Andy Booth
Encyclopedia
Andrew David "Andy" Booth (born 6 December 1973 in Huddersfield
, England
) is a retired professional
footballer. Whilst at Huddersfield he announced his retirement on 22 April 2009, but remains at the club as an ambassador.
, England
. At the age of 11 he attended Salendine Nook High School. Andy began his career playing for his home town club as a trainee, making his first team debut as a substitute in a 1–0 defeat at Fulham
in March 1992, but had to wait until November that year to score his first goal (in a 2–2 draw at Blackpool
) for the club. A few more goals followed in the 1992–93
season, but it was the season after, the last at Huddersfield Town's
Leeds Road ground, that he really forced his way into the first team.
The next season was probably the best of Booth's career. Partnered with Ronnie Jepson
, Booth netted 29 goals, of which six came in two hat-trick
s, and finished the season by scoring one more in the play-offs, guiding the Terriers to promotion into Division One. His efforts got him international recognition and earned him an England debut for the England Under-21s
. Then-manager Neil Warnock
described him as "the best header of a ball outside the Premier League". The next season, in which Huddersfield finished just outside the playoff spots in the division above proved to be the last Booth would play for Huddersfield after four seasons, during which he had scored 53 league goals for the club.
bought Booth for £
2.7 million, and his goal-scoring form continued into the Premiership, scoring 13 goals for the Owls as they finished seventh in his first season making him the club's highest goal scorer for that season. In his second season with Wednesday, he scored only seven goals and Booth was never to reach double figures in the Premiership again. Despite this, Booth had many highlights at Sheffield Wednesday including a hat-trick
on his return to the team following an operation, against Bolton Wanderers
.
Booth stayed with Wednesday until 2001, a period which included their relegation from the top flight. It was during his final season with the Owls that he made his final Premiership appearances, during a loan spell with Tottenham Hotspur
, and his Wednesday career came to an end shortly after his return to Hillsborough
.
were struggling towards the bottom of Division One. On 22 March they paid Sheffield Wednesday
£
200,000 for the services of Booth, who returned with the intention of scoring the goals that would help him avoid his second successive relegation, and keep the club he had supported as a boy in the division he helped them reach. However, his goals were not sufficient and Huddersfield Town were relegated.
In his first full season back with the club, he helped them into the play-offs. Despite another goal for Booth, Huddersfield lost to Brentford
and were denied the opportunity to bounce straight back. Worse was to follow next season, when Booth's six goals did little to help his team avoid relegation, and they fell into the bottom division
for the first time since 1980.
Despite this setback, Booth stayed with Huddersfield Town
and his experienced head was crucial in guiding a team of youngsters through a difficult season, culminating in a drop into the play-offs on the last day of the season. This time, though, Huddersfield were victorious at the Millennium Stadium
in Cardiff
.
Now plying their trade in League One
, Huddersfield have been in the upper reaches of that league since their return. Booth has scored 23 goals in that period, including his 100th league goal for the club (after which a DVD
was released showing all 100 goals) and a hat-trick
, all headers, on 18 March 2006 against Rotherham United
.
At the end of the 2005–06
season, following another play-off appearance (defeat against Barnsley
over two legs), Booth had scored 12 goals for Huddersfield Town
.
To commemorate Booth's service to the club, Town played a testimonial match
against Spanish
La Liga
side Real Sociedad
on 25 July 2006. The game finished 0–0 in front of over 7,000 people.
On 1 February 2007, he signed a one year extension to his contract till the summer of 2008. On 15 February 2008, Huddersfield Town fans gave a petition to Parliament
that would allow a statue of him to be erected in Huddersfield
. On 26 April 2008, he became the first player to sign a contract extension under new manager Stan Ternent
, which would keep him at the club until the summer of 2009.
On 13 April 2009, BBC
Moto GP
presenter
Matt Roberts
interviewed reigning champion Valentino Rossi
over a game of table football
. “I told Rossi beforehand that I was playing with my dream strike force of Gerrard
, Gascoigne
and Andy Booth. “He picked up on this and, in the interview, said that, after Ibrahimović
, Andy Booth is the number two striker
in the world.”
On 22 April 2009, Booth announced his intention to retire from playing and become an ambassador for the club. His playing registration will be kept by the club, in case he is required in the future.
On 25 April 2009, in his final appearance at the Galpharm Stadium
, Booth was made captain of the Huddersfield team. He opened the scoring in a 2-2 draw against Brighton & Hove Albion
to score his 149th goal for the club. After being substituted in the last few minutes of the match, Booth earned a standing ovation from both Huddersfield and Brighton fans.
The following week, in his final match for the Terriers, he scored his 150th goal for the club in the 1-1 draw against Leyton Orient
at Brisbane Road. That puts him in 3rd place on the all-time list behind Jimmy Glazzard and George Brown. His 452 appearances put him in 4th place on the appearances list.
He made his debut for the England Under 21's in their 2–1 win over Austria under-21's
on 14 November 1995.
and launched the Football Website "Life Games" on lg.com. CH2M Hill had previously acquired the original registor, Lookwood Greene, which had registered the domain name in June 1995. In January 2009, he sold the domain name to Lucky Goldstar, the Korean conglomerate, for an undisclosed amount. This transaction is rumored to involve the biggest amount ever paid to acquire a domain name. The exact terms of the transaction remain a closely held secret.
Huddersfield
Huddersfield is a large market town within the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England, situated halfway between Leeds and Manchester. It lies north of London, and south of Bradford, the nearest city....
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
) is a retired professional
Professional
A professional is a person who is paid to undertake a specialised set of tasks and to complete them for a fee. The traditional professions were doctors, lawyers, clergymen, and commissioned military officers. Today, the term is applied to estate agents, surveyors , environmental scientists,...
footballer. Whilst at Huddersfield he announced his retirement on 22 April 2009, but remains at the club as an ambassador.
Huddersfield Town
Booth was born in HuddersfieldHuddersfield
Huddersfield is a large market town within the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England, situated halfway between Leeds and Manchester. It lies north of London, and south of Bradford, the nearest city....
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. At the age of 11 he attended Salendine Nook High School. Andy began his career playing for his home town club as a trainee, making his first team debut as a substitute in a 1–0 defeat at Fulham
Fulham F.C.
Fulham Football Club is a professional English Premier League club based in southwest London Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Founded in 1879, they play in the Premier League, their 11th current season...
in March 1992, but had to wait until November that year to score his first goal (in a 2–2 draw at Blackpool
Blackpool F.C.
Blackpool Football Club are an English football club founded in 1887 from the Lancashire seaside town of Blackpool. They are competing in the 2011–12 season of the The Championship, the second tier of professional football in England, having been relegated from the Premier League at the end of the...
) for the club. A few more goals followed in the 1992–93
1992-93 in English football
The 1992–1993 season was the 113th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:This season saw the birth of the FA Premier League. This meant a break-up of the 104-year-old Football League that had operated until then with four divisions....
season, but it was the season after, the last at Huddersfield Town's
Huddersfield Town F.C.
Huddersfield Town Football Club is an English football club formed in 1908 and based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire. They currently play in League One...
Leeds Road ground, that he really forced his way into the first team.
The next season was probably the best of Booth's career. Partnered with Ronnie Jepson
Ronnie Jepson
Ronald Francis "Ronnie" Jepson is an English former footballer and manager, now working as development coach at Queens Park Rangers....
, Booth netted 29 goals, of which six came in two hat-trick
Hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick in sport is the achievement of a positive feat three times during a game, or other achievements based on threes. The term was first used in 1858 in cricket to describe HH Stephenson's feat of taking three wickets in three balls. A collection was held for Stephenson, and he...
s, and finished the season by scoring one more in the play-offs, guiding the Terriers to promotion into Division One. His efforts got him international recognition and earned him an England debut for the England Under-21s
England national under-21 football team
England's national Under-21 football team, also known as England Under-21s or England U21, is considered to be the feeder team for the England national football team....
. Then-manager Neil Warnock
Neil Warnock
Neil Warnock is an English former footballer who is currently manager of English Premier League club Queens Park Rangers....
described him as "the best header of a ball outside the Premier League". The next season, in which Huddersfield finished just outside the playoff spots in the division above proved to be the last Booth would play for Huddersfield after four seasons, during which he had scored 53 league goals for the club.
The Premiership
In the summer of 1996, Sheffield WednesdaySheffield Wednesday F.C.
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club are a football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, who are currently competing in the Football League One in the 2011-12 season, in England. Sheffield Wednesday are one of the oldest professional clubs in the world and the fourth oldest in the...
bought Booth for £
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
2.7 million, and his goal-scoring form continued into the Premiership, scoring 13 goals for the Owls as they finished seventh in his first season making him the club's highest goal scorer for that season. In his second season with Wednesday, he scored only seven goals and Booth was never to reach double figures in the Premiership again. Despite this, Booth had many highlights at Sheffield Wednesday including a hat-trick
Hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick in sport is the achievement of a positive feat three times during a game, or other achievements based on threes. The term was first used in 1858 in cricket to describe HH Stephenson's feat of taking three wickets in three balls. A collection was held for Stephenson, and he...
on his return to the team following an operation, against Bolton Wanderers
Bolton Wanderers F.C.
Bolton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the area of Horwich in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester. They began their current spell in the Premier League in 2001....
.
Booth stayed with Wednesday until 2001, a period which included their relegation from the top flight. It was during his final season with the Owls that he made his final Premiership appearances, during a loan spell with Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
, and his Wednesday career came to an end shortly after his return to Hillsborough
Hillsborough Stadium
Hillsborough Stadium is the home of Sheffield Wednesday football club, Sheffield, England. Football has been played at the ground since it was opened on 2 September 1899, when Wednesday moved from their original ground at Olive Grove. Today it is a 39,812 capacity all-seater stadium, making it the...
.
Return to Huddersfield
In March 2001, Huddersfield TownHuddersfield Town F.C.
Huddersfield Town Football Club is an English football club formed in 1908 and based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire. They currently play in League One...
were struggling towards the bottom of Division One. On 22 March they paid Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday F.C.
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club are a football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, who are currently competing in the Football League One in the 2011-12 season, in England. Sheffield Wednesday are one of the oldest professional clubs in the world and the fourth oldest in the...
£
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
200,000 for the services of Booth, who returned with the intention of scoring the goals that would help him avoid his second successive relegation, and keep the club he had supported as a boy in the division he helped them reach. However, his goals were not sufficient and Huddersfield Town were relegated.
In his first full season back with the club, he helped them into the play-offs. Despite another goal for Booth, Huddersfield lost to Brentford
Brentford F.C.
Brentford Football Club are a professional English football club based in Brentford in the London Borough of Hounslow. They are currently playing in Football League One....
and were denied the opportunity to bounce straight back. Worse was to follow next season, when Booth's six goals did little to help his team avoid relegation, and they fell into the bottom division
Football League Third Division
The Football League Third Division was the 3 tier of English Football from 1920 until 1992 when after the formation of the Football Association Premier League saw the league renamed The Football League Division Two...
for the first time since 1980.
Despite this setback, Booth stayed with Huddersfield Town
Huddersfield Town F.C.
Huddersfield Town Football Club is an English football club formed in 1908 and based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire. They currently play in League One...
and his experienced head was crucial in guiding a team of youngsters through a difficult season, culminating in a drop into the play-offs on the last day of the season. This time, though, Huddersfield were victorious at the Millennium Stadium
Millennium Stadium
The Millennium Stadium is the national stadium of Wales, located in the capital, Cardiff. It is the home of the Wales national rugby union team and also frequently stages games of the Wales national football team, but is also host to many other large scale events, such as the Super Special Stage...
in Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
.
Now plying their trade in League One
Football League One
Football League One is the second-highest division of The Football League and third-highest division overall in the English football league system....
, Huddersfield have been in the upper reaches of that league since their return. Booth has scored 23 goals in that period, including his 100th league goal for the club (after which a DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
was released showing all 100 goals) and a hat-trick
Hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick in sport is the achievement of a positive feat three times during a game, or other achievements based on threes. The term was first used in 1858 in cricket to describe HH Stephenson's feat of taking three wickets in three balls. A collection was held for Stephenson, and he...
, all headers, on 18 March 2006 against Rotherham United
Rotherham United F.C.
Rotherham United Football Club are an English professional football club based in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, who compete in League Two, the fourth tier of English football. The club's colours have traditionally been red and white, although these have evolved through history...
.
At the end of the 2005–06
2005-06 in English football
The 2005–06 season was the 126th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:*The rebuilt Wembley Stadium was due to open in time for the FA Cup final in May. However, in August 2005, The Football Association reserved the Millennium Stadium as a backup, as there was some doubt whether...
season, following another play-off appearance (defeat against Barnsley
Barnsley F.C.
Barnsley Football Club are a professional English football club based in the town of Barnsley, South Yorkshire. Nicknamed the Tykes, they were founded in 1887 under the name Barnsley St. Peter's...
over two legs), Booth had scored 12 goals for Huddersfield Town
Huddersfield Town F.C.
Huddersfield Town Football Club is an English football club formed in 1908 and based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire. They currently play in League One...
.
To commemorate Booth's service to the club, Town played a testimonial match
Testimonial match
A testimonial match or testimonial game, often referred to simply as a testimonial, is a practice in some sports, notably football and especially in the United Kingdom, where a club puts on a match in honour of a player for service to the club....
against Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
La Liga
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
side Real Sociedad
Real Sociedad
Real Sociedad de Fútbol, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in the city of San Sebastián, Basque Country, founded on 7 September 1909...
on 25 July 2006. The game finished 0–0 in front of over 7,000 people.
On 1 February 2007, he signed a one year extension to his contract till the summer of 2008. On 15 February 2008, Huddersfield Town fans gave a petition to Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
that would allow a statue of him to be erected in Huddersfield
Huddersfield
Huddersfield is a large market town within the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England, situated halfway between Leeds and Manchester. It lies north of London, and south of Bradford, the nearest city....
. On 26 April 2008, he became the first player to sign a contract extension under new manager Stan Ternent
Stan Ternent
Francis Stanley "Stan" Ternent is an English former footballer and manager. He managed Blackpool, Hull City, Bury, Burnley, Gillingham and Huddersfield Town. He is currently a scout for Sunderland.-Career:...
, which would keep him at the club until the summer of 2009.
On 13 April 2009, BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
Moto GP
Grand Prix motorcycle racing
Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix is the premier championship of motorcycle road racing currently divided into three distinct classes: 125cc, Moto2 and MotoGP. The 125cc class uses a two-stroke engine while Moto2 and MotoGP use four-stroke engines. In 2010 the 250cc two-stroke was replaced...
presenter
Presenter
A presenter, or host , is a person or organization responsible for running an event. A museum or university, for example, may be the presenter or host of an exhibit. Likewise, a master of ceremonies is a person that hosts or presents a show...
Matt Roberts
Matt Roberts
Matthew "Matt" Roberts is an English television presenter, best known for work on BBC Sport's Moto GP coverage.-Early life:Roberts attended All Saints High School in Huddersfield as well Greenhead College and Huddersfield University....
interviewed reigning champion Valentino Rossi
Valentino Rossi
Valentino Rossi, , is an Italian professional motorcycle racer and multiple MotoGP World Champion. He is one of the most successful motorcycle racers of all time, with nine Grand Prix World Championships to his name – seven of which are in the premier class.Following his father, Graziano Rossi,...
over a game of table football
Table football
Table football, also known as gitoni or foosball, is a table-top game and sport that is loosely based on association football.-Names:...
. “I told Rossi beforehand that I was playing with my dream strike force of Gerrard
Steven Gerrard
Steven George Gerrard MBE is an English footballer who plays for and captains Premier League club Liverpool. He also has 89 caps for the England national team. He has played much of his career in a centre midfielder role, but he has also been used as a second striker and right winger...
, Gascoigne
Paul Gascoigne
Paul John Gascoigne , commonly referred to as Gazza, is a retired English professional footballer.Playing in the position of midfield, Gascoigne's career included spells at Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur, Lazio, Rangers, Middlesbrough, Everton and Gansu Tianma, where he scored at least a goal...
and Andy Booth. “He picked up on this and, in the interview, said that, after Ibrahimović
Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Zlatan Ibrahimović is a Swedish footballer who plays as a striker for Serie A club Milan and the Swedish national team for which he is captain....
, Andy Booth is the number two striker
Striker
Forwards, also known as strikers, are the players on a team in association football who play nearest to the opposing team's goal, and are therefore principally responsible for scoring goals...
in the world.”
On 22 April 2009, Booth announced his intention to retire from playing and become an ambassador for the club. His playing registration will be kept by the club, in case he is required in the future.
On 25 April 2009, in his final appearance at the Galpharm Stadium
Galpharm Stadium
The Galpharm Stadium, formerly the Alfred McAlpine Stadium, is a multi-use sports in Huddersfield in West Yorkshire, England. Since 1994, it has been the home ground of Huddersfield Town and Super League side, Huddersfield Giants.-The Stadium:...
, Booth was made captain of the Huddersfield team. He opened the scoring in a 2-2 draw against Brighton & Hove Albion
Brighton & Hove Albion F.C.
Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club are an English association football club based in the coastal city of Brighton & Hove, East Sussex. They currently play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system....
to score his 149th goal for the club. After being substituted in the last few minutes of the match, Booth earned a standing ovation from both Huddersfield and Brighton fans.
The following week, in his final match for the Terriers, he scored his 150th goal for the club in the 1-1 draw against Leyton Orient
Leyton Orient F.C.
Leyton Orient F.C. are an English professional football club in East London. They currently play in Football League One and are known to their fans as the O's.Leyton Orient have spent one season in the top flight of English football, in 1962–63...
at Brisbane Road. That puts him in 3rd place on the all-time list behind Jimmy Glazzard and George Brown. His 452 appearances put him in 4th place on the appearances list.
International career
Boothy represented England International for the England Under 21's, winning three caps, scoring twice for the England Under 21s in 1995 and also represented the Football League during his first spell at Town.He made his debut for the England Under 21's in their 2–1 win over Austria under-21's
Austria national under-21 football team
The Austria national under-21 football team is the national under-21 football team of Austria and is controlled by the Austrian Football Association....
on 14 November 1995.
Business Career
In January 2008, Booth bought the domain name LG.com from CH2M HillCH2M Hill
CH2M Hill is an American-based global provider of engineering, construction, and operations services for corporations, nonprofits, and federal, state, and local governments. The firm is headquartered in Meridian, an unincorporated area of Douglas County, Colorado in the Denver-Aurora Metropolitan...
and launched the Football Website "Life Games" on lg.com. CH2M Hill had previously acquired the original registor, Lookwood Greene, which had registered the domain name in June 1995. In January 2009, he sold the domain name to Lucky Goldstar, the Korean conglomerate, for an undisclosed amount. This transaction is rumored to involve the biggest amount ever paid to acquire a domain name. The exact terms of the transaction remain a closely held secret.
External links
- Andy Booth player profile at htafc.com
- Andy Booth - Soccerbase