Boaz Myhill
Encyclopedia
Glyn Oliver Myhill more commonly known as Boaz Myhill (ˈboʊ.æz ˈmaɪhɪl), is a footballer who plays for Birmingham City
, on loan from West Bromwich Albion
, and the Wales national team
as a goalkeeper.
, California
, as the son of an American father and a Welsh
mother from Llangollen
, Myhill moved to England
at the age of one. He attended the Marches School, Oswestry
. He played his youth football invariably in midfield for Oswestry Boys Club.
Myhill's parents originally intended to name him Boaz
, a Hebrew name
which they encountered and liked while travelling in Israel
, but were dissuaded from doing so by relatives. Nevertheless, Myhill has been called Boaz, rather than by his official name Glyn, throughout his life.
at the age of 12, working at Villa Park
with Mark Bosnich
, David James
, Peter Schmeichel
and Peter Enckelman
. He signed his first professional contract with Villa in November 2000.
In January 2002, a 19-year-old Myhill was signed on a one-month loan by Stoke City
, to provide backup to their then first-choice keeper, Neil Cutler
. Myhill was recalled by Aston Villa
just a week into this loan period.
Following his spell at Stoke, Myhill spent a three month period on loan at Bristol City
, where he was an unused substitute for 18 of City's 19 matches during the loan period. He missed Bristol City's Football League Trophy
match with Queens Park Rangers
due to a call up to England's Under-20 international side.
Myhill's first-team debut arrived whilst he was on loan in November 2002, to then First Division side Bradford City
. On a forgettable afternoon at Valley Parade
, Sheffield United
scored five goals past the young keeper.
After a brief trial period, Myhill joined Macclesfield Town
for a three-month loan period at the start of the 2003–04 season.
Although Macclesfield boss David Moss was eager to extend Myhill's loan period after 16 impressive appearances by the keeper, Myhill was loaned by Aston Villa to Stockport County
at the end of 2003.
manager Peter Taylor moved quickly once it became apparent that Stockport were lining up a permanent deal for Myhill. Considering Hull to be a more appealing prospect, Myhill signed a two-and-a-half year contract with the club on 13 December 2003 at the cost of £50,000 to the East Yorkshire
club.
Since signing for Hull City, Myhill's progress won over the Hull fans as he quickly became their first-choice 'keeper and played a key part in two back-to-back promotion seasons, which took Hull up from the old Third Division
to the Football League Championship
, missing only one league match in the 2004–05 season.
In the 2005–06 season, Myhill was again in fine form and again missed only one league game, through suspension after a controversial sending off for handling the ball outside his area in a game against Queens Park Rangers
. In one memorable match at Stoke City
he saved two penalties, prompting chants of "Myhill for England" from the travelling fans. At the end of the season he was named as the club's Player Of The Year, and was the highest-ranked goalkeeper in FourFourTwo magazine's list of the top 50 Football League players. He was rewarded with a new, improved contract running until June 2008. Myhill signed a new three-year contract with Hull in August 2007. He was part of the Hull City team which won promotion to the Premier League for the first time in May 2008, and along with teammates Ian Ashbee
, Andy Dawson and Ryan France
, joined an elite band of players to have taken their club up through four divisions. In 2009, he was briefly dropped from the team in favour of Matt Duke
but regained his position for the final six games of the season.
After impressive performances at the start of the 2009–10
season, he was rewarded on 3 September 2009 with a new contract, taking him to June 2012. On 16 January 2010 Myhill was acclaimed for his performance in Hull's surprise 0–0 draw at top-four Tottenham Hotspur
, which took the "Tigers" out of the relegation zone.
Myhill left Hull City having represented the club in all four divisions of the English Football League, a rare occurrence in English football.
on a three-year contact on 30 July 2010 for an officially undisclosed fee of £1.5 million.
for the 2011–12 season. He made his debut for the club on the opening day of the season, playing the whole of a 2–1 defeat at Derby County
. Myhill kept a clean sheet in the Europa League play-off round first leg against Portuguese club Nacional, a match which marked his European debut and the first time his club had participated in major European competition for nearly 50 years.
teams, but this did not affect his eligibility to play for USA
or any of the home nations
. He was offered the chance to play for Wales in early 2006, but declined due to family reasons. He was eventually called up for the first time for Wales on 17 March 2008 due to Wayne Hennessey
returning to the U21
side in order to help them qualify from their group. He made his debut on 26 March coming on as a halftime substitute for Lewis Price
during a 2–0 win over Luxembourg
. He has mostly been deputy to first-choice Wayne Hennessey
.
Birmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
, on loan from West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion F.C.
West Bromwich Albion Football Club, also known as West Brom, The Baggies, The Throstles, Albion or WBA, are an English Premier League association football club based in West Bromwich in the West Midlands...
, and the Wales national team
Wales national football team
The Wales national football team represents Wales in international football. It is controlled by the Football Association of Wales , the governing body for football in Wales, and the third oldest national football association in the world. The team have only qualified for a major international...
as a goalkeeper.
Early life
Born in ModestoModesto, California
Modesto is a city in, and is the county seat of, Stanislaus County, California. With a population of approximately 201,165 at the 2010 census, Modesto ranks as the 18th largest city in the state of California....
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, as the son of an American father and a Welsh
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
mother from Llangollen
Llangollen
Llangollen is a small town and community in Denbighshire, north-east Wales, situated on the River Dee and on the edge of the Berwyn mountains. It has a population of 3,412.-History:...
, Myhill moved to 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 one. He attended the Marches School, Oswestry
Oswestry
Oswestry is a town and civil parish in Shropshire, England, close to the Welsh border. It is at the junction of the A5, A483, and A495 roads....
. He played his youth football invariably in midfield for Oswestry Boys Club.
Myhill's parents originally intended to name him Boaz
Boaz
Boaz is a major figure in The Book of Ruth in the Bible. The term is found 24 times in the Scriptures, being two in Greek ....
, a Hebrew name
Hebrew name
Hebrew names are names that have a Hebrew language origin, classically from the Hebrew Bible. They are mostly used by people living in Jewish or Christian parts of the world, but some are also adapted to the Islamic world, particularly if a Hebrew name is mentioned in the Qur'an. When...
which they encountered and liked while travelling in Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, but were dissuaded from doing so by relatives. Nevertheless, Myhill has been called Boaz, rather than by his official name Glyn, throughout his life.
Aston Villa
Myhill joined Aston VillaAston Villa F.C.
Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...
at the age of 12, working at Villa Park
Villa Park, England
Villa Park is an association football stadium in the district of Witton, Birmingham, England with a seating capacity of 42,786. It has been the home of Aston Villa Football Club since 1897. The team previously played at Aston Park from 1874 to 1876 and Perry Barr from 1876 to 1897...
with Mark Bosnich
Mark Bosnich
Mark Bosnich is a retired Australian football player and football pundit. He represented Australia 17 times and played for English Premier League clubs Aston Villa, Manchester United and Chelsea.-Manchester United :...
, David James
David James (footballer)
David Benjamin James is an English footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Bristol City.On 14 February 2009, he achieved the all-time Premier League appearance record with 536 appearances, overtaking Gary Speed. He held this record until being overtaken by Ryan Giggs on the 14th May 2011...
, Peter Schmeichel
Peter Schmeichel
Peter Bolesław Schmeichel MBE is a retired Danish professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper, and was voted the "World's Best Goalkeeper" in 1992 and 1993...
and Peter Enckelman
Peter Enckelman
Peter Enckelman is a Finnish football goalkeeper who currently plays for St. Johnstone in the Scottish Premier League.-Aston Villa:...
. He signed his first professional contract with Villa in November 2000.
In January 2002, a 19-year-old Myhill was signed on a one-month loan by Stoke City
Stoke City F.C.
Stoke City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire that plays in the Premier League. Founded in 1863, it is the oldest club in the Premier League, and considered to be the second oldest professional football club in the world, after Notts...
, to provide backup to their then first-choice keeper, Neil Cutler
Neil Cutler
Neil Anthony Cutler is an English Goalkeeper Coach and former football goalkeeper who retired in September 2007. He re-registered as a player in November 2010 for Bury. He last played for Rotherham United, whom he joined just a couple of days before the 2005–06 season got under way...
. Myhill was recalled by Aston Villa
Aston Villa F.C.
Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...
just a week into this loan period.
Following his spell at Stoke, Myhill spent a three month period on loan at Bristol City
Bristol City F.C.
Bristol City Football Club is one of two football league clubs in Bristol, England . They play at Ashton Gate, located in the south-west of the City...
, where he was an unused substitute for 18 of City's 19 matches during the loan period. He missed Bristol City's Football League Trophy
Football League Trophy
The Football League Trophy, currently known as the Johnstone's Paint Trophy for sponsorship reasons, is an annual English association football knock-out competition open to the 48 clubs in Football League One and Football League Two, the bottom two divisions in the four fully professional top...
match with Queens Park Rangers
Queens Park Rangers F.C.
Queens Park Rangers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in White City, Hammersmith and Fulham, west London. As the 2010-11 Football League Championship champions, they now play in the top tier of English football the Premier League, for the first time in 15 years...
due to a call up to England's Under-20 international side.
Myhill's first-team debut arrived whilst he was on loan in November 2002, to then First Division side Bradford City
Bradford City A.F.C.
Bradford City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Bradford, West Yorkshire, playing in League Two....
. On a forgettable afternoon at Valley Parade
Valley Parade
Valley Parade, also known as the Coral Windows Stadium through sponsorship rights, is an all-seater football stadium in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. It was built in 1886, and was the home of Manningham Rugby Football Club until 1903, when they changed code from rugby football to association...
, Sheffield United
Sheffield United F.C.
Sheffield United Football Club is a professional English football club based in the city of Sheffield, South Yorkshire.They were the first sporting team to use the name 'United' and are nicknamed 'The Blades', thanks to Sheffield's worldwide reputation for steel production...
scored five goals past the young keeper.
After a brief trial period, Myhill joined Macclesfield Town
Macclesfield Town F.C.
Macclesfield Town Football Club is an English football team. The club was formed in 1874 and is based in the town of Macclesfield in Cheshire. The team play its home games at the 6,355 capacity Moss Rose stadium...
for a three-month loan period at the start of the 2003–04 season.
Although Macclesfield boss David Moss was eager to extend Myhill's loan period after 16 impressive appearances by the keeper, Myhill was loaned by Aston Villa to Stockport County
Stockport County F.C.
Stockport County Football Club is an English football club based in Stockport, Greater Manchester. The club formed in 1883 as Heaton Norris Rovers, shortly afterwards merging with Heaton Norris F.C., and adopted the current name on 24 May 1890 on the creation of the County Borough of Stockport...
at the end of 2003.
Hull City
Hull CityHull City A.F.C.
Hull City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, founded in 1904. The club participates in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football...
manager Peter Taylor moved quickly once it became apparent that Stockport were lining up a permanent deal for Myhill. Considering Hull to be a more appealing prospect, Myhill signed a two-and-a-half year contract with the club on 13 December 2003 at the cost of £50,000 to the East Yorkshire
East Riding of Yorkshire
The East Riding of Yorkshire, or simply East Yorkshire, is a local government district with unitary authority status, and a ceremonial county of England. For ceremonial purposes the county also includes the city of Kingston upon Hull, which is a separate unitary authority...
club.
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...
to the Football League Championship
Football League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
, missing only one league match in the 2004–05 season.
In the 2005–06 season, Myhill was again in fine form and again missed only one league game, through suspension after a controversial sending off for handling the ball outside his area in a game against Queens Park Rangers
Queens Park Rangers F.C.
Queens Park Rangers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in White City, Hammersmith and Fulham, west London. As the 2010-11 Football League Championship champions, they now play in the top tier of English football the Premier League, for the first time in 15 years...
. In one memorable match at Stoke City
Stoke City F.C.
Stoke City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire that plays in the Premier League. Founded in 1863, it is the oldest club in the Premier League, and considered to be the second oldest professional football club in the world, after Notts...
he saved two penalties, prompting chants of "Myhill for England" from the travelling fans. At the end of the season he was named as the club's Player Of The Year, and was the highest-ranked goalkeeper in FourFourTwo magazine's list of the top 50 Football League players. He was rewarded with a new, improved contract running until June 2008. Myhill signed a new three-year contract with Hull in August 2007. He was part of the Hull City team which won promotion to the Premier League for the first time in May 2008, and along with teammates Ian Ashbee
Ian Ashbee
Ian Ashbee is an English professional footballer currently playing for Preston North End. He has previously played for Hull City, Derby County and Cambridge United, and has also played in Iceland, on loan to ÍR....
, Andy Dawson and Ryan France
Ryan France
Ryan France is a former English professional footballer who last played for Sheffield United having spent the majority of his career at Alfreton Town and Hull City. His preferred position was as a right winger, but also played as a right wingback.-Alfreton Town:Born in Sheffield, France started...
, joined an elite band of players to have taken their club up through four divisions. In 2009, he was briefly dropped from the team in favour of Matt Duke
Matt Duke
Matthew "Matt" Duke is an English footballer who plays for Bradford City as a goalkeeper.-Career:Duke began his career playing for a pub football side in Bradway, Sheffield. He joined Hull City on 23 July 2004 from Burton Albion for a fee of £20,000, which could rise to £60,000 depending on...
but regained his position for the final six games of the season.
After impressive performances at the start of the 2009–10
2009–10 in English football
The 2009–10 season was the 130th season of competitive football in England.The season began on 8 August 2009 for the Championship, League One and League Two and 15 August 2009 for the Premier League...
season, he was rewarded on 3 September 2009 with a new contract, taking him to June 2012. On 16 January 2010 Myhill was acclaimed for his performance in Hull's surprise 0–0 draw at top-four 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....
, which took the "Tigers" out of the relegation zone.
Myhill left Hull City having represented the club in all four divisions of the English Football League, a rare occurrence in English football.
West Bromwich Albion
Myhill signed for newly-promoted Premier League team West Bromwich AlbionWest Bromwich Albion F.C.
West Bromwich Albion Football Club, also known as West Brom, The Baggies, The Throstles, Albion or WBA, are an English Premier League association football club based in West Bromwich in the West Midlands...
on a three-year contact on 30 July 2010 for an officially undisclosed fee of £1.5 million.
Birmingham City
Myhill joined Championship club Birmingham City on loan on 29 July 2011, changing places with Birmingham goalkeeper Ben FosterBen Foster (footballer)
Benjamin Anthony "Ben" Foster is an English professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for West Bromwich Albion, on loan from Birmingham City, and internationally for the England national team.-Stoke City:...
for the 2011–12 season. He made his debut for the club on the opening day of the season, playing the whole of a 2–1 defeat at Derby County
Derby County F.C.
Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...
. Myhill kept a clean sheet in the Europa League play-off round first leg against Portuguese club Nacional, a match which marked his European debut and the first time his club had participated in major European competition for nearly 50 years.
International career
Myhill made international appearances for the England Youth and England U20England national under-20 football team
- Round of 16 :-Friendlies:-Latest squad:The following players were named in the squad for the 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup running from 29 July to the 20 August 2011.-Recent call-ups:...
teams, but this did not affect his eligibility to play for USA
United States men's national soccer team
The United States men's national soccer team represents the United States in international association football competitions. It is controlled by the United States Soccer Federation and competes in CONCACAF...
or any of the home nations
Home Nations
Home Nations is a collective term with one of two meanings depending on the context. Politically, it means the nations of the constituent countries of the United Kingdom...
. He was offered the chance to play for Wales in early 2006, but declined due to family reasons. He was eventually called up for the first time for Wales on 17 March 2008 due to Wayne Hennessey
Wayne Hennessey
Wayne Robert Hennessey is a Welsh international footballer who plays for Premier League club Wolverhampton Wanderers as a goalkeeper.-Early career:...
returning to the U21
Wales national under-21 football team
The Wales national under-21 football team, also known as the Wales U21s, is the national under-21 football team of Wales and is controlled by the Football Association of Wales. The team competes in the UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship, held every two years...
side in order to help them qualify from their group. He made his debut on 26 March coming on as a halftime substitute for Lewis Price
Lewis Price
Lewis Peter Price is a Welsh international goalkeeper who plays for Crystal Palace. He has previously played for Derby County and Ipswich Town-Ipswich Town:...
during a 2–0 win over Luxembourg
Luxembourg national football team
The Luxembourg national football team is the national football team of Luxembourg, and is controlled by the Luxembourg Football Federation. The team play most of their home matches at the Stade Josy Barthel, in Luxembourg.- History :...
. He has mostly been deputy to first-choice Wayne Hennessey
Wayne Hennessey
Wayne Robert Hennessey is a Welsh international footballer who plays for Premier League club Wolverhampton Wanderers as a goalkeeper.-Early career:...
.
External links
- Boaz Myhill profile on the West Bromwich Albion website
- Boaz Myhill profile on BBC Sport
- Boaz Myhill profile on National Football Teams