Jordon Mutch
Encyclopedia
Jordon James Edward Sydney Mutch (born 2 December 1991) is an English footballer who plays for Birmingham City
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...

. He plays as a midfielder
Midfielder
A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...

. Mutch made his first-team debut for Birmingham in the League Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...

 in August 2008, and made his debut in the Football League
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...

 while on loan to Hereford United, spending subsequent loan spells in the 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...

 with Doncaster Rovers
Doncaster Rovers F.C.
Doncaster Rovers Football Club is an English football club, based at the Keepmoat Stadium in Doncaster, South Yorkshire. The team currently competes in the Football League Championship, after being promoted via the League One play-offs in 2008, and have remained there since.The club was founded in...

 and Watford
Watford F.C.
Watford Football Club is an English professional football club based in Watford, Hertfordshire. It is often referred to as Watford F.C., Watford, or by the team's nickname The Hornets . Watford Rovers, Founded in 1881, entered the FA Cup for the first time in 1886, and the Southern League a decade...

. He has represented his country at levels from under-17
England national under-17 football team
-Elite Qualifying Group 3:-Group stage:-Fifth place play-off:-FA International U17 Tournament:-Latest squad:The following players were named in the squad for the 2012 UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship qualifying round....

 to under-21
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....

.

Playing career

Mutch, from Alvaston
Alvaston
Alvaston is a suburb and ward of Derby, England. Alvaston is situated on the A6, three miles south-east of Derby city centre. It is bordered to the north by the wards of Derwent, Chaddesden and Spondon, to the east is the City Centre, to the south are Sinfin and Chellaston and to the west the...

, Derbyshire
Derbyshire
Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...

, began his football career in 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...

's youth system, where he spent five years working under Academy director Terry Westley
Terry Westley
Terry Westley is an association football coach and manager. Until 2011 he was the Academy Director at Birmingham City.Westley previously worked at Rushden & Diamonds, Ipswich Town, Charlton Athletic, Luton Town and Derby County. At these clubs he was responsible for developing young players, who...

. In the summer of 2007, Mutch decided to leave Derby, choosing to rejoin Westley, by then Academy director at Birmingham City
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...

, despite competition from clubs including Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...

 and 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...

. Because of the player's youth, no transfer fee was payable, but a compensation package was agreed with Derby for his services.

He made his debut for the England under-17 team
England national under-17 football team
-Elite Qualifying Group 3:-Group stage:-Fifth place play-off:-FA International U17 Tournament:-Latest squad:The following players were named in the squad for the 2012 UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship qualifying round....

 in July 2007, aged only fifteen-and-a-half, against their Icelandic
Iceland national football team
The Iceland national football team is the national football team of Iceland and is controlled by the Football Association of Iceland. It has never advanced to the finals of any major international competition....

 counterparts.

While still a schoolboy, aged 15 years 298 days, Mutch was selected in the 16-man squad for Birmingham's League Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...

 third-round match against Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn Rovers F.C.
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. The team currently competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football....

 at Ewood Park
Ewood Park
Ewood Park is a football stadium in the English town of Blackburn, Lancashire, and is the home of Blackburn Rovers Football Club — one of the founder members of the Football League and Premier League. Rovers have played there since they moved from Leamington Street in the summer of 1890. The...

 in September 2007. The Premier League confirmed that match rules permitted selection of a player of that age, but changed their minds only hours before the match after becoming aware of the Football Association
The 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...

's Child Protection regulations which specified a minimum age of 16 for players in open-age football. Reserve player David Howland
David Howland
David Howland is a Northern Irish professional football midfielder who plays for Glentoran in the IFA Premiership. He has represented his country at under-21 level....

, who was not registered with a Premier League squad number
Squad number
In team sports, the squad number, shirt number, jersey number, sweater number, uniform number or simply a number is the number worn on a player's uniform, to identify and distinguish each player from others wearing the same or similar uniforms...

, had to travel to Blackburn at the last minute with special dispensation to take Mutch's place on the bench wearing an unnumbered shirt.

Mutch was named on the bench for the January 2008 third-round FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...

 tie at 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...

, aged 16 years 34 days. Had he entered the game he would have broken Trevor Francis
Trevor Francis
Trevor John Francis , is a former footballer who won the European Cup with Nottingham Forest and played for England 52 times. He was England's first £1 million player...

's record as the youngest player to make a competitive first-team appearance for the club; however the team struggled and manager Alex McLeish
Alex McLeish
Alexander "Alex" McLeish , is a Scottish former professional footballer and manager, who is currently managing English Premier League club Aston Villa...

 felt unable to give him his debut.

During the 2007–08 season Mutch made more appearances for the reserve team
Reserve team
Large professional sports clubs often have far more players under contract than could possibly play in a match. As a result, many of these clubs create second teams composed of players who need playing time, but have little hope of playing on the first team. The players on this second team are...

 than any other outfield
Outfield
The outfield is a sporting term used in cricket and baseball to refer to the area of the field of play further from the batsman or batter than the infield...

 player, as well as playing 14 games for the under-18 side, and was voted Academy Player of the Season. He was in the starting eleven for the Birmingham Senior Cup
Birmingham Senior Cup
The Birmingham Senior Cup is a football competition for Birmingham County FA club teams, organized by the Birmingham County Football Association...

 5–0 victory over Burton Albion
Burton Albion F.C.
Burton Albion Football Club are a professional English football club based in the town of Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire. The club's home ground is the Pirelli Stadium, having moved from Eton Park in 2005...

; though nominally a reserve team several first-team players were included.

In the build-up to the 2008–09 season, Mutch was part of the first-team squad and, together with fellow youngsters Jared Wilson
Jared Wilson (footballer)
Jared Andrew Wilson is an English footballer who played in the Football League for Birmingham City and Chesterfield. He is currently with Cirencester Town. He plays as a full back.-Club career:...

 and Sone Aluko
Sone Aluko
Omatsone "Sone" Aluko is a professional footballer who plays as a winger for Scottish Premier League club Rangers. Aluko began his career at Birmingham City but failed to make any league appearances. He joined Aberdeen on loan in the 2007–2008 season and was loaned to Blackpool at the...

, went on the club's pre-season tour to Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...

, where his performances were remarked on favourably by other players. He was included in the starting eleven in pre-season domestic friendlies, but McLeish was reluctant to push him into first-team football at 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...

 level before he was ready.

Mutch finally made his first-team debut as a half-time replacement for Gary McSheffrey
Gary McSheffrey
Gary McSheffrey is an English footballer who plays as a left winger. He is currently in his second spell with hometown team Coventry City in the Football League Championship....

 in the second-round League Cup defeat at Southampton
Southampton F.C.
Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club...

 on 26 August 2008, thus becoming Birmingham's second-youngest debutant of all time, after Trevor Francis.

In October 2008, Mutch was ordered to take a period of complete rest because his rapid rate of growth had placed excessive strain on the growth plates
Epiphyseal plate
The epiphyseal plate is a hyaline cartilage plate in the metaphysis at each end of a long bone...

 in his legs. Rest and surgery corrected the problem, which had caused fractures in both feet, and Mutch accepted the offer of a first professional contract in April 2009.

Mutch joined Hereford United
Hereford United F.C.
Hereford United Football Club is an English professional football club based in the city of Hereford. Founded in 1924, they are competing in Football League Two in the 2011–12 season. Hereford have played at Edgar Street for their entire history and are nicknamed 'The Whites' or 'The Lilywhites',...

 of League Two
Football League Two
Football League Two is the third-highest division of The Football League and fourth-highest division overall in the English football league system....

 on 26 November 2009 on a Football League Youth Loan, an arrangement which allowed the player to appear for Birmingham's reserve and youth teams on days when Hereford have no fixture. The loan ran until 2 January 2010. He went straight into the starting eleven for Hereford's second round FA Cup match, at home to Colchester United
Colchester United F.C.
Colchester United Football Club is an English football club based in Colchester. The club was formed in 1937, and briefly shared their old Layer Road home with now defunct side Colchester Town who had previously used the ground from 1910....

 two days later, and played the whole of the game, which Hereford lost to a stoppage-time goal. Mutch made his debut in the Football League
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...

 on 1 December, in a 3–1 win away against Northampton Town
Northampton Town F.C.
Northampton Town Football Club are an English professional football club based in Northampton, Northamptonshire. They currently play in Football League Two, the lowest league division, after being relegated from League One on the last day of the 2008–09 season...

; his free-kick was parried by Northampton's goalkeeper to set up a goal for Mathieu Manset
Mathieu Manset
Mathieu Manset is a French footballer who plays for Reading as a centre forward.-Career:Manset was born in Metz and started his career in his native France with Le Havre AC. In the 2007–08 season he managed to break into the reserve side, who played in the Championnat de France amateur, the fourth...

.

On 25 January 2010, Mutch joined Doncaster Rovers
Doncaster Rovers F.C.
Doncaster Rovers Football Club is an English football club, based at the Keepmoat Stadium in Doncaster, South Yorkshire. The team currently competes in the Football League Championship, after being promoted via the League One play-offs in 2008, and have remained there since.The club was founded in...

 of the Championship, also on a month's Football League youth loan. He made his debut the next day as a second-half substitute in the 4–1 home defeat against Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough F.C.
Middlesbrough Football Club , also known as Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Football League Championship. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August 1995, their third ground since turning professional in 1889...

; he scored from a "stunning 25-yard shot" to give his new club a consolation. The loan was eventually extended to the end of the season. Called into the England under-19
England national under-19 football team
-Other matches:-Latest squad:The following players were named in the squad for the friendly match against Denmark.- Recent call-ups :The following players have also been called up to the England under-19 squad and remain eligible.-Past squads:...

 squad as a late replacement for Tottenham Hotspur's Dean Parrett
Dean Parrett
Dean Gary Parrett is an English footballer who plays as a midfielder for Tottenham Hotspur. He has represented England at multiple youth levels.-Career:...

, Mutch made his debut on 2 March as a half-time substitute in a friendly against the Netherlands under-19s
Netherlands national under-19 football team
The Netherlands national under-19 football team represents the Netherlands at this age level and is governed by the Koninklijke Nederlandse Voetbalbond — KNVB...

 which finished as a 1–1 draw.

The day after being given a first-team squad number by Birmingham for the 2010–11 season, Mutch joined Championship club Watford
Watford F.C.
Watford Football Club is an English professional football club based in Watford, Hertfordshire. It is often referred to as Watford F.C., Watford, or by the team's nickname The Hornets . Watford Rovers, Founded in 1881, entered the FA Cup for the first time in 1886, and the Southern League a decade...

 on a month's Football League youth loan, later extended until January 2011. Though Watford manager was keen for Mutch to remain with the club, he was recalled to Birmingham in January, having scored five goals from 23 League matches.

Mutch's first start came in "an experimental Birmingham line-up" in the third-round FA Cup-tie at Millwall
Millwall F.C.
Millwall Football Club is an English professional football club based in South Bermondsey, south east London, that plays in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football. Founded as Millwall Rovers in 1885, the club has retained its name despite having last played in the...

, playing the full 90 minutes in a 4–1 win. He made his Premier League debut on 22 January 2011, replacing the rested Craig Gardner
Craig Gardner
Craig Gardner is an English footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Premier League club Sunderland. A versatile midfielder, Gardner can play in many different positions, although central midfield is his preferred position...

 ahead of the League Cup semi-final second leg, and again played the whole match as Birmingham lost 5–0 at Manchester United. His England under-20
England 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:...

 debut came in February, in a friendly defeat to their French counterparts
France national under-20 football team
The France national under-20 football team is the national under-20 football team of France and is controlled by the French Football Federation. The team competes in the FIFA U-20 World Cup, which is held every two years and the Toulon Tournament, which is held every May when football league...

. A few days later, he signed a three-year extension to his contract, which had been due to expire at the end of the season. His second Premier League match, at Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...

 in March, was eventful. With Gardner, Barry Ferguson
Barry Ferguson
Barry Ferguson MBE is a Scottish footballer who plays as a midfielder for Blackpool.Ferguson has made 82 appearances in European competitions, all for Rangers, which makes him the record European appearance holder at the club. He was also inducted into the Rangers F.C. Hall of Fame...

 and Keith Fahey
Keith Fahey
Keith Declan Fahey is an Republic of Ireland international footballer who plays for English club Birmingham City. With Ireland he was part of the team that secured qualification for UEFA Euro 2012....

 all injured, Mutch started the game in central midfield. After 17 minutes, Jean Beausejour
Jean Beausejour
Jean André Emanuel Beausejour Coliqueo , nicknamed Palmatoria or Francés, is a Chilean footballer who plays for English club Birmingham City...

 opened the scoring with a header from Mutch's lofted cross. When referee Peter Walton
Peter Walton (referee)
Peter Walton , is an English professional football referee who officiates primarily in the Premier League, and former player in the United Counties League. He is based in Long Buckby, Northamptonshire, the town which he played his football for...

 attempted to caution the player for a foul on Louis Saha
Louis Saha
Louis Laurent Saha is a French footballer of Guadelupian origin who currently plays as a forward for Everton FC in the Premier League and the France national team. A former scholar at the Clairefontaine football academy, he started his career at Metz before playing on loan at Newcastle United...

, he found himself without yellow cards, so showed the player an imaginary card instead. Near the end of the game, Mutch threw his body in the way of a Saha shot to prevent Everton taking the lead.

Not included in the England under-21
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....

 squad originally selected for two friendlies at the end of March, Mutch was called up as a late replacement for the second match after several players were released to their clubs. He made his debut as an 83rd-minute substitute as England lost 2–1 to their Iceland counterparts.

The departure of Gardner, Ferguson, Lee Bowyer
Lee Bowyer
Lee David Bowyer is an English professional footballer born in Canning Town, London, who plays as a midfielder for Ipswich Town of the Football League Championship....

 and Sebastian Larsson
Sebastian Larsson
Sebastian Bengt Ulf Larsson is a Swedish footballer who plays for Premier League club Sunderland and the Sweden national team. Larsson is renowned for being a set piece specialist.-Arsenal:...

 before the 2011–12 season left places available in midfield. Mutch started all four pre-season games, playing alongside one or two of Fahey, Morgaro Gomis
Morgaro Gomis
Morgaro Gomis is a Senegal international footballer who plays for English Football League Championship club Birmingham City....

 and Míchel
Miguel Marcos Madera
Miguel Marcos Madera , known as Míchel, is a Spanish footballer who plays for Getafe as a central midfielder.Having been brought through the youth academy of Asturias side Real Oviedo, he played with the first team of rivals Sporting de Gijón in both the second and first divisions, before...

. New manager Chris Hughton
Chris Hughton
Christopher William Gerard "Chris" Hughton is a professional football manager and former player who is currently the manager of Birmingham City F.C....

 complimented his performances, and suggested he was using those games to establish Mutch's best position: "With Jordon, I think it's determining exactly what player he is. Because of his range of passing he can play a little bit deeper but I think he likes to break forward". He started the first league game of the season, away to 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...

, and took the corner that led to Curtis Davies
Curtis Davies
Curtis Eugene Davies is an English professional footballer who plays as a central defender for Birmingham City. Davies has previously played for Luton Town, where he began his career, West Bromwich Albion, Aston Villa and Leicester City....

 opening the scoring, but Birmingham went on to lose 2–1. He played once more before breaking his ankle in training.

Honours

Birmingham City reserve team
  • Birmingham Senior Cup
    Birmingham Senior Cup
    The Birmingham Senior Cup is a football competition for Birmingham County FA club teams, organized by the Birmingham County Football Association...

     winner: 2008
  • Academy Player of the Season: 2008

External links

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