Paul Heckingbottom

Infobox Football biography
playername = Paul Heckingbottom


dateofbirth = birth date and age|1977|7|17|df=y
height = height|ft=6|in=0
cityofbirth = Barnsley
countryofbirth = England
nickname = Hecky
currentclub = Bradford City
clubnumber = 3
position = Defender
youthyears = 1993–1995
youthclubs = Manchester United
years = 1996–1999
1997–1998
1998–1999
1999–2002
2002–2003
2003–2004
2004–2006
2006–2008
2007–2008
2008–
clubs = Sunderland
→ Scunthorpe United (loan)
→ Hartlepool United (loan)
Darlington
Norwich City
Bradford City
Sheffield Wednesday
Barnsley
→ Bradford City (loan)
Bradford City
caps(goals) = 000 (0)
029 (0)
005 (1)
116 (5)
015 (0)
043 (0)
042 (6)
049 (1)
023 (0)
030 (0)
nationalyears =
nationalteam =
nationalcaps(goals) =
pcupdate = 20:05, 4 October 2008 (UTC)
ntupdate =

Paul Heckingbottom (born 17 July 1977 in Barnsley) is an English footballer, playing for Bradford City. His normal position is in defence.

Career

Early career

Heckingbottom started his career at Manchester United as a trainee but joined Sunderland after failing to gain a professional contract. He had loan spells at Scarborough, Hartlepool United and Darlington without featuring for Sunderland before joining Darlington permanently in 1999. He made 128 appearances scoring 6 goals before catching the attention of Norwich City who signed him in 2002.

Heckingbottom made just 16 appearances for Norwich before signing for Bradford City in 2003 where he was named their player of the year at the end of his first season.cite news
first=Simon
last=Parker
url=http://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/search/display.var.1941124.0.mccall_awaiting_defenders_answer.php
title=McCall awaiting defender's answer
accessdate=2008-01-08
date=3 January 2008
publisher=Telegraph & Argus] But Bradford were relegated to League One at the end of the 2003–04 season, and he left to join Sheffield Wednesday during the close-season.

heffield Wednesday

Heckingbottom was well favoured under both Chris Turner and Paul Sturrock and made a total of 41 appearances at left back in his first season - more than any other player that year. He also scored four goals, helping Wednesday to the League One play-off final at the end of the 2004–05 season. Due to an injury sustained in pre-season he was put out of contention for the first 16 games of the 2005–06 season. When he returned to fitness, new signing John Hills had begun to make the left back spot his own. An injury to Hills allowed him to re-stake a claim on the team but he only managed a 4 game streak in the team before once again becoming injured and it was this time Peter Gilbert that took his place in the squad. Sturrock allowed him a chance to prove himself in an FA Cup third round game against Charlton Athletic. He scored both of Wednesday's goals in the 4–2 defeat at Hillsborough.

Barnsley

Heckingbottom was sent on loan with a view to a permanent move to his boyhood club Barnsley. [cite news
url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/b/barnsley/4610988.stm
title=Heckingbottom seals Barnsley move
date=13 January 2006
accessdate=2008-01-20
publisher=BBC Sport] He played an important part in their promotion campaign and win against Swansea City in the League One play-off final, scoring one of the four penalties that secured their promotion to the Championship. Heckingbottom has currently made 42 appearances for Barnsley scoring one goal.

Bradford City

In July 2007, Heckingbottom returned to Bradford City on loan until 1 January 2008. [cite news
url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/b/bradford_city/6900808.stm
title=Heckingbottom seals Bradford move
accessdate=2008-01-08
date=16 July 2007
publisher=BBC Sport] He played in all 23 league games during his loan spell, missing only an FA Cup tie against Tranmere Rovers after he was suspended following a red card in a 1–1 draw with Stockport County. [cite news
url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_div_3/7099922.stm
title=Bradford 1-1 Stockport
accessdate=2008-01-08
date=24 November 2007
publisher=BBC Sport] A week after his loan deal expired, his contract at Barnsley was cancelled by mutual consent and he signed a permanent 18 month deal at Bradford. [cite news
url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/b/bradford_city/7176638.stm
title=Heckingbottom seals Bradford move
accessdate=2008-01-08
date=8 January 2008
publisher=BBC Sport] He missed his first league game of the 2007–08 season with four games left, when an ankle injury prevented him for playing against Brentford on 12 April 2008. Heckingbottom's place was taken by Luke O'Brien, who made his Bradford debut, in a 2–2 draw. [cite news
url=http://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/sport/sportbcfc/sportbcfcheadlines/display.var.2198856.0.heckys_helping_hand_for_obrien.php
title=Hecky's helping hand for O'Brien
date=2008-04-15
accessdate=2008-04-17
publisher=Telegraph & Argus
first=Simon
last=Parker] [cite news
url=http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_div_3/7332194.stm
title=Brentford 2-2 Bradford
date=2008-04-12
accessdate=2008-04-17
publisher=BBC Sport]

He played in the club's first nine league games of the 2008–09 season, but was sent off in a 1–1 draw with Luton Town for two bookable offences. [cite news
url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_div_3/7639320.stm
title=Bradford 1-1 Luton
date=2008-10-04
accessdate=2008-10-04
publisher=BBC Sport]

References

External links

*soccerbase|id=10750|name=Paul Heckingbottom
* [http://bradford.vitalfootball.co.uk/player.asp?p=464 Paul Heckingbottom Vital Profile]

Persondata
NAME = Heckingbottom, Paul
ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
SHORT DESCRIPTION = Footballer
DATE OF BIRTH = 17 July 1977
PLACE OF BIRTH = Barnsley, England
DATE OF DEATH =
PLACE OF DEATH =