Oster: John Morgan (John)

2004-2004 (Leeds Player Details)

Right Winger

Born: Boston, Lincolnshire: 08-12-1978

Debut: v Preston North End (a): 06-11-2004

5’9” 10st 8lb (2003)

After signing for Grimsby Town as an apprentice in July 1994, he turned professional in July 1996 and had a rapid rise to fame after being handed his first-team debut in the League by the Manager, Kenny Swain, at Charlton Athletic in a 3-1 win at the Valley on 26th November 1996 when he was still not yet eighteen. He was voted Grimsby’s ‘Young Player of the Year’ in 1997. He was called up to the Welsh Under-Twenty-one team for the first time on 30th August 1996 when he was still not yet eighteen and he made his debut as a seventy-first minute substitute for Scott Young in a 4-0 win over San Marino at Barry. It was not long before he had picked up a second cap at that level when he again came on for Scott Young, this time after fifty-three minutes as wales went down 0-2 to Netherlands at Ninian Park on 4th October 1996, both games being in the EUFA competition. He then played three times in quick succession for the Welsh Under-eighteens in the UEFA competition in Holland where, on 15th October 1996 they were beaten 0-2 by Netherlands at Bathmen and three days later were beaten by Scotland 1-2 at Raalte, and in both games Oster played a full game but two days later he came on as a substitute at half-Time for Darren Bowman in a 2-4 defeat by Lithuania at Hattem. On 13th December 1996 he gained his third Under-Twenty-One cap in a 0-3 UEFA encounter with Turkey in which he made his starting debut and played a full game at Eugene Cross Park in Ebbw Vale. He took his caps to four when he again played a full game on 28th March 1997 in a 1-0 win over Belgium at the Vetch Field. When he moved to Everton for £1.5 million, aged only eighteen and having played just twenty-four League matches of which three were as substitute and scoring three goals, while at Blundell Park, he was also experienced at the two international age groups. He had also came on as a substitute to claim his first goal for the Mariners in a 1-7 hiding by Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough in the Third Round of the F.A. Cup on 4th January 1997. He was widely regarded as a highly promising talent, but proved difficult to manage and never achieved his potential with the Toffees. A right-sided midfielder, he soon played for Wales at Under-Twenty-one level and was later called up to the full Welsh squad. Before joining Everton, Oster was at the centre of continued interest from Premiership clubs, with the Mariners resolutely holding out, as if by prior agreement, until Swain's good friend, Howard Kendall, was ready to bring the youngster to Goodison Park. Under the noses of the then high-profile clubs, Manchester United and Newcastle United, Kendall strode in to make Oster his second signing since taking over the reins at the Toffees. The common wisdom at the end of his first season was that Oster was over-played in the worst situation, a relegation dogfight, and it seriously damaged his confidence. This manifested itself in frustration when playing for Wales, where he managed to get himself sent off in two successive international matches. Under Kendall, he was too often called upon to play a winning role in a losing side. Some signs of his potential appeared deep into the 1998-99 season when Walter Smith finally called on the young lad as a substitute in the disastrous Worthington League Cup-tie with Sunderland. Oster had been playing brilliantly for the reserves, and was again thrown on to try and save the game, which he so very nearly did. He taunted the Sunderland defence with a dazzling display reminiscent of his early performances in a Royal Blue shirt. But Walter Smith is not renowned for trusting his fate to the kids. John Oster found it hard to get the recognition his performances warranted. He did not feature in any of the last eleven games, and was one of the five men listed for transfer by Walter Smith as the season ended. Overheard in the main stand, celebrating goals by Arsenal, his Everton days were surely numbered. An enigmatic, problematic, idiosyncratic artisan in the Duncan McKenzie mould, perhaps there is no longer any room for such characters in the Premiership. At Goodison he played forty League games, eighteen as substitute and scored one goal. He scored one in both of the Cups, making five appearances, three as a substitute in the FA Cup and five in the League Cup, including one as a substitute. His goals came on 20th September 1997 at Goodison, when he scored the fourth goal, from a Nick Barmby pass, in a 4-2 win over Barnsley in the EPL. One in the League Cup when he netted the second Everton goal in a 5-0 win over Scunthorpe United at Goodison on 1st October 1997 in the second leg of the Second Round of the competition, and one in the F.A. Cup, when on 13th February 1999 he scored with a skidding shot after deceiving Coventry City full-back David Burrows and goalkeeper Magnus Hedman in the seventy-seventh minute to give Everton a 2-0 lead before winning 2-1 at Goodison in the Fifth Round. While at Everton Oster's International career had blossomed and he had played two more Under-Twenty-one Internationals in the UEFA Championship, the first on 19th August 1997 when Wales were beaten by Turkey 0-3 at Besiktas' Inonu Stadium and another defeat, this time by Belgium by the only goal of the game at Mouscron on 10th October 1997. The following day he was given his debut at full International level, but while he gaoined a cap his contribution was nil as he never kicked the ball as a ninetieth minute substitute for Robbie Savage in a 2-3 defeat by Belgium in Brussels. It was not long before he was able to make a larger contribution when he started the game in Brasilia as Brazil beat Wales 0-3 on 12th November 1997. He made his third appearance in a 0-0 draw with Jamaica at Ninian Park on 25th March 1998. He then picked up two further Under-Twenty-One Caps to take his tally to eight, which not only proved to be his final caps but they saw him sent off on both occasions. The first was in a 1-2 defeat by Italy on 22nd April 1998 at the Alberto Braglia in Modena in which he was sent off after 24 minutes in a friendly, while the second was in the UEFA competition, which again say Wales lose 1-2 at the Racecourse Ground, Wrexham on 4th September 1998, in which he saw red in the seventy-sixth minute. He also gained his only Cap at "B" level on 9th February 1999 in a 1-0 over Northern Ireland at the Racecourse Ground Wrexham in which he started but gave way to Simon Davies after fifty-eight minutes. Oster moved to Sunderland for a fee in excess of £1 million on 6th August 1999, but achieved little in his time at the club other than to frustrate supporters and end the career of reserve player Mark Maley by accidentally shooting him in the eye with an air rifle. He went out on loan to Barnsley, for a month from 19th October 2001 playing two League games, Grimsby Town, from 31st October to 30th December 2002, where he scored five times in ten League starts and a second spell for a month from 21st February 2003 to 24th March 2003, scoring once in seven League starts. His time at Sunderland saw him add his final ten full caps to take his tally to thirteen. His fourth full cap came on 9th October 1999 at the Racecourse Ground, Wrexham as Wales lost 0-2 to Switzerland in the UEFA European Championship in which he started but gave way to Matthew Jones in the seventy-seventh minute. He saw little action on the International front as he was unable to establish himself as a regular in the EPL. It was not until 12th February 2003 that he played his fifth full international at the Millenium Stadium, when he came on for Robbie Savage with two minutes left in the 2-2 draw with Bosnia-Herzegovina in a friendly. His next cap came in the 4-0 win over Azerbaijan in Group Nine of the UEFA European Championship when he played the full ninety minutes at the Millenium Stadium on 29th March 2003. On 26th May 2003 he started the friendly international against USA at Spartan Stadium, San Jose, which saw Wales lose 0-2 and Oster replaced after seventy minutes by David Pipe. It was another Group Nine UEFA European Championship game that saw him play two minutes in place of John Robinson against Serbia and Montenegro in the 2-3 loss at the Millenium Stadium on 11th October 2003. His next three caps were in Friendly Internationals, the first a full game, in a 4-0 win over Scotland at the Millenium on 18th February 2004, followed by a 0-0 draw with Norway at Ullevaal, Oslo on 27th May 2004, in which he played almost a full game before being replaced by Darren Bernard in the ninetieth minute and three days later his caps hit eleven in a 1-0 win over Canada at the Racecourse Ground, Wrexham as he played a full game. His two final caps came in quick succession in the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers Group Six, with a 1-1 draw with Azerbaijan at Tofig Bakhramov on 4th September 2004, when he replaced Mark Pembridge at Half-Time, followed fuor days later by a 2-2 draw with Northern Ireland at the Millenium, in which he played a full game and brought his tally to thirteen. Oster was released by Sunderland in January 2005 shortly after returning to the Black Cats in disgrace from a loan at Leeds United. Leeds terminated Oster's loan spell from Sunderland after he was found guilty of a breach of discipline at the club's Christmas party. Jamie McMaster was also fined and boss Kevin Blackwell issued a warning as to his player's future conduct. Oster had already been fined by Leeds and warned about his future conduct after being arrested in Durham two weeks previous. His time at Elland Road was successful, on the field at least. He showed the sort of form that had persuaded Kendall to spend that money on him over seven years earlier. While with the Black Cats he made sixty eight League appearances, twenty being from the bench and scored five goals. He also scored once in the League Cup from nine starts and two games as a substitute, while he did not score in the FA Cup in ten appearances, three being from the bench nor in the Play-offs where he played twice. He joined Burnley on a free transfer on 29th January 2005, making his debut at Turf Moor on the same day in the Fourth Round of the F.A. Cup in a 2-0 win over Bournemouth. His final game was at Turf Moor on 30th April 2005 in a 2-0 win over Plymouth Argyle after he had come on as a substitute for Dean Bowditch in the sixty-eighth minute. Following that short spell at Burnley, where he scored just once in fifteen League games, with three being as a substitute and three FA Cup games, one from the bench, they did not renew his contact at the end of the season and Oster joined Reading on a free transfer, on 2nd August 2005 on a one year contract. He had spent time on trial with Preston North End and Millwall in the close season but neither club would take him on. Oster made his debut for Reading against Brighton and Hove Albion on 9th August 2005 as a substitute. He gained a CCCL Championship Winners’ medal in 2005-06. In January 2007, he extended his contract at the Madejski Stadium until the summer of 2008. He was an important squad member in 2005/6, playing on thirty-three occasions in the league, twenty-two times as a substitute. He also played eight times in cup competitions and scored twice. Later he proved to be an important player in the Premiership whenever called upon. He notched his first Premier League goal in nearly ten years against Middlesbrough at the Riverside Stadium where the Royals were defeated for the first time in 2007, by 2-1. He was released by Reading following their relegation from the EPL, on 16th May 2008. He had scored twice in twenty-nine starts and forty-seven games from the bench in the League, and one goal in fourteen games in the Cup competitions. Oster signed an initial six month contract for Crystal Palace on 11th August 2008, and scored on his debut against Hereford United in the Carling Cup. In January 2009 he signed a contract extension to the end of the season. While at Selhurst Park he scored three League goals in thirty-one games, including four off the bench. He also got one goal in one start in the League Cup but failed to score in his only F.A. Cup start. Oster left Crystal Palace in the summer and went on trial with Doncaster Rovers. After a successful trial, Oster signed a short-term contract on 7th August 2009. He made his Rover's debut the following day, coming on as a second-half substitute against Watford. He was a regular for Doncaster except when missing games on suspension after being sent off. He stayed for three seasons at Doncaster, scoring twice in one hundred starts in the League and another eleven from the bench. He also took part in five F.A. Cup games, which included one as a substitute and four starts in the League Cup without scoring, before leaving for League Two side Barnet on 7th September 2012, on a free transfer and on a one year contract. He scored twice in twenty-three starts and five games from the bench in the League before his contract ran out at the end of the season as Barnet were relegated from the Football League. He joined Conference Premier side Gateshead on a no contract basis at the start of the 2013-14 season. He scored five goals in thirty-two starts and two games from the bench in the Leagueand scored once in the F.A. Cup from four starts and one in the three play-off games he started, as Gateshead finished third in the League to qualify for the play-offs. After beating Grimsby Town 4-2 on aggregate in the semi-finals, thanks to a 3-1 win at home, they went down 1-2 to Cambridge United in the Wembley play-off final on 18th May 2014. so it was back to the Conference for the 2014-15 season and he had already scored once in nineteen starts in the League and three goals in the F.A. Cup in just two appearances by November.