Wijnhard: Clyde

1998-1999 (Player Details)

Centre Forward

Born: Paramaribo, Surinam: 01-11-1973

Debut: Middlesbrough (a): 15-08-1998

5’11” 13st 4lb (1999)

Wijnhard started his football career with Ajax in Holland in 1992 scoring twice in four games. He was loaned to Groningen in 1993 and there scored three times in twenty-three appearances. He left Ajax in 1995 and joined RKC Waalwijk and in two years scored eighteen goals in fifty games. He attracted the attention of George Graham, who was looking to pick up another bargain after his success with Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink, and, after Wijnhard had scored fourteen goals in twenty-eight starts and one substitute appearances in his only season with Willem II, in July 1998 Leeds paid £1.5 million for the Dutch Surinam-born striker. He was not the success that Graham had hoped for and never seemed to get to grips with the top flight. One year later in July 1999 he was transferred to Huddersfield Town for £750,000 and found the First Division more to his liking being almost ever-present and scoring fifteen times in forty-five games in his first season. In September 2000 he suffered a near-fatal car crash and his injuries took their toll. After a loan spell at Preston North End in March 2002, where he scored three times in six games, he joined Oldham Athletic in August 2002. He scored sixteen goals in fifty-one League starts and eleven more from the bench as he failed to live up to the promise of his first season. At Oldham he kept up his flow of goals with ten in twenty-four League starts and one game from the bench as well as three more six Cup games. He then took off for Portuguese football with Vitoria Guimaraes and Beira Mar Aveira on loan, scoring nine times in twenty-nine games, and was given a free transfer to Darlington in October 2004. Once more he kept his goals tally moving with fifteen in thirty-nine games, three of which were as a substitute, but was firstly loaned to Macclesfield Town in October 2005 before making the move permanent in January 2006, but on a monthly contract. He played twenty League games, one of which was from the bench and scored eight times, while in the cups he netted four in six games for Macclesfield. He trained for a while with Chester City but did not play for them. Brentford were his next club, joining the Bees in September 2006 and he failed to score in seven League starts and another two from the bench as well as three substitute appearances in the Cups and he left Griffin Park in December 2006. He later played for Bramham in the local Leagues near Leeds.