Wright: Alan Geoffrey (Alan)

2006-2006 (Player Details)

Left Back

Born: Ashton-under-Lyne: 28-09-1971

Debut: Stoke City (a): 14-10-2006

5’4” 9st 4lb (2003)

A Left-Back, he was famous for being the shortest player in EPL history standing at only five feet four inches tall. He played over six hundred and twenty League and Cup games for eight clubs. Wright began his career as a trainee at Blackpool, where he made ninety-one starts and seven substitute appearances between April 1989 and October 1991. The new Blackburn manager Kenny Dalglish noticed Wright, and brought him to Ewood Park for £400,000, breaking Blackpool's transfer record. He spent four years at Ewood Park, but thanks to the arrival of England left back Graeme Le Saux, he made only sixty-seven appearances for the club, seven as a substitute and scoring just once. He was, however, part of the Blackburn squad that won the Premiership in the 1994-95 season. Wright was signed by Brian Little for Aston Villa for £1,000,000 in the summer of 1995. Wright made an immediate impact, appearing in the team for their opening day home victory over Manchester United. His first goal for Aston Villa came later that season against Middlesbrough on New Years Day 1996. Wright scored one other goal that season, rounding off the scoring in a 3-0 home defeat of Leeds United. Wright was also part of the Aston Villa 1996 League Cup winning side, beating Leeds once again, this time at Wembley. He appeared in the Aston Villa side that lost the 2000 FA Cup Final to Chelsea. With the emergence of the younger J Lloyd Samuel from the Villa academy, he moved to Middlesbrough on a free transfer in August 2003, after scoring five goals in two hundred and fifty-five starts and five games from the bench for Villa. Wright appeared only twice for Middlesbrough, before being loaned out to CCCL side Sheffield United on 31st October 2003, signing for them permanently on 12th January 2004. He was part of the Sheffield United side that upset Aston Villa 3-1 in the Third Round of the FA Cup in the 2004-05 season. Wright made a couple of appearances for United at the start of the 2006-07 season, but then he went on loan and played seven games with Derby County from February 2006, one game with Leeds United from October 2006 and six starts and one game from the bench for Cardiff City from November 2006. On 16th February 2007 he joined Doncaster Rovers on a month's loan and played three League games, then, in March 2007, he joined Nottingham Forest on loan until the end of the 2006-07. Wright extended his loan with Nottingham Forest in May 2007 and played in the League One play-off semi-final against Yeovil Town, in which he scored an own goal, and he started nine League games. He was released by Sheffield United in May 2007, having scored once in thirty-six League starts and six more from the bench while he made six starts and two appearances from the bench in the Cup competitions. In July 2007, Wright was offered a trial by Oldham Athletic but eventually joined Cheltenham Town on non-contract basis on 8th October 2007. He subsequently signed a contract until the end of the 2007/2008 with them. On his return to the City Ground on 5th April 2008, whilst representing Cheltenham, Wright was given a standing ovation by all four stands when substituted. He re-signed for Cheltenham on a non-contract basis for their 2008-09 campaign. He scored once in fifty-six League games, one of which was as a substitute, and played six times in the F.A. Cup and twice in the League Cup and once in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy, without scoring for Cheltenham. Wright signed for Blue Square North team Fleetwood Town on 24th July 2009 and did not missed a game to the end of September, he finished with forty-three appearances in the League, including all three games in the play-off Finals which saw his team gain promotion to the Conference National, and he also played one F.A. Cup game. He was voted Non-League Paper BSN Player of the Year 2009/10 and both the Manager's and the Player's "Player of the Year".