Ankergren: Casper

2007-2010 (Leeds Player Details)(Player Details)

Goalkeeper

Born: Koge, Denmark 9-11-1979

Debut v Crystal Palace (h): 10-2-2007

6’ 3” 14st 7lb (2007)

Ankergren started playing youth football with Solrød FC, before joining his hometown team Koge BK in 1998 and played forty-four games before joining Brondby in 2001. Capped twice at Youth and three times at Under Twenty-one level by Denmark, he played eighty-six games for Brondby, including one as a substitute. Casper was on the fringe of International honours, having already been called up for the Danish Squad, but after Bronby signed Danish International Stephan Andersen, who had previously tried to join Leeds, Ankergren decided to leave Brondby. He initially joined United on loan at the end of January2007 and made fourteen appearances for the club in their CCCL relegation year. He became a firm crowd favourite after saving a penalty to ensure United’s victory against Luton Town, his second save from the spot. Unfortunately he sustained an injury which kept him out of the side for a few games, but soon regained his first-team spot upon recovering. Extremely popular with the Leeds fans he made it known that he wanted to stay permanently at Elland Road. He was signed on a permanent basis at the start of the following season and produced many fine performances keeping many clean sheets as United took the League One by storm. He pulled off several outstanding saves as he kept Leeds in the match in the end of the season play-off final against Doncaster Rovers at Wembley. He fell out of favour for a short while as David Lucas took over in 2008-09 but was reinstated by new Manager Simon Grayson and held the position for the rest of the season. However, he was supplanted by new signing Shane Higgs at the start of the 2009-10 season. As luck would have it, Higgs was injured during the game at Milton Keyes Dons on 26th September 2009, after being ever-present to that point and, even though United brought in firstly Frank Fielding and then David Martin as loan goalkeepers, Ankergren built on that substitute appearance to re-establish himself in the United team with a string of impressive performances and clean sheets, including stand-out games against Manchester United at Old Trafford and Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane in the F.A. Cup. Unfortunately after that his form slumped and Higgs was re-instated after recovering from injury. On 14th May 2010 the popular Ankergren was released. Ankergren was replaced at Leeds by a fellow Dane Kasper Schmeichel, who signed a deal two weeks after Ankergren was released. On 6 August 2010, Ankergren signed for his former Leeds Assistant Manager Gus Poyet at Brighton. He made his Brighton debut the following day, in Brighton's opening game of the season, when they had a 2-1 win over Swindon Town. He won the nPower League One Player of the Month for September 2010. He won the award again in March 2011, after keeping five clean sheets in eight games. He helped Brighton gain promotion to the Championship with a 4-3 win over Dagenham & Redbridge on Tuesday 13 April 2011. Brighton eventually finished as Champions at the end of the season. He made forty-five League appearances and one appearance in the Johnstone's Trophy for Brighton in the 2010-11 season.