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Ross Greenwood (footballer)
Encyclopedia
Ross Michael Greenwood is an English
footballer, currently playing for Gainsborough Trinity
.
and grew up in the village of Copmanthorpe
. He attended Copmanthorpe primary school and then went on to Tadcaster Grammar School.
At only 12 years of age, Greenwood was contacted by Nottingham Forest
and asked to join them for a two weeks trial period. Greenwood was set to travel to Nottingham, when out of the blue, he received a call from Manchester United
urging him to join them instead. Although Greenwood's father is an ardent Leeds United
fan and found the prospect of his son joining Manchester United totally devastating, he put all sense of rivalry behind him and recognized his son could not miss out on this opportunity of a lifetime.
and Chesterfield's Phil Picken
, as well as training with older players such as Kieran Richardson
. His coach at the time was Paul McGuinness, the son of former York manager and Manchester United player, Wilf McGuinness
and Greenwood would regularly train at Manchester United's Carrington training ground where he would see many of the first team players preparing for Premiership games. Greenwood says the players who really stood out on the training ground were David Beckham
, Juan Sebastián Verón
, Gary Neville
and Roy Keane
. Their talents were truly inspirational, and in particular, Gary Neville and David Beckham
also proved to be very encouraging, taking time out to talk to Greenwood and the other younger players. Manchester United's Manager, Sir Alex Ferguson
, also proved an inspirational character for Greenwood. He distinctly remembers entering his office with some of his team mates to be faced with a large photo of the famous Lunchtime atop a Skyscaper scene, where in 1932 New York construction workers were pictured lunching high up on a cross beam. Alex Ferguson used this photo to explain the essence to team work, explaining it is all about trust and if one person makes an error it could jeopardize the work of the whole team. Greenwood has always remembered this lesson and has tried to play football based on this principle. Greenwod was not accepted on Manchester United's youth trainee programme and was released by the club. However, soon after Greenwood received offers from 23 clubs including Aston Villa
and Blackburn Rovers
.
was the most persistent and Greenwood felt this was the right move for him. He was signed by academy director, Jimmy Shoulder and the first team manager at the time was Terry Yorath
. Ross had to wait until Wednesday 22 September 2004 for his first professional start. He played at right back in a League Cup
1-0 defeat to Coventry City who were a Division above Wednesday at the time. Assistant manager Mark Smith
singled him out for praise for dealing with opponents who were recently in The Premiership for example, Stern John
. After this impressive start, Greenwood only made two more substitute appearances before being deemed not good enough by new manager Paul Sturrock
.
for the 2005–06
season, appearing for the club 25 (22 times in the league), while with the club he played in defence although he is normally a midfield player.
and his hometown came in 2006 as he was signed by Conference National
side York City
. Greenwood was offered a new contract by York City at the end of the 2006–07
season on 16 May 2007.
on loan in January 2008. He was released by York in April 2008, after which he set up a plastering and tiling business with former York teammate Chaz Wrigley whilst playing part-time for Gainsborough Trinity
.
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...
footballer, currently playing for Gainsborough Trinity
Gainsborough Trinity F.C.
Gainsborough Trinity Football Club are an English football club based in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire.Between 1896 and 1912 they were members of the Football League. They are currently in the Conference North, and play their home matches at The Northolme, which has a capacity of 4,304...
.
Biography
Greenwood was born in YorkYork
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
and grew up in the village of Copmanthorpe
Copmanthorpe
Copmanthorpe is a village and civil parish in the City of York in the English county of North Yorkshire, south west of York, west of Bishopthorpe and close to Acaster Malbis, Askham Bryan and Askham Richard. According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 4,262. Until 1996 it had...
. He attended Copmanthorpe primary school and then went on to Tadcaster Grammar School.
Youth
He started to play football from an early age and initially played for his school side and also Copmanthorpe Junior Football Club, where he played in the Under 9s team. It was while playing for Copmanthorpe that he was spotted by York City's Centre of Excellence. He soon joined the Under 11s and was coached by City's Colin Sanderson and then progressed into the Under 12s side, where he was coached by John Stockton and Garry Naylor. He spent two years with York City in total and also played regularly for Copmanthorpe and for York School Boys.At only 12 years of age, Greenwood was contacted 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...
and asked to join them for a two weeks trial period. Greenwood was set to travel to Nottingham, when out of the blue, he received a call from 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...
urging him to join them instead. Although Greenwood's father is an ardent Leeds United
Leeds United A.F.C.
Leeds United Association Football Club are an English professional association football club based in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, who play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system...
fan and found the prospect of his son joining Manchester United totally devastating, he put all sense of rivalry behind him and recognized his son could not miss out on this opportunity of a lifetime.
Manchester United
He joined the Manchester United Under 13s side as a right back and occasional centre half and played in the same team as Chris EaglesChris Eagles
Christopher Mark "Chris" Eagles is an English footballer who plays for Bolton Wanderers...
and Chesterfield's Phil Picken
Phil Picken
Philip James "Phil" Picken is an English football player. He is a defender and midfielder, and he joined Manchester United as a junior...
, as well as training with older players such as Kieran Richardson
Kieran Richardson
Kieran Edward Richardson is an English footballer currently playing for Sunderland. He is naturally a left winger, but has proven to a extremely versatile; having also played as a left back, right winger, central midfielder and recently as a support striker...
. His coach at the time was Paul McGuinness, the son of former York manager and Manchester United player, Wilf McGuinness
Wilf McGuinness
Wilfred "Wilf" McGuinness is a former English football player and manager, who played twice for England. He is best known for taking over from Matt Busby as manager of Manchester United...
and Greenwood would regularly train at Manchester United's Carrington training ground where he would see many of the first team players preparing for Premiership games. Greenwood says the players who really stood out on the training ground were David Beckham
David Beckham
David Robert Joseph Beckham, OBE is an English footballer who plays midfield for Los Angeles Galaxy in Major League Soccer, having previously played for Manchester United, Preston North End, Real Madrid, and A.C...
, Juan Sebastián Verón
Juan Sebastián Verón
Juan Sebastián Verón is an Argentinian professional football player who is the current captain and midfielder for Estudiantes de La Plata in the Argentine Primera División....
, Gary Neville
Gary Neville
Gary Alexander Neville is a former English footballer. He is England's most capped right-back and was Manchester United's club captain for five years....
and Roy Keane
Roy Keane
Roy Maurice Keane is an Irish former footballer and manager. In his 18-year playing career, he played for Cobh Ramblers in the League of Ireland, Nottingham Forest and Manchester United, before ending his career at Celtic in Scotland....
. Their talents were truly inspirational, and in particular, Gary Neville and David Beckham
David Beckham
David Robert Joseph Beckham, OBE is an English footballer who plays midfield for Los Angeles Galaxy in Major League Soccer, having previously played for Manchester United, Preston North End, Real Madrid, and A.C...
also proved to be very encouraging, taking time out to talk to Greenwood and the other younger players. Manchester United's Manager, Sir Alex Ferguson
Alex Ferguson
Sir Alexander Chapman "Alex" Ferguson, CBE is a Scottish association football manager and former player, currently managing Manchester United, where he has been in charge since 1986...
, also proved an inspirational character for Greenwood. He distinctly remembers entering his office with some of his team mates to be faced with a large photo of the famous Lunchtime atop a Skyscaper scene, where in 1932 New York construction workers were pictured lunching high up on a cross beam. Alex Ferguson used this photo to explain the essence to team work, explaining it is all about trust and if one person makes an error it could jeopardize the work of the whole team. Greenwood has always remembered this lesson and has tried to play football based on this principle. Greenwod was not accepted on Manchester United's youth trainee programme and was released by the club. However, soon after Greenwood received offers from 23 clubs including Aston Villa
Aston Villa F.C.
Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...
and 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....
.
Sheffield Wednesday
Yorkshire club Sheffield WednesdaySheffield 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...
was the most persistent and Greenwood felt this was the right move for him. He was signed by academy director, Jimmy Shoulder and the first team manager at the time was Terry Yorath
Terry Yorath
Terence Charles Yorath is a former footballer and has been a manager at both club and international level. He is also the father of television presenter Gabby Logan....
. Ross had to wait until Wednesday 22 September 2004 for his first professional start. He played at right back in a League Cup
League Cup
In association football, a League Cup or Secondary Cup generally signifies a cup competition for which entry is restricted only to teams in a particular league. The first national association football tournament to be called "League Cup" was held in Scotland in 1946/47 and was entitled the Scottish...
1-0 defeat to Coventry City who were a Division above Wednesday at the time. Assistant manager Mark Smith
Mark Smith
Mark Smith may refer to:*Mark A. Smith, professor of pathology at Case Western Reserve University*Mark S. Smith, American biblical scholar, professor at NYU*Mark Smith , designer of radio-controlled model airplanes...
singled him out for praise for dealing with opponents who were recently in The Premiership for example, Stern John
Stern John
Stern John is a Trinidadian football player currently playing for North East Stars in Trinidad. He played for a number of high profile English football clubs that included Nottingham Forest, Birmingham City and Coventry City.-Early Career in US:John moved to the United States to attend Mercer...
. After this impressive start, Greenwood only made two more substitute appearances before being deemed not good enough by new manager Paul Sturrock
Paul Sturrock
Paul Whitehead Sturrock is a Scottish football manager who, since July 2010, is the manager of Southend United. Until this appointment, Sturrock had most recently been at English League 1 club Plymouth Argyle in a business support role, having been relieved of his managerial duties, until he quit...
.
Stockport County
He then moved to Stockport CountyStockport County F.C.
Stockport County Football Club is an English football club based in Stockport, Greater Manchester. The club formed in 1883 as Heaton Norris Rovers, shortly afterwards merging with Heaton Norris F.C., and adopted the current name on 24 May 1890 on the creation of the County Borough of Stockport...
for the 2005–06
2005-06 in English football
The 2005–06 season was the 126th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:*The rebuilt Wembley Stadium was due to open in time for the FA Cup final in May. However, in August 2005, The Football Association reserved the Millennium Stadium as a backup, as there was some doubt whether...
season, appearing for the club 25 (22 times in the league), while with the club he played in defence although he is normally a midfield player.
York City
A move back to YorkshireYorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
and his hometown came in 2006 as he was signed by Conference National
Conference National
Conference National is the top division of the Football Conference in England. It is the highest level of the National League System and fifth highest of the overall English football league system...
side York City
York City F.C.
York City Football Club is an English football club based in York, North Yorkshire. The club participates in the Conference National, the fifth tier of English football. Founded in 1922, they joined the Football League in 1929, and have spent most of their history in the lower divisions...
. Greenwood was offered a new contract by York City at the end of the 2006–07
2006-07 in English football
The 2006–07 season was the 127th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:* The number of divisions at Level 8 of the English football league system increased from four to five...
season on 16 May 2007.
Gainsborough Trinity
He joined Gainsborough TrinityGainsborough Trinity F.C.
Gainsborough Trinity Football Club are an English football club based in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire.Between 1896 and 1912 they were members of the Football League. They are currently in the Conference North, and play their home matches at The Northolme, which has a capacity of 4,304...
on loan in January 2008. He was released by York in April 2008, after which he set up a plastering and tiling business with former York teammate Chaz Wrigley whilst playing part-time for Gainsborough Trinity
Gainsborough Trinity F.C.
Gainsborough Trinity Football Club are an English football club based in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire.Between 1896 and 1912 they were members of the Football League. They are currently in the Conference North, and play their home matches at The Northolme, which has a capacity of 4,304...
.
Career stats
- As of 26 April 2008.
Club Performance Club Season League The Football LeagueThe Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...FA Cup FA CupThe Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...League Cup Football League CupThe Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...Other Total App Goals App Goals App Goals App Goals App Goals 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...2002–03 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Subtotal 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 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...2004–05 2 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 4 0 Subtotal 2 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 4 0 Stockport County Stockport County F.C.Stockport County Football Club is an English football club based in Stockport, Greater Manchester. The club formed in 1883 as Heaton Norris Rovers, shortly afterwards merging with Heaton Norris F.C., and adopted the current name on 24 May 1890 on the creation of the County Borough of Stockport...2005–06 22 0 2 0 1 0 1 0 26 0 Subtotal 22 0 2 0 1 0 1 0 26 0 York City York City F.C.York City Football Club is an English football club based in York, North Yorkshire. The club participates in the Conference National, the fifth tier of English football. Founded in 1922, they joined the Football League in 1929, and have spent most of their history in the lower divisions...2006–07 12 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 12 0 2007–08 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 0 Subtotal 19 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 19 0 Total 43 0 2 0 2 0 2 0 49 0