Sylvan Ebanks-Blake

Football player infobox
playername = Sylvan Ebanks-Blake


fullname = Sylvan Augustus Ebanks-Blake
nickname = Seb
dateofbirth = birth date and age|1986|3|29
cityofbirth = Cambridge
countryofbirth = England
height = height|ft=5|in=10
currentclub = Wolverhampton Wanderers
clubnumber = 9
position= Striker
youthyears =
youthclubs = Fulbourn Falcons
Cherry Hinton Lions
Manchester United
years = 2004–2006
2006
2006–2008
2008–
clubs = Manchester United
→ Royal Antwerp (loan)
Plymouth Argyle
Wolverhampton Wanderers
caps(goals) = 00 0(0)
09 0(4)
66 (21)
28 (17)
nationalcaps(goals)=
pcupdate = 16 September 2008
ntupdate =

Sylvan Augustus Ebanks-Blake (born March 29, 1986 in Cambridge) is an English football striker who plays for Wolverhampton Wanderers in the English Championship.

Early Career

Ebanks-Blake's first clubs were Cherry Hinton Lions and Fulbourn Falcons in the Cambridge area. Despite being a boyhood Liverpool fan, he started his professional career at Manchester United as a youth team player. He played his first match at senior level for the club on 26 October 2004 against Crewe Alexandra in the League Cup. One year later, he scored his first senior level goal for the club against Barnet in another League Cup tie.

Towards the end of the 2004/05 season, he fractured his leg and was ruled out for the remainder of the season. He recovered and scored a hat-trick on his return for the Manchester United reserves. However, he was never called on for a first team league game, although he was an unused substitute in several Champions League games. In January 2006, he moved on loan to Royal Antwerp in Belgium to gain first team experience, where he scored 4 goals in 9 matches.

Plymouth Argyle

Ebanks-Blake returned to England in the summer and signed a three year deal with Championship club Plymouth Argyle on 14 July 2006. The fee paid to Manchester United was an initial £200,000, potentially rising to over £300,000 due to clauses. Ebanks-Blake was new manager Ian Holloway's first signing and became a first team regular.

The striker notched up 10 goals in his first season at Argyle, many of which came in a strong finish to the season. He cemented his status as a fan favourite and top prospect with 11 league goals by New Year in the 2007/08 season, despite starting the season on the substitutes bench.

Wolverhampton Wanderers

This form attracted Wolverhampton Wanderers to bid £1.5million in the January transfer window which activated a buy-out clause, and he duly signed for them on 11 January 2008. [cite news| title = Ebanks-Blake ties up Wolves move| url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/w/wolverhampton_wanderers/7181543.stm| publisher = BBC Sport| date = 2008-01-11] He started well at his new club, scoring 7 goals in his first 8 games, and being named Championship Player of the Month for March 2008. [cite news| title = Magnificent seven make Sylvan Player of the Month| url = http://www.football-league.premiumtv.co.uk/page/Interviews/0,,10794~1285882,00.html| publisher = Football League| date =] He finished the season as winner of the Golden Boot for the Championship with 23 goals, and has begun the 2008/09 season in a similar vein, scoring twice in Wolves' first three league games.

His form was rewarded when he received his first England Under-21 call-up for a European Championship qualifier against Portugal in September 2008, but he did not feature in the matchday squad. He has been selected for the forthcoming qualifying play-off tie against Wales. [cite news| title =Play-Off squad named| url = http://www.thefa.com/England/U21s/NewsAndFeatures/Postings/U21vWales_squadnamed.htm| publisher = The FA| date = 2008-10-01]

References

External links

* [http://www.wolves.premiumtv.co.uk/page/ProfilesDetail/0,,10307~32095,00.html Official club profile]
*soccerbase|id=39938|name=Sylvan Ebanks-Blake