Singh: Harpal

1998-2005 (Leeds Player Details)(Player Details)

Left Winger

Born: Bradford: 15-09-1981

Debut: None

5’7” 10st 2lb (2003)

Singh was discovered by the Leeds scouts, playing as a ten-year-old in Pudsey and he had a four week trial at their Ferndale Centre of Excellence. At fourteen he joined the Youth Academy and was playing in the Under-Nineteen side by the age of seventeen, top-scoring for them in the 2000-01 season. Leeds reserve coach, Roy Aitken, rated the young Singh very highly."He is a potential matchwinner who can beat the defence. He is capable of scoring goals and creating goals," were the coach's words. Singh was also highly thought of by George Graham but had to be content with staying in the Junior and Reserve teams as he was always well behind Harry Kewell and Jason Wilcox in any Leeds line-up. The nearest he came to first team football was when he was an unused substitute at Southampton and at home to West Ham United, midway through the 2001-02 season and then in the home leg of the UEFA Cup-tie against Hapoel Tel-Aviv in October 2002. He signed professional forms with United in September 1998 and to get first-team experience he spent time on loan with Bury in September 2001 and made eleven League starts and one substitute appearance and scored twice for the Second Division team. He had spent three months at Gigg Lane and apart from gaining valuable experience on a competitive level on a regular basis his displays gave him confidence and he also status with the Bury fans. He followed this up with three League games for Bristol City in March 2002. Initially loaned for a month, there had been hopes of him staying until the end of the season, but he failed to settle in Bristol and returned to Leeds. The following season he went on loan to his hometown team of Bradford City in August 2002 but injurires kept his appearances to just three games in the League. He did not have the best of luck with injuries and in 2003 he dislocated his shoulder, while at Bury. He had returned to Gigg Lane for the start of the 2003-04 season and started in twenty League games as well as having eight games as a substitute from which he scored twice. As Leeds descended into turmoil with an exodus of star names leaving the club, and Managers changing rapidly, Singh could only manage a game against Farsley Celtic for the Reserves in the 2004-05 pre-season and did not figure in Manager Blackwell’s plans. After being loaned out for a month to Stockport County, in February 2005, he was ultimately given a free-transfer and he made five League starts and one from the bench and scored one goal before the end of that season. The Stockport Manager, Chris Turner, left at Christmas and Jim Gannon took over as Singh scored one goal in nineteen League starts and also came from the bench on five more occasions and made three starts in the F.A. Cup, one in the League Cup and in in the Football League Trophy, in the 2005-06 season before he was released by the club. He received an offer from Sean Connor, then manager of Sligo Rovers, who were in the middle of their first season back in the top flight. At first unsure, he was finally convinced by the Belfast-born boss to sign during the July transfer window after spending a spell on trial at the Showgrounds. He scored three times in his early games, two of very high quality coming at Longford Town. There were a lot of young players and they blended in well with the more experienced players who had played in England as well, such as Darren Mansaram, Chris Turner and Liam Burns. The small squad put in a very good finish that year, achieving fifth position and also progressing to the semi-final of the FAI Cup. In January 2007 he joined up with former team mates Burns and Turner when Sean Connor took over the reigns at Bohemians. However, he spent the majority of his time there on the sidelines with his problems starting as early as the pre-season when he tore his groin muscle which required an operation. Eight of his nine League games were as a substitute, but he scored in his only start in the Cup. He was put on the transfer list on 16th January 2008. A month after the season ended, despite finishing third in the league, Connor left Bohemians. Pat Fenlon took charge and Singh struggled to gain a first-team place as Fenlon brought his own players in. Now recovered from injuries he found himself constantly on the bench. Although he was a member of the squad, he missed out on a league medal by a single game as the club fid the double. When his contract ran out in December 2008, he decided to leave the Gypsies and return to England after a two-and-a-half-year stay in the Republic. He had made up his mind to revert to English football when his former Manager Sean Connor, asked him to join him at newly promoted Dundalk in January 2009. He quickly signed a six month contract, but he failed to score after starting eleven games and coming on as a substitute in another. He had started the first ten games but suspension and sickness saw him miss the final two. He married in July and was hopeful of resigning. However, he was released by Dundalk at the end of his contract. He was without a club from July 2009 until he moved to Unibond League side, Guiseley, in September 2009. He turned out for the Lions as a trialist in a 2-0 win over Bamber Bridge on 25th July 2009. After obtaining International clearance he made his debut as he started in a 4-0 win at Burscough, in which he played seventy-five minutes before being replaced by Steve Burton. He scored once in the F. A. Trophy and made two starts and twice came off the bench in Unibond League games. In all games he started three times, came on as a substitute eight times and sat unused on the bench eleven times in the 2009-10 season.