Caleb Folan

Caleb Colman Folan (born 26 October 1982) is a former professional footballer who played as a striker. Born in England, he represented the Republic of Ireland in international football, qualifying through grandparents on his maternal side from Galway.

Caleb Folan
Folan warming up for Hull City in 2010
Personal information
Full name Caleb Colman Folan[1]
Date of birth (1982-10-26) 26 October 1982[1]
Place of birth Leeds, England
Height 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)[2]
Position(s) Forward
Youth career
000?–2001 Leeds United
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2001–2003 Leeds United 0 (0)
2001 → Rushden & Diamonds (loan) 6 (0)
2001 → Hull City (loan) 1 (0)
2003–2007 Chesterfield 102 (15)
2007 Wigan Athletic 15 (2)
2007–2011 Hull City 55 (12)
2009 → Middlesbrough (loan) 1 (0)
2011 Colorado Rapids 26 (6)
2012 Birmingham City 0 (0)
2013 T-Team 10 (0)
2013 Bradford City 6 (0)
2014–2015 Kanbawza 17 (13)
Total 239 (48)
International career
2008 Republic of Ireland B 1 (1)
2008–2009 Republic of Ireland 7 (0)
Medal record
Hull City
WinnerFootball League Championship play-offs:2008
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Club career

Early career

Born in Leeds, West Yorkshire, Folan started his career at hometown club Leeds United, spending brief spells on loan at Rushden & Diamonds and Hull City before making a permanent move to Chesterfield in February 2003.[1]

In April 2006 he underwent a cartilage operation on a recurring knee injury.[3] In October, he scored the winning goal against West Ham United in Chesterfield's League Cup victory,[4] after which he signed a one-year contract extension.[5]

Wigan Athletic

After a series of impressive performances for Chesterfield, Folan was linked with a January transfer to Premier League side Wigan Athletic, and on 26 January 2007 he completed a £500,000 transfer, signing a three-and-a-half-year deal. Wigan manager Paul Jewell stated: "He's strong, he's aggressive, he's got a finisher's instinct and I think he will add competition in an area where the squad needs bolstering."[6] He made his debut for Wigan against Reading on 30 January 2007,[7] and on 21 February, scored his first goal for the club, an equaliser against Watford.[8] On 3 March he scored the winner against Manchester City away at the City of Manchester Stadium in a 1–0 victory.[9]

Hull City

Championship team Hull City revealed their interest in signing him in August 2007.[10] However, Wigan manager Chris Hutchings said he was not looking to transfer Folan.[11] On 31 August Folan eventually did return to Hull on a three-year contract for a fee of £1 million, which broke the record highest fee paid by the club.[12] After signing, he insisted he was not going to let the price tag pile pressure onto him and that he had arrived at the club to score goals.[13]

On his debut for Hull in a 2–1 defeat against Blackpool in September, Folan was taken to hospital after being stretchered off the pitch wearing a neck brace.[14] He was kept overnight at Victoria Hospital in Blackpool.[15] An ankle injury caused him to miss several more matches,[16] and in March 2008 he incurred a three-match ban after being sent off in a game against Burnley.[17]

He returned to score several goals from the bench during Hull City's successful run-in. On the first day of the Premier League season, Hull played their first ever game in that league against Fulham, and Folan came on as a substitute and scored the winning goal in a 2–1 victory for Hull.[18] He was sent off against Liverpool on 25 April 2009 for kicking out at Martin Škrtel.[19]

Folan warming up for Hull City in 2010

On 17 September 2009, Folan was loaned for three months to Middlesbrough of the Championship,[20] and he made his debut as a substitute in a 5–0 defeat to West Bromwich Albion.[21] Just nine days later Folan suffered a torn hamstring.[22] After Hull manager Phil Brown criticised Folan on his appearances for Hull during the 2009–10 season, Folan hit back by saying Brown's comments were "laughable and childish". However, upon Folan's return to Hull, Brown offered him a "clean slate".[23]

Colorado Rapids

After a lengthy negotiation with Hull City, Folan was able to complete a transfer to Colorado Rapids of Major League Soccer on 16 March 2011.[24] He made his MLS debut on 26 March in a 1–0 victory over Chivas USA,[25] and scored his first goals in Major League Soccer on 3 April in a 4–1 win over D.C. United.[26]

Folan scored six goals during the 2011 season before moving on prior to the 2012 preseason.[27] The Rapids announced on 3 February 2012 that the club had parted ways with Folan by mutual consent.[27]

Birmingham City

After a trial, Folan signed for Championship club Birmingham City on 29 February until the end of the season.[28]

Folan suffered a setback during his training program at Birmingham City picking up a nerve injury, which eventually would go on to rule him out of playing football for the good part of a year. As a result, he was unable to appear for the blues and was never included in the 16-man matchday squad, Folan was released when his contract expired.[29]

T-Team

On 1 December 2012, after a lengthy period sidelined due to a previous injury, Folan announced on his official Twitter page that he had joined T-Team in the Malaysia Super League and it was confirmed shortly after.[30] Folan scored in the team's first pre-season game against Malaysia Super League outfit ATM FA and again on his home debut in a 2–2 draw against close rivals Terengganu FA.

But, on 27 March 2013, after struggling to find his previous form, Folan left the club by mutual consent after failing to score in 10 appearances.[31]

Bradford City

On 28 September 2013, after training with Bradford City, Folan signed a three-month contract with the club.[32] He made his debut on 5 October, in a 2–0 win against Walsall.[33] Folan left Bradford City on 26 December 2013.[34]

In March 2014 Folan turned down an offer to play for the North American Soccer League Canadian based outfit FC Edmonton[35] in pursuit to return and play his football in Asia.

Kanbawza FC

Folan spent the 2015 season with Kanbawza FC of the Myanmar National League;[36][37] he scored 13 goals from 17 league appearances.[38]

International career

Through his grandfather, who was from Inis Mór, and his grandmother, from Galway, Folan is eligible to play for the Republic of Ireland.[2] In March 2007, manager Steve Staunton called on the 'granny rule' to bring Folan into his squad for the UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying campaign, after a passport was issued at the 11th hour. The decision attracted comment for overlooking other in-form strikers playing outside the Premier League and with closer ties to the Republic of Ireland.[39][40]

However, Folan was forced to pull out of the squad due to injury.[41] A hamstring tear also forced Folan out of the Republic's squad for games against Ecuador and Bolivia in May 2007.[42]

In October 2008, under new manager Giovanni Trapattoni, Folan was one of several uncapped players selected to play for a Republic of Ireland XI in a challenge match against Nottingham Forest, scoring the first goal in a 2–0 win.[43] He was added to the squad for the subsequent 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Cyprus[43] and appeared as an injury-time substitute.[44] He was brought on as a substitute against Italy in the World Cup qualifiers, and set up the equalising goal scored by Robbie Keane in the 87th minute.[45]

Honours

Hull City

See also

References
  1. Hugman, Barry J., ed. (2005). The PFA Premier & Football League Players' Records 1946–2005. Queen Anne Press. p. 213. ISBN 1-85291-665-6.
  2. "Profiles". Hull City A.F.C. Archived from the original on 10 February 2012. Retrieved 12 June 2013.
  3. "Folan undergoes cartilage surgery". BBC Sport. 27 April 2006. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
  4. "Chesterfield 2–1 West Ham". BBC Sport. 24 October 2006. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
  5. "Folan agrees one-year extension". BBC Sport. 31 October 2006. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
  6. "Striker Folan secures Wigan move". BBC Sport. 26 January 2007. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
  7. Mercer, Nathan (30 January 2007). "Reading 3–2 Wigan". BBC Sport. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
  8. Cheese, Caroline (21 February 2007). "Watford 1–1 Wigan". BBC Sport. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
  9. May, John (3 March 2007). "Man City 0–1 Wigan". BBC Sport. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
  10. "Tigers tracking Okocha and Folan". BBC Sport. 28 August 2007. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
  11. "Wigan want to keep Folan". Sky Sports. 29 August 2007. Retrieved 29 August 2007.
  12. "Hull break record to land Folan". BBC Sport. 31 August 2007. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
  13. "Folan Will Concentrate on Football". Hull City A.F.C. 31 August 2007. Archived from the original on 1 March 2012. Retrieved 12 June 2013.
  14. "Blackpool 2–1 Hull". BBC Sport. 3 September 2007. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
  15. "Folan recovering from head injury". BBC Sport. 4 September 2007. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
  16. "Brown backs Folan to shine". Hull City A.F.C. 5 November 2007. Archived from the original on 14 March 2012. Retrieved 12 June 2013.
  17. "Hull 2–0 Burnley". BBC Sport. 4 March 2008. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
  18. May, John (16 August 2008). "Hull City 2–1 Fulham". BBC Sport. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
  19. Sanghera, Mandeep (25 April 2009). "Hull 1–3 Liverpool". BBC Sport. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
  20. "Folan seals Middlesbrough switch". BBC Sport. 17 September 2009. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
  21. "Middlesbrough 0–5 West Brom". BBC Sport. 19 September 2009. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
  22. "Folan blow for Boro". Sky Sports. 28 September 2009. Retrieved 23 December 2009.
  23. Burton, Chris (11 December 2009). "Folan offered Tigers lifeline". Sky Sports. Retrieved 23 December 2009.
  24. Harris, Nick (16 March 2011). "Rapids finally get their man in Irish striker Folan". MLS. Retrieved 19 April 2012.
  25. "Rapids win 1–0 behind first half Amarikwa strike". MLS. 27 March 2011. Archived from the original on 21 February 2015. Retrieved 19 April 2012.
  26. "Folan strikes twice as Rapids put DC in deep freeze". MLS. 3 April 2011. Retrieved 19 April 2012.
  27. "Rapids and forward Caleb Folan mutually part ways". Colorado Rapids. 3 February 2012. Retrieved 5 February 2012.
  28. "Birmingham City sign Ramage, Folan & Hughton". BBC Sport. 29 February 2012. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
  29. Tattum, Colin (16 May 2012). "Birmingham City secure David Murphy on new deal". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 16 May 2012.
  30. "Caleb Folan moves to Malaysian club". RTÉ News. 3 December 2012.
  31. "Caleb Folan leaves T-Team after 10 games". Goal.com. Retrieved 26 February 2017.
  32. "Bradford City add Caleb Folan to options up front". Bradford Telegraph & Argus. 28 September 2013. Retrieved 28 September 2013.
  33. "Walsall 0–2 Bradford". BBC Sport. 5 October 2013. Retrieved 7 October 2013.
  34. "Caleb Folan announces Bradford City departure". Bradford Telegraph and Argus. 26 December 2013. Retrieved 27 December 2013.
  35. "FC Edmonton brings in striker Caleb Folan, releases Jordan Ongaro". The Edmonton Sun. 5 March 2014. Retrieved 26 June 2014.
  36. "My mate Caleb Folan's Burma adventure with Kanbawza FC". Hull Daily Mail. 20 December 2014. Archived from the original on 22 August 2015. Retrieved 6 November 2016.
  37. Fallon Verbruggen, Ferdia (9 January 2016). "Limerick lose Kanyuka as Shan sign defender". extratime.ie. Retrieved 6 November 2016.
  38. "Caleb Folan profile". national-football-teams.com. Retrieved 6 November 2016.
  39. McDonnell, Daniel (16 March 2007). "Keogh comes in for injured Folan". Irish Independent. Retrieved 15 October 2008.
  40. "Strikers need Premiership exposure – Stan". eleven-a-side.com. 16 March 2007. Archived from the original on 4 July 2009. Retrieved 25 August 2013.
  41. "Keogh comes in for injured Folan". BBC Sport. 18 March 2007. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
  42. "Republic squad hit by withdrawals". BBC Sport. 16 May 2007. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
  43. "Republic of Ireland XI score in each half to defeat Nottingham Forest 2–0". Football Association of Ireland. 9 October 2008. Retrieved 15 October 2008.
  44. "Republic of Ireland 1-0 Cyprus". fifa.com. 15 October 2008. Archived from the original on 23 December 2015. Retrieved 30 July 2019.
  45. "Italy 1-1 Republic of Ireland". fifa.com. 1 April 2009. Archived from the original on 5 November 2015. Retrieved 30 July 2019.
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