- Will Hoskins
Football player infobox
playername = Will Hoskins
fullname = William Richard Hoskins
dateofbirth = birth date and age|1986|5|6|df=y
cityofbirth =Nottingham
countryofbirth =England
height = height|ft=5|in=9
currentclub = Watford
clubnumber = 22
position =Striker
youthyears =
youthclubs =
years = 2004–2007
2007–
2007
2008
clubs = Rotherham United
Watford
→ Millwall (loan)
→ Nottingham Forest (loan)
caps(goals) = 73 (23)
16 0(2)
10 0(2)
02 0(0)
nationalyears = 2004
2004
2005
nationalteam = England U18
England U19
England U20
nationalcaps(goals) = 01 0(0)
01 0(0)
03 0(0)
pcupdate = 19:27, 01 October 2008 (UTC)
ntupdate = 18:43,5 January 2007 (UTC)William Richard "Will" Hoskins (born
6 May ,1986 inNottingham ) is an English footballstriker who plays for Watford. He came through the youth scheme at Rotherham United and has represented England at many levels up to Under 20.Career
Rotherham United
Hoskins was heralded as a talent when at just 17 he came into the first team fold at Rotherham and made an impact scoring both goals in a 2–1 win at Wigan Athletic in December 2003. However, he had a stop start early career, only making one start under managers
Ronnie Moore and subsequentlyMick Harford .Alan Knill took over as manager half way through the 2005–06 season, with the Millers half-way through their first campaign back in League One and saved the club from a second successive relegation. As youth coach Knill brought Hoskins up through the youth ranks at Milmoor and handed 12 further starts that season. Hoskins reciprocated the faith shown in him by being the only one of six out-of-contract players at the end of the 2005-06 season to sign an immediate contract renewal. Knill offered the youngster an initial one year deal, stating that should Will prove himself in the first team, he would be rewarded with a new contract before Christmas.Hoskins had an excellent 2006–07 pre-season alongside his new strike partner
Delroy Facey , notably scoring twice againstScottish Cup finalists Gretna. However, he suffered a slight injury before the first match of the season andDave Hibbert had to step up to take his place. Hoskins returned to the squad less than a week later, coming on as a second half substitute against Huddersfield Town. The following week he came off the bench to score the winner against Blackpool, securing his place in the starting eleven for the Millers. He was in the team consistently, but never had a regular strike partner due to injuries.By the end of December he had scored 15 goals in 22 appearances—seven of those in successive away games—making him the third highest scorer in League One. [ [http://home.skysports.com/topscorers.asp?cpid=11 League 1 Top Scorers] ] Due to his consistent excellent performances he was awarded the Player of the Month award in October and was valued at an estimated £750,000+ by "
The Guardian ".Watford
After turning down a contract extension, Hoskins signed for Premier League club Watford along with teammate
Lee Williamson on5 January 2007 for a combined fee of £1.2million. He made his debut on13 January 2007 [cite web|title=Tactical Formation|work=Football-Lineups.com
url=http://www.football-lineups.com/wiki/_match3151.php | accessmonthday=January 20 | accessyear=2007] after coming off the bench against Liverpool. He struggled to make an impact at Waford in the 2007-08 campaign, making only three appearances. He did move on loan to League One side Millwall in September 2007, where he made 12 appearances, netting four goals in his spell. He then returned to Watford and after months of speculation, he signed for Nottingham Forest on loan.On
August 12 2008 , Hoskins scored his first goal for Watford, an 88th minute winner against Bristol Rovers in the first round of theFootball League Cup 2008-09.Nottingham Forest
After months of speculation, Will Hoskins finally completed his transfer to Nottingham Forest on
February 8 ,2008 , joining The Reds on loan for the rest of the season, with Forest having the option of signing Hoskins permanently in the summer for £500,000, if he impresses bossColin Calderwood . He made his debut in a 2–0 win over Millwall at theCity Ground and impressed in his first two games in a Reds shirt, being credited for his liveliness and willingness to work hard.He endured a frustrating spell on the sidelines with a troublesome back injury, and with
Brett Ormerod joining fromPreston North End , Hoskins returned to Watford.England youth
Hoskins made an immediate impact when first introduced into the England U-18 squad, setting up the winning goal against Sweden on
29 April 2004 . [ [http://www.thefa.com/England/U19s/NewsAndFeatures/Postings/2005/03/EngU19_vSweden_report.htm England U19 vs Sweden report] ] He made his full first team debut for the International U20's side in the 4–0 defeat to Russia on16 August 2005 inMoscow .References
External links
* [http://www.watfordfc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/ProfilesDetail/0,,10400~22836,00.html Will Hoskins profile] at watfordfc.co.uk
* [http://www.millwallfc.co.uk/page/ProfilesDetail/0,,10367~22836,00.html Will Hoskins profile] at millwallfc.co.uk
*soccerbase|33422|Will Hoskins
* [http://football.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,1946972,00.html?gusrc=rss&feed=5 Guardian Player Review]
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