Nicky Weaver

Nicky Weaver

Personal information
Full name	Nicholas James Weaver
Date of birth	2 March 1979 (1979-03-02) (age 32)
Place of birth	Sheffield, England
Height	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Playing position	Goalkeeper
Club information
Current club	Sheffield Wednesday
Number	1
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1995–1997	Mansfield Town	1	(0)
1997–2007	Manchester City	172	(0)
2005–2006	→ Sheffield Wednesday (loan)	14	(0)
2007–2009	Charlton Athletic	67	(0)
2009–2010	Dundee United	18	(0)
2010	Burnley	0	(0)
2010–	Sheffield Wednesday	40	(0)
National team‡
1999–2000	England U21	10	(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 23:35, 13 March 2011 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 00:46, 28 January 2010 (UTC)

Nicholas James "Nicky" Weaver (born 2 March 1979) is an English footballer who is a goalkeeper currently playing for League One club Sheffield Wednesday. Weaver is a former England under-21 international.

Career

Weaver was bought by Manchester City from Mansfield Town on the recommendation of goalkeeping coach Alex Stepney. He made his competitive Manchester City debut in the first match of the 1998–99 season against Blackpool, keeping a clean sheet. Over the course of the season Weaver kept a total of 26 clean sheets, breaking the club record for clean sheets in a season. Weaver was the hero for Manchester City in the 1999 Second Division Play-Off final versus Gillingham after his penalty save clinched promotion, prompting him to go on a 'crazy run' around the Wembley pitch. Around this time, Weaver was tipped to receive full international honours for England after becoming an England under 21 international.^[1]

Weaver remained first choice goalkeeper in 1999-2000, as City secured a second consecutive promotion by finishing in second place in the Nationwide First Division. He then tasted Premiership football for the first time in the 2000-01 season, as the club was relegated in its first top flight campaign since 1996. Weaver missed almost half of City's league matches in 2001-02 through injury, as the club was again promoted back to the Premier League. Weaver's growing injury problems lead to Keegan signing veteran Peter Schmeichel for the 2002-03 season, with Weaver dropping to second choice.

Weaver did not start any games in the 2002–03, 2003–04 and 2004–05 seasons. However, he did play the last fifteen minutes of the 2004–05 season, when Stuart Pearce surprisingly substituted Claudio Reyna for Weaver so the regular City goalkeeper David James could play in attack against Middlesbrough.

Weaver's return to fitness resulted in injury once again during the close season of 2005, ruling him out of the start of the season. In Autumn 2005 Weaver went on loan to Sheffield Wednesday, the team he had supported since childhood,^[2] in an attempt to return to full fitness.

While at Wednesday, Weaver made 14 appearances, beginning with a 2–1 victory at home to Derby County and ending with a 3–0 defeat away at Leeds United. He also played in the Steel City derby away at Bramall Lane against Sheffield United, where Wednesday were beaten 1–0. He was the only Sheffield born player in the entire fixture.^[3]

Before the 2006–07 season, Manchester City sold James to Portsmouth, bought Andreas Isaksson as a replacement and gave Isaksson the number 1 shirt. However, an injury to Isaksson meant Weaver played the first game of the season on 20 August 2006, his first senior start for the club in nearly three years, and Weaver's improved form led to him starting all but one of the Manchester City games in the rest of 2006.

On 4 July 2007, out of contract Weaver signed for Charlton Athletic on a free transfer. Following his release from Charlton.^[4] Weaver signed for Dundee United on 5 August 2009 on a short-term contract.^[5] The United fans took to him instantly and – although he was pelted by snowballs by Aberdeen fans in his final home match at Tannadice as the ground staff thought it was a good idea not to clear all the snow ^[6] – he played in every league match before his contract expired in January 2010.

On 27 January 2010, Weaver signed an initial six-month contract with Burnley on a free transfer subject to international clearance. However he was released on 11 May 2010 without making a single appearance.^[7] With Lee Grant's departure from Sheffield Wednesday to Burnley in the close season,^[8] Weaver the ex-Owl loanee and Wednesday fan signed as a replacement after the club's transfer embargo was lifted.^[9] On 4 October 2010, Weaver was awarded the Handley Brown player of the month for September after a number of impressive performances in an underachieving Wednesday team.^[10] Weaver was awarded man of the match against Chesterfield in a Football League Trophy second round match after scoring the decisive penalty and saving three spot kicks, two of which were vital sudden death saves to keep Wednesday in the competition.

Weaver received his second successive Player of The Month award off the club for his performances in October. His consistent performances led to him signing a new two-and-a-half-year deal on 14 February 2011, which due to an oversight by the press office was not announced until 4 April.^[11]

Career statistics

After 7 August 2010.

Club	Season	League		Cup		Lg Cup		Other		Total
		Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Mansfield Town	1995–96	1	0	N/A						1	0
	1996–97	0	0	N/A						0	0
	Total	1	0	N/A		N/A		N/A		1	0
Manchester City	1997–98	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	0	0
	1998–99	45	0	4	0	3	0	3	0	55	0
	1999–00	45	0	2	0	4	0	–	–	51	0
	2000–01	31	0	3	0	5	0	–	–	39	0
	2001–02	25	0	2	0	2	0	–	–	29	0
	2002–03	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	0	0
	2003–04	–	–	–	–	–	–	1	0	1	0
	2004–05	1	0	–	–	–	–	–	–	1	0
Sheffield Wednesday (loan)	2005–06	14	0	–	–	–	–	–	–	14	0
	Total	14	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	14	0
Manchester City	2006–07	25	0	5	0	1	0	–	–	31	0
	Total	172	0	16	0	15	0	4	0	207	0
Charlton Athletic	2007–08	45	0	2	0	1	0	–	–	48	0
	2008–09	22	0	–	–	–	–	–	–	22	0
	Total	67	0	2	0	1	0	0	0	70	0
Dundee United	2009–10	18	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	18	0
	Total	18	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	18	0
Burnley	2009–10	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	0	0
	Total	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Sheffield Wednesday	2010–11	28	0	2	0	1	0	3	0	34	0
	Total	28	0	2	0	1	0	3	0	34	0
Career total		282	0	18	0	16	0	4	0	311	0

References

1. ^ "Seaman not ready to retire". BBC Sport. 28 May 2000. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/euro2000/teams/england/767682.stm. Retrieved 28 October 2009. 
2. ^ Gary Haines (25 August 2007). "Iwelumo double caps stunning fightback". Charlton Athletic F.C.. http://www.cafc.co.uk/newsview.ink?matchid=4239&type=m. Retrieved 24 February 2008. 
3. ^ Ian Appleyard (15 January 2008). "Vintage Steel City derby: December 2005". Yorkshire Post. http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/sheffield-utd/Vintage-Steel-City-derby-December.3674409.jp. Retrieved 24 February 2008. 
4. ^ "Charlton sign Todorov and Weaver". BBC Sport. 4 July 2007. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/c/charlton_athletic/6271722.stm. Retrieved 4 July 2007. 
5. ^ "Nicky Weaver joins United". Dundee United F.C.. 2009-08-05. http://www.dundeeunitedfc.co.uk/index.asp?tm=2&nid=3269&cd=2009. Retrieved 2009-08-05. 
6. ^ . http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/football/spl/dundee-united/2010/01/04/nicky-weaver-set-to-head-back-south-after-dundee-united-deal-ends-86908-21940839/. 
7. ^ "Burnley captain Steven Caldwell to leave Turf Moor". BBC Sport (BBC). 2010-05-11. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/b/burnley/8675554.stm. Retrieved 2010-05-12. 
8. ^ "SWFC agree fee for Lee Grant". 2010-06-25. http://www.swfc.co.uk/page/News/0,,10304~2101702,00.html. 
9. ^ http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/football/Weaver-on-Sheffield-Wednesday39s-list.6446134.jp
10. ^ "Weaver crowned Player of the Month". 4 October 2010. http://www.swfc.co.uk/page/PlayerOfTheMonth/0,,10304~2174296,00.html. Retrieved 23 November 2010. 
11. ^ "Double whammy for Weaver". 8 November 2010. http://www.swfc.co.uk/page/PlayerOfTheMonth/0,,10304,00.html. Retrieved 23 November 2010. 

External links

• Nicky Weaver career stats at Soccerbase

Persondata
Name	Weaver, Nicky
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	2 March 1979
Place of birth	Sheffield, England
Date of death
Place of death