Couzens: Andrew (Andy)

1993-1997 (Leeds Player Details)(Player Details)

Midfield/Defender

Born: Shipley: 04-06-1975

Debut v Coventry City (h) (substitute): 18-03-1995

5’9” 11st 6lb (1995)

He went to school at Salts. He was a regular member of the Leeds 1993 F.A. Youth Cup winning team and made his debut, as a substitute for Lucas Radebe, after leading the Reserves to third place in the Pontin’s Central League in the previous season. His breakthrough was quickly followed by a call up to the England Under-Twenty-Ones for the annual Toulon Tournament in France. He gained three Under-Twenty-One caps. His versatility gave Howard Wilkinson several options in the 1995-96 campaign as the youngster was used in defence and midfield and featured regularly on the bench. He scored in the first minute at Coventry City in George Graham’s first game in charge of Leeds but did not feature regularly and he was transferred to Third Division Carlisle United on 21st July 1997 for £100,000, where he was well-known to Mervyn Day. Carlisle were relegated at the end of the 1997-98 season and only just survived dropping out of the Football League in the following season. He scored twice in forty-three League games, in which he started on twenty-eight occasions. He also scored once in three starts in the League Cup and one start and three games from the bench in the Football League Trophy. He went on loan to Second Division Blackpool on 4th March 1999, making four League appearances, before signing permanently for them on 25th March 1999. He linked up there with Nigel Worthington, but the Irishman resigned in January 2000 after a long spell of poor performances and new Manager Steve McMahon was unable to stop their relegation to the Third Division. Couzens made a further seventeen League appearances, including three from the bench, as well as two in the League Cup and one in the Football League Trophy. Couzens struggled with injuries and left Bloomfield Road at the end of the 1999-2000 season. He joined Harrogate Town in early June 2000, but still struggled with injury and signed for Stevenage Borough in March 2001 before retiring from the game. He is now a fully qualified personal trainer based at the Hollins Hall Health and Fitness Centre in Baildon. He represented Yorkshire at Badminton for five years as a teenager and was Bradford Under-Sixteen and Under-Eighteen Tennis champion.