Andy Welsh
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Andrew Welsh | ||
| Position(s) | midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Toronto FC | ||
| Number | 17 | ||
Andy Welsh (born November 24, 1983 in Manchester, England) is a football left winger who has signed on to play for Canadian MLS Club, Toronto FC in the 2007 season.
Welsh signed for the Black Cats from Stockport County in November 2004 after impressing in a three-day trial with the club. Sunderland paid an initial fee of £15,000 for his services, though this fee could rise up to £35,000 depending on appearances.
Welsh made his debut for Stockport in October 2001, going on to make 85 appearances in his three years at the club. Upon signing for Sunderland he was allocated the vacant number 11 shirt, and made his debut in the 3-2 defeat to Preston North End on New Years Day in 2005, replacing Marcus Stewart in the 68th minute.
Welsh made his first start for Sunderland a week later on January 8 2005, scoring a free kick in a 2-1 victory against Crystal Palace. Welsh went on to make 8 appearances that season, scoring again against QPR at Loftus Road on April 2.
Welsh retained the number 11 shirt the following season, starting the season for the first team in place of injured defender George McCartney. However, Welsh was controversially sent off in only the second game of the season against Liverpool at Anfield on August 20 2005, although the decision was later overturned on appeal.
Welsh found himself out of the Sunderland team after Christmas, and many thought he had played his last game for the club after he was loaned to Football League Championship club Leicester on March 1 2006. Welsh went on to make 10 appearances for the Foxes, scoring 1 goal.
Four days after playing his last game for Leicester, Welsh was back at Sunderland, playing in the clubs last two games against Fulham and Aston Villa under new caretaker manager Kevin Ball. Following the transfer of popular midfielder Julio Arca to Middlesbrough in the summer, Welsh was expected to start the season as first choice winger, however, new chairman/manager Niall Quinn decided to strip Welsh of his regular number 11 shirt, instead allocating him the number 17 jersey.
Welsh unfortunately picked up an injury during a pre-season win against Shelbourne, prompting Quinn and new manager Roy Keane to sign Swedish winger Tobias Hysen and Celtic midfielder Ross Wallace to fill the left-midfield role. Welsh subsequently re-joined Leicester on loan when he regained fitness, although he managed only 4 league starts for the Foxes, and returned to Sunderland in the New Year. Ironically, Sunderland's next game was against Leicester at the Walkers Stadium, where Welsh was named as an unused substitute.
Welsh is going to Canada for a medical before signing a contract with Toronto, after the clubs agreed a deal to end his contract at Sunderland.[1]
See also
Notes
- ^ "Sunderland winger heading for MLS". BBC Sport. 2007-03-19. Retrieved 2007-04-01.
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External links
- Andy Welsh at Soccerbase