Efan Ekoku
Encyclopedia
Efangwu Goziem "Efan" Ekoku (born 8 June 1967) is an English-born Nigerian former footballer who played as a striker
.
, Bournemouth
, Norwich City
, Wimbledon
, Grasshopper
, Sheffield Wednesday
and Dublin City
.
He began his professional career in 1990 when he signed for Harry Redknapp
's Bournemouth, who had just been relegated to the Third Division. His start in the Football League was unspectacular, as he managed just 20 games and three goals during the 1990–91 season
for a Cherries side who finished mid table. He did better in 1991–92
, scoring 11 goals in 28 league games. He managed seven goals from 14 games in 1992–93
before a £500,000 move to Norwich City on 26 March 1993 took him to the Premier League.
He arrived at Carrow Road
when Norwich were in the thick of the title race under the management of Mike Walker
. Ekoku scored three goals in ten games in what was left of that exciting campaign, and although Norwich were beaten to the title by Manchester United
, Ekoku and his teammates had achieved a third place finish and qualified for the UEFA Cup.
He scored Norwich's first ever goal in European competition, against Vitesse in the UEFA Cup
on 15 September 1993. Just 10 days later he scored four goals as Norwich beat Everton 5–1 at Goodison Park
, becoming the first player to score more than three goals in a Premier League game. He managed a total of 27 league games that season, scoring on 12 occasions.
He remained at Carrow Road until 14 October 1994, when a £900,000 fee took him to Wimbledon to replace John Fashanu
as strike partner to Dean Holdsworth
. He was the club's top scorer in the league that season with nine goals as they finished ninth in the league and maintained their reputation as one of the hardest Premier League teams to beat, although they struggled to score many goals and rarely hit more than two in a match that campaign.
He managed seven goals in the 1995–96 season
and had a particularly exciting campaign in 1996–97
, when Wimbledon finished eighth and were semi-finalists in both of the domestic cups. He was also their top scorer with 11 league goals. However, his first team chances were restricted over the next two seasons, before he moved to Switzerland in a £500,000 move to Grasshoppers Zurich on 27 August 1999.
His first season in Switzerland was very successful, as he scored 16 goals in 21 games, although he failed to pick up any silverware. He played a further seven games and scored three goals before returning to England on a free transfer to Sheffield Wednesday on 20 October 2000.
He arrived at Hillsborough
just months after the Owls had been relegated from the Premier League and were battling against a second successive relegation. His seven goals from 32 Division One games helped secure survival by some margin as the Owls finished 17th, and they narrowly avoided the drop once again the following year, with Ekoku playing his part by scoring a further seven league goals. However, he did not feature in the disastrous 2002–03
campaign, where the Owls were relegated to Division Two. Having been out of the first team picture for a whole year, he was given a free transfer and signed for Division Two strugglers Brentford in March 2003, but left after eight months without playing a single first team game and finished his career in Ireland with Dublin City before finally retiring in 2004.
, working for ESPN
.
and UEFA
coaching badges.
, is a former British discus
champion and also played professional rugby league
for the club then known as London Crusaders.
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...
.
Playing career
During his club career, he played for Merton FC, Sutton UnitedSutton United F.C.
Sutton United Football Club is an English football club currently playing in the Conference South. They are based in Sutton, London, and play their home games at the Borough Sports Ground in Gander Green Lane....
, Bournemouth
A.F.C. Bournemouth
A.F.C. Bournemouth is an English football club currently playing in Football League One. The club plays at Dean Court in Kings Park, Boscombe, Bournemouth, Dorset and have been in existence since 1899....
, Norwich City
Norwich City F.C.
Norwich City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. As of the 2011–12 season, Norwich City are again playing in the Premier League after a six-year absence, having finished as runner up in the Championship in 2010–11 and winning automatic promotion.The...
, Wimbledon
Wimbledon F.C.
Wimbledon Football Club was an English professional association football club from Wimbledon, south-west London. Founded in 1889 as Wimbledon Old Central Football Club, the club spent most of its history in amateur and semi-professional non-League football before being elected to the Football...
, Grasshopper
Grasshopper-Club Zürich
Grasshopper Club Zürich commonly referred to as simply GC, GCZ, or Grasshopper is a Swiss multisports club based in Zürich. The oldest and best known section of Grasshopper Club Zürich is its football team...
, 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...
and Dublin City
Dublin City F.C.
Dublin City Football Club was an Irish association football club that played in the League of Ireland. They were formed in 1999 after a split within Home Farm Everton and they originally played as Home Farm Fingal before changing their name for the 2001–02 season...
.
He began his professional career in 1990 when he signed for Harry Redknapp
Harry Redknapp
Henry James "Harry" Redknapp is a former English footballer who has enjoyed a long career in football management starting in 1983 with Bournemouth. He is the current manager of Tottenham Hotspur....
's Bournemouth, who had just been relegated to the Third Division. His start in the Football League was unspectacular, as he managed just 20 games and three goals during the 1990–91 season
1990-91 in English football
The 1990–91 season was the 111th season of competitive football in England.- First Division :Arsenal won the league. Runners-up spot was achieved by Liverpool, who had led the table for much of the first half of the season but had been shell-shocked in February by the sudden resignation of manager...
for a Cherries side who finished mid table. He did better in 1991–92
1991-92 in English football
- First Division :The last-ever league championship before the creation of the Premier League was won by Leeds United who overhauled Manchester United thanks to the efforts of, among others, Gordon Strachan, Lee Chapman, David Batty, Gary Speed and Gary McAllister...
, scoring 11 goals in 28 league games. He managed seven goals from 14 games in 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....
before a £500,000 move to Norwich City on 26 March 1993 took him to the Premier League.
He arrived at Carrow Road
Carrow Road
Carrow Road is a football stadium in Norwich, England, and is the home of Norwich City Football Club. The stadium is located toward the easterly end of the city, not far from Norwich railway station and the River Wensum....
when Norwich were in the thick of the title race under the management of Mike Walker
Mike Walker
Mike Walker is the name of:*Mike Walker , gossip columnist for the National Enquirer*Mike Walker , jazz guitar player from Salford in England*Mike Walker , American football player...
. Ekoku scored three goals in ten games in what was left of that exciting campaign, and although Norwich were beaten to the title by Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
, Ekoku and his teammates had achieved a third place finish and qualified for the UEFA Cup.
He scored Norwich's first ever goal in European competition, against Vitesse in the UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
on 15 September 1993. Just 10 days later he scored four goals as Norwich beat Everton 5–1 at Goodison Park
Goodison Park
Goodison Park is a football stadium located in Walton, Liverpool, England. The stadium has been home to Everton F.C. since its completion in 1892 and is one of the world's first purpose-built football grounds...
, becoming the first player to score more than three goals in a Premier League game. He managed a total of 27 league games that season, scoring on 12 occasions.
He remained at Carrow Road until 14 October 1994, when a £900,000 fee took him to Wimbledon to replace John Fashanu
John Fashanu
John "Fash" Fashanu is a British television presenter and ex-footballer of Nigerian and Guyanese descent. In his former career, he was a centre-forward, who scored 134 league goals in a career lasting 17 years...
as strike partner to Dean Holdsworth
Dean Holdsworth
Dean Christopher Holdsworth is an English former professional football player, now manager. As a striker he scored 193 goals in 610 league games over a 22 year career. Despite playing for 16 clubs in 19 spells the majority of his goals and appearances came at Brentford, Wimbledon, and Bolton...
. He was the club's top scorer in the league that season with nine goals as they finished ninth in the league and maintained their reputation as one of the hardest Premier League teams to beat, although they struggled to score many goals and rarely hit more than two in a match that campaign.
He managed seven goals in the 1995–96 season
1995-96 in English football
- Premiership :Newcastle United were 12 points clear at the top of Manchester United, but Alex Ferguson's relatively young and inexperienced side overhauled them during the second half of the season to win the title....
and had a particularly exciting campaign in 1996–97
1996-97 in English football
The 1996–1997 season was the 117th season of competitive football in England.Arrival into the league and exit out of the league returns in the fourth tier for the first time after its 3 season absence with only 1 relegation spot.- Premier League :...
, when Wimbledon finished eighth and were semi-finalists in both of the domestic cups. He was also their top scorer with 11 league goals. However, his first team chances were restricted over the next two seasons, before he moved to Switzerland in a £500,000 move to Grasshoppers Zurich on 27 August 1999.
His first season in Switzerland was very successful, as he scored 16 goals in 21 games, although he failed to pick up any silverware. He played a further seven games and scored three goals before returning to England on a free transfer to Sheffield Wednesday on 20 October 2000.
He arrived at 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...
just months after the Owls had been relegated from the Premier League and were battling against a second successive relegation. His seven goals from 32 Division One games helped secure survival by some margin as the Owls finished 17th, and they narrowly avoided the drop once again the following year, with Ekoku playing his part by scoring a further seven league goals. However, he did not feature in the disastrous 2002–03
2002-03 in English football
The 2002-03 season was the 123rd season of competitive football in England.-Most Memorable rise:*Wigan Athletic marked their 25th season of Football League membership by winning the Division Two championship and reaching the league's second tier for the very first time.-Most Memorable...
campaign, where the Owls were relegated to Division Two. Having been out of the first team picture for a whole year, he was given a free transfer and signed for Division Two strugglers Brentford in March 2003, but left after eight months without playing a single first team game and finished his career in Ireland with Dublin City before finally retiring in 2004.
Media career
He currently works as a co-commentator for TWI Overseas coverage for Barclays Premier League matches. He was picked to be Match Analyst for the 2010 FIFA World Cup2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...
, working for ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
.
Coaching career
Ekoku has obtained all of his FAThe Football Association
The Football Association, also known as simply The FA, is the governing body of football in England, and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. It was formed in 1863, and is the oldest national football association...
and UEFA
UEFA
The Union of European Football Associations , almost always referred to by its acronym UEFA is the administrative and controlling body for European association football, futsal and beach soccer....
coaching badges.
Personal
His brother, Abi EkokuAbi Ekoku
Abi Ekoku is a director at international property group Candelisa Resorts. He is a former athlete and rugby league player.Ekoku is the former manager of the Great Britain national rugby league team and was CEO at Bradford Bulls from 2000 to 2003 - a period in which the club became Super League,...
, is a former British discus
Discus throw
The discus throw is an event in track and field athletics competition, in which an athlete throws a heavy disc—called a discus—in an attempt to mark a farther distance than his or her competitors. It is an ancient sport, as evidenced by the 5th century BC Myron statue, Discobolus...
champion and also played professional rugby league
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
for the club then known as London Crusaders.