Laryea Kingston

Football player infobox
playername = Laryea Kingston


fullname = Laryea Kingston
height = height|m=1.75
nickname = Bra Laryea, Larry
dateofbirth = birth date and age|1980|11|7
cityofbirth = Accra
countryofbirth = Ghana
currentclub = Heart of Midlothian
clubnumber = 10
position = Midfielder
youthyears =
youthclubs =
years = 1996-2001 2000 2001-2003 2003 2003-2004 2004-2005 2005-2007 2006 2007 2007-present
clubs = Great Olympics → Al-Ittihad (loan) Hearts of Oak Maccabi Ahi Nazareth Hapoel Tel Aviv Krylia Sovetov Samara Terek Grozny → Lokomotiv Moscow (loan) → Hearts (loan) Hearts
caps(goals) = 00 (0) 24 (2) 15 (0) 11 (0) 12 (0) 10 (1) 24 (4)
nationalyears =
nationalteam = Ghana
nationalcaps(goals) = 28 (6)
pcupdate = 19:06, 21 May 2007 (UTC)
ntupdate = 18:51, 28 June 2008 (UTC)

Laryea Kingston (born 7 November 1980 in Accra, Ghana) is a Ghanaian football midfielder currently playing for Scottish Premier League club Heart of Midlothian after signing from Russian First Division club Terek Grozny.

Club career

Early career

Kingston started his career with local side Great Olympics, whom he joined aged 16, before moving to Libyan side Al-Ittihad in 2000, on a loan deal. However, after only 4 months of this arrangement he returned to Accra, unhappy at his treatment in Tripoli, joining one of Ghana's traditional "Big Two", Hearts of Oak, in 2001. Two years later he moved to Israel, initially with Maccabi Ahi Nazareth. After two Toto Cup matches, Maccabi decided not to retain him and he was signed by Hapoel Tel Aviv, where he played until 2004.

Move to Russia

Russia was Kingston's next destination, where he joined Krylia Sovetov Samara, helping them to third place in the Russian Premier League in his first season. Krylia Sovetov also reached the Cup final that year but were surprisingly defeated 1-0 by First Division Terek Grozny in Moscow. Kingston joined Terek half way through the 2005 season but was unable to help them avoid a bottom-placed finish and relegation from the top flight.

Several of Terek's higher-profile players left as a result of this demotion, and Kingston joined Lokomotiv Moscow on loan for the 2006 season. He was banned for 6 matches in July 2006 for deliberately injuring FC Dinamo Moscow defender Leandro Fernández. [cite web|url=http://www.uefa.com/footballeurope/news/Kind=2/newsId=437816.html|title="no title"|author=UEFA.com|date=Wednesday, 19 July 2006]

When Terek failed to secure a return to the Premier League, Kingston appeared set for a permanent departure from the Chechen side. Despite an approach from Bolton Wanderers and rumoured interest from Newcastle United and Fulham, Kingston joined Hearts on 25 January 2007 on an initial six-month loan deal. [ [http://www.ghanafa.org/news/read.asp?contentid=1707 Kingston completes Hearts move] , "Official Ghana FA website", 24 January 2007.] Hearts also negotiated the option to sign him permanently for a further three years at the initial contract's end and exercised this option on 6 June 2007, for a pre-agreed fee of £500,000. [cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/h/heart_of_midlothian/6677687.stm|title="Hearts complete Kingston signing"|author=BBC Sport|date=Wednesday, 6 June 2007]

cotland

Kingston made his debut for Hearts side in the Scottish Cup on 3 February 2007 but couldn't stop his new side losing 1-0 to Dunfermline Athletic and going out of the competition they had won the previous year. He scored his first goal for the club on his 3rd appearance, a subtle free kick equalising the scores in a 1-1 League draw with St Mirren at Tynecastle. Although often deployed on the right flank during his career, particularly with the national side, he has thus far been used in central midfield by the Edinburgh side.

On 10 March 2007, Kingston was sent off in Hearts' 1-0 defeat by Aberdeen. Several news sources, including the BBC, have reported that he reacted to the decision by calling the referee, Steve Conroy, a racist. Conroy reported Kingston to the Scottish FA for using "offensive, insulting and abusive language" in his response to the red card. Kingston subsequently faced a disciplinary hearing on 1 May 2007 [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/h/heart_of_midlothian/6438315.stm Kingston's season over after ban] , "BBC Sport", 1 May 2007] at which the SFA decided that a further 3 game ban was in order. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/h/heart_of_midlothian/6611879.stm Kingston charged over ref comment] , "BBC Sport", 13 March 2007] Hearts appealed the decision and as a result the sentence was suspended until an SFA appeals committee can convene to discuss the case. On 17th April2008, Kingston stated in the Hearts Fc match day program, that he would be happy to stay with Hearts for the rest of his carer.

International career

Well known as an uncompromising and hard-working player by fellow professionals, Kingston's determined style has occasionally caused him problems, most notably when representing the Ghanaian national side at the 2006 African Cup of Nations, when he was sent off during Ghana's 1-0 victory over Senegal following an altercation with Habib Beye. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/africa/4648882.stm Ghana 1-0 Senegal] , "BBC Sport", 27 January 2006.] Both players subsequently received unprecedented 4-match suspensions, which resultantly ruled Kingston out of contention for the Ghana squad for 2006 World Cup. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/africa/4814692.stm FIFA confirm Kingston ban] , "BBC Sport", 16 March 2006.]

Kingston returned to prominence for the "Black Stars" in February 2007 though, scoring in their 4-1 victory over Nigeria in London. [ [http://www.fifa.com/en/mens/index/0,2527,131396,00.html?articleid=131396 Ghana hammer Nigerians in London] , "Fifa.com", 8 February 2007.]

Trivia

Kingston's elder brother, Richard Kingson, is also a professional footballer, who played in goal in all four of Ghana's matches at the 2006 World Cup. [ [http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/soccer/pop-up.php?ID=194 Profile] , Ghanaweb.com. Accessed 2 February 2007] He has just been released by the Premier League side Birmingham City FC ,19/5/08.

References

External links

*
* [http://www.londonhearts.com/scores/players/kingstonlaryea.html Appearances] at londonhearts.com
* [http://klisf.info/numeric/index.app?cmd=ln&lang=en&id=555154730852696 Statistic at klisf.info]
* [http://www.stv.tv/content/sport/exclusive/display.html?id=opencms:/sport/exclusive/Kingston_may_not_stay_for_long_260607 Kingston begs Gordon to stay at Hearts] [http://www.stv.tv/content/sport stv] interview, 26 June 2007.

Persondata
NAME=Kingston, Laryea
ALTERNATIVE NAMES= Bra Laryea, Larry
SHORT DESCRIPTION=Ghanaian footballer
DATE OF BIRTH=November 7, 1980
PLACE OF BIRTH=Accra, Ghana
DATE OF DEATH=
PLACE OF DEATH=