate and Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday F.C.
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club are a football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, who are currently competing in the Football League One in the 2011-12 season, in England. Sheffield Wednesday are one of the oldest professional clubs in the world and the fourth oldest in the...

 manager Brian Laws
Brian Laws
Brian Laws is an English former footballer and manager, most recently of Burnley.Playing as a defender, Laws made over 100 appearances for each of Burnley, Middlesbrough, and Nottingham Forest. In 1994, Laws became player-manager of Grimsby Town before taking a similar position with Scunthorpe...

 made Crossley his first signing in November 2006, bringing him in on loan. Crossley impressed, with a string of fine performances and the loan deal was extended to the end of the season.

On 23 December 2006, Crossley scored a dramatic late equaliser for Sheffield Wednesday in a 3–3 draw with Southampton
Southampton F.C.
Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club...

 at Hillsborough
Hillsborough Stadium
Hillsborough Stadium is the home of Sheffield Wednesday football club, Sheffield, England. Football has been played at the ground since it was opened on 2 September 1899, when Wednesday moved from their original ground at Olive Grove. Today it is a 39,812 capacity all-seater stadium, making it the...

, in his 481st career match, after coming up for a late corner.

However Iain Turner
Iain Turner
Iain Ross Turner is a Scottish footballer who plays for Preston North End as a goalkeeper. He has represented the Scotland under-21 team, the Scotland B team and been selected for the full Scotland squad.-Club career:...

 was brought in on loan and Crossley returned to Fulham.

Oldham Athletic

After being released by Fulham at the end of the 2006–07 season, Crossley signed for League One
Football League One
Football League One is the second-highest division of The Football League and third-highest division overall in the English football league system....

 side Oldham Athletic
Oldham Athletic A.F.C.
Oldham Athletic Association Football Club is an English association football club based at Boundary Park, on Sheepfoot Lane in Oldham, Greater Manchester. The club currently competes in the Football League One, the third tier of the English league...

. He also took a coaching role at the club. He played most of the games available, despite being injured for 6 games in March.

Crossley signed a one year extension to his current contract, he was contracted at Latics until the end of the 2008–09 season. After the final game of the season, the club reported that he and an assistant coach had parted with the club.

Chesterfield

In the summer of 2009 he joined Chesterfield
Chesterfield F.C.
Chesterfield Football Club is an English football club based in Chesterfield, Derbyshire. The club currently plays in Football League One, the third tier of English football. Despite being the fourth oldest Football League club in England, they have spent most of their existence in the lower...

 as part of John Sheridan
John Sheridan
John Sheridan may refer to:*John Sheridan , a character in the US TV science fiction series Babylon 5*Jack Sheridan , American baseball umpire*John D. Sheridan , Irish novelist, short story writer, and humourist...

's new coaching team, as well as signing playing terms making him the clubs second choice goalkeeper. In February 2011 Crossley announced he would be retiring from football at the end of the 2010-11 season.

International career

Crossley was a regular in the Welsh international squad, but served as understudy to Neville Southall
Neville Southall
Neville Southall MBE is a former Wales international footballer, best known for his time with Everton. He has been described as one of the best goalkeepers of his generation and won the FWA Footballer of the Year award in 1985...

, and then Paul Jones
Paul Jones (footballer)
Paul Steven Jones is a retired Welsh international football goalkeeper. During his playing career, he played for several clubs, including Wolverhampton Wanderers, Stockport County and Southampton.-Career history:...

. He started only eight games. His most memorable moment with the national team was Wales
Wales national football team
The Wales national football team represents Wales in international football. It is controlled by the Football Association of Wales , the governing body for football in Wales, and the third oldest national football association in the world. The team have only qualified for a major international...

' 4–0 win over Scotland
Scotland national football team
The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...

.

Career statistics

|-
|1991–92
|rowspan="6"|Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest F.C.
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an English Association Football club based in West Bridgford, Nottingham, that plays in the Football League Championship...


|First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....


|36||0||colspan="2"|–||colspan="2"|–||colspan="2"|–||36||0
|-
|1992–93
|Premier League
|37||0||colspan="2"|–||colspan="2"|–||colspan="2"|–||37||0
|-
|1993–94
|First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....


|37||0||colspan="2"|–||colspan="2"|–||colspan="2"|–||37||0
|-
|1994–95
|rowspan="3"|Premier League
|42||0||2||0||4||0||0||0||48||0
|-
|1995–96
|38||0||7||0||2||0||4||0||51||0
|-
|1996–97
|33||0||3||0||3||0||colspan="2"|–||39||0
|-
|1997–98
|Millwall
Millwall F.C.
Millwall Football Club is an English professional football club based in South Bermondsey, south east London, that plays in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football. Founded as Millwall Rovers in 1885, the club has retained its name despite having last played in the...


|Second Division
Football League Second Division
From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...


|13||0||colspan="2"|–||colspan="2"|–||colspan="2"|–||13||0
|-
|1998–99
|rowspan="2"|Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest F.C.
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an English Association Football club based in West Bridgford, Nottingham, that plays in the Football League Championship...


|Premier League
|13||0||colspan="2"|–||2||0||colspan="2"|–||15||0
|-
|1999–2000
|First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....


|20||0||colspan="2"|–||4||0||colspan="2"|–||24||0
|-
|2000–01
|rowspan="3"|Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough F.C.
Middlesbrough Football Club , also known as Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Football League Championship. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August 1995, their third ground since turning professional in 1889...


|rowspan="3"|Premier League
|5||0||colspan="2"|–||2||0||colspan="2"|–||7||0
|-
|2001–02
|18||0||3||0||1||0||colspan="2"|–||22||0
|-
|2002–03
|0||0||colspan="2"|–||2||0||colspan="2"|–||2||0
|-
|2002–03
|Stoke City
Stoke City F.C.
Stoke City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire that plays in the Premier League. Founded in 1863, it is the oldest club in the Premier League, and considered to be the second oldest professional football club in the world, after Notts...


|First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....


|12||0||colspan="2"|–||colspan="2"|–||colspan="2"|–||12||0
|-
|2003–04
|rowspan="3"|Fulham
Fulham F.C.
Fulham Football Club is a professional English Premier League club based in southwest London Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Founded in 1879, they play in the Premier League, their 11th current season...


|rowspan="3"|Premier League
|1||0||colspan="2"|–||1||0||colspan="2"|–||2||0
|-
|2004–05
|5||0||colspan="2"|–||3||0||colspan="2"|–||8||0
|-
|2005–06
|13||0||colspan="2"|–||colspan="2"|–||colspan="2"|–||13||0
|-
|2006–07
|Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday F.C.
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club are a football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, who are currently competing in the Football League One in the 2011-12 season, in England. Sheffield Wednesday are one of the oldest professional clubs in the world and the fourth oldest in the...


|Championship
Football League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...


|17||1||2||0||colspan="2"|–||colspan="2"|–||19||1
|-
|2007–08
|rowspan="2"|Oldham Athletic
Oldham Athletic A.F.C.
Oldham Athletic Association Football Club is an English association football club based at Boundary Park, on Sheepfoot Lane in Oldham, Greater Manchester. The club currently competes in the Football League One, the third tier of the English league...


|rowspan="2"|League One
Football League One
Football League One is the second-highest division of The Football League and third-highest division overall in the English football league system....


|38||0||5||0||2||0||colspan="2"|–||45||0
|-
|2008–09
|19||0||2||0||1||0||0||0||22||0
397||1||24||0||27||0||4||0||450||1
397||1||24||0||27||0||4||0||450||1

External links

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