Wayne Hennessey

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Wayne Hennessey
Personal information
Full name Wayne Robert Hennessey
Height 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Position(s) Goalkeeper
Team information
Current team
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Number 31
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 18:07, 1 June 2008 (UTC)

Wayne Robert Hennessey (born January 24, 1987, Bangor) is a Welsh international footballer, who plays as a goalkeeper for Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Championship.

Club career

Early career

Hennessey, raised in Beaumaris, Anglesey, began as a trainee at Manchester City but was released in 2003, whereupon he joined the youth academy at Wolves. After progressing through the ranks, he signed professional forms in April 2005.

After remaining in Wolves' reserve and youth teams during the 2005/06 season, Hennessey was sent on trial with Bristol City in July 2006[1] with a view to a loan move to gain first team experience but was recalled to Wolves after an injury to their first-choice goalkeeper Matt Murray. He did go back to Bristol City in August 2006, however, on a one month loan deal,[2] but didn't make an appearance and returned to his parent club early due to a shoulder injury.[3]

Record breaker

To gain first-team football, Hennessey joined League Two side Stockport County in January 2007 on a one-month loan.[4] On his senior debut against Boston United, he kept a clean sheet and after keeping another five clean sheets in successive matches, his loan spell was extended by an extra month.[5]

He went on to set a Football League record of nine successive clean sheets and wins.[6] Stockport broke the 119-year-old record,[6] when they beat Swindon Town 3-0 on 3 March 2007.[6] After this accomplishment, he was named the League Two Player of the Month for February 2007.[7] His feat also means he now holds County's record for the longest period without conceding a goal, beating Harry Hardy's 85-year-old record. His record now stands at 857 minutes, from the start of his competitive club debut, vs Boston United on 13 January 2007 until Oliver Allen of Barnet scored on 10 March 2007. He therefore didn't concede in his first 9-and-a-half matches of competitive club football.

Wolves

Hennessey was recalled by Wolves in April 2007 after another injury to first-choice Matt Murray,[8] and found himself on the substitutes bench for several games. When Murray broke his shoulder on the eve of Wolves' Championship play-off semi-final first leg against local rivals West Brom, Hennessey stepped in to make his Wolves debut.[9] Although a losing effort from Wolves, Hennessey performed solidly over the two legs.

With Murray sidelined for the whole of the 2007/08 season with yet another injury, Hennessey became firmly established at the club's number one, being an ever-present in the league. The season also saw him sign a new deal which will keep him at Molineux until Summer 2012.

He was ranked 22nd in the Top 50 Football League Players by FourFourTwo magazine[10] and also named in the 2007/08 PFA Championship Team of the Year.

International career

Hennessey made his full international debut for Wales in a 2-2 friendly draw against New Zealand on 26 May 2007 and has since established himself as his country's first-choice goalkeeper.

He has also been capped at Under 17, Under-19 and Under-21 level. He once scored for Under-19 side with a 40-yard free kick against Turkey.[11]

References

  1. ^ "Stockport Robins admit McAllister interest". Alex Dunn. Sky Sports. July 28 2006. Retrieved 2007-03-04. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  2. ^ "Robins to sign young keeper". Mark Buckingham. Sky Sports. August 11 2006. Retrieved 2007-03-04. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  3. ^ "Johnson eager to bring in keeper". BBC Sport. August 21 2006. Retrieved 2007-03-04. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  4. ^ "Hatters sign goalkeeper Hennessey". BBC Sport. January 11 2007. Retrieved 2007-03-04. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  5. ^ "Stockport extend Hennessey loan". BBC Sport. February 13 2007. Retrieved 2007-03-04. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  6. ^ a b c "Leeds deeper in gloom as Nicholls says he wants away". Jason Tomas. The Observer. March 4 2007. Retrieved 2007-03-04. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  7. ^ "Hennessey's heroics secure award". BBC Sport. March 4 2007. Retrieved 2007-03-04. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  8. ^ "County lose Hennessey". SportBox.tv. April 10 2007. Retrieved 2007-04-16. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  9. ^ "Murray out with broken shoulder". BBC Sport. 2007-05-13. Retrieved 2007-05-13. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  10. ^ "FourFourTwo 50 Best Football League Players". FourFourTwo. 2008-03-02. Retrieved 2008-03-02. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  11. ^ "Hennessey puts County strikers in shade". Stuart Brennan. Manchester Evening News. January 16 2007. Retrieved 2007-03-04. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)