Les Afful
Encyclopedia
Leslie Samuel "Les" Afful (born 4 February 1984 in Liverpool
, England
) is an English
footballer currently with Southern Football League Premier Division side Truro City
.
, and is of Caribbean descent. He joined Exeter City
as a trainee after playing for a Merseyside youth team in Toxteth
, after being brought to Exeter
for a friendly by former Birmingham City
and Liverpool
player Howard Gayle
.
He made his first team debut on 17 November 2001 in a 3–0 home FA Cup
victory against non-league Cambridge City
, prior to turning professional in April 2002. His league debut came later that season, on 13 April in a 0–0 draw away to Leyton Orient
. He played once more that season, but failed to make any first team appearances the following season as Exeter were relegated out of the Football League
and into the Football Conference
.
He played fairly regularly in Exeter's first two seasons in the Conference, but was out of favour by the time he joined local rivals Torquay United
on loan in January 2006. He played five times for Torquay as they successfully battled against relegation to the Conference, but was not offered a permanent deal by either Exeter or Torquay at the end of the season, joining Forest Green Rovers
.
He made a successful start to his career with Forest Green and in November 2006 was called up to the England National Game XI
squad for the European Trophy decider against Holland
.
In February 2009 Afful picked up a serious knee injury which required an operation which ruled him out for the rest of the campaign. He tore his posterior cruciate ligament when he twisted his knee in a 2–2 home draw with Histon
.
Afful was not offered a contract at the end of the season and was released. He then signed for Truro City
.
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, 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 an English
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...
footballer currently with Southern Football League Premier Division side Truro City
Truro City F.C.
Truro City F.C. are an English professional football club based in Truro, Cornwall. They currently play in the Conference South following five promotions in six seasons. They were founding members of the South Western League in 1951 and won the title five times in their history...
.
Career
Afful was born in LiverpoolLiverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, and is of Caribbean descent. He joined Exeter City
Exeter City F.C.
Exeter City Football Club is an English football club, based in Exeter, which is owned by its fans through the Exeter City Supporters Trust.The club was a member of the Football League from 1920 to 2003...
as a trainee after playing for a Merseyside youth team in Toxteth
Toxteth
Toxteth is an inner city area of Liverpool, England. Located to the south of the city, Toxteth is bordered by Liverpool City Centre, Dingle, Edge Hill, Wavertree and Aigburth.-Description:...
, after being brought to Exeter
Exeter
Exeter is a historic city in Devon, England. It lies within the ceremonial county of Devon, of which it is the county town as well as the home of Devon County Council. Currently the administrative area has the status of a non-metropolitan district, and is therefore under the administration of the...
for a friendly by former 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...
and 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...
player Howard Gayle
Howard Gayle
Howard Gayle was the first black player to play for Liverpool.-Career:He was at the club for six years but was only given a total of five first team matches, later playing for several clubs including Birmingham City and Sunderland...
.
He made his first team debut on 17 November 2001 in a 3–0 home 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...
victory against non-league Cambridge City
Cambridge City F.C.
Cambridge City Football Club is an English football club currently playing in the Southern League Premier Division.-History:The club was founded in 1908 Cambridge Town F.C., as Cambridge had not been granted city status at that point, and were committed to amateur sport...
, prior to turning professional in April 2002. His league debut came later that season, on 13 April in a 0–0 draw away to 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...
. He played once more that season, but failed to make any first team appearances the following season as Exeter were relegated out of 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...
and into the Football Conference
Football Conference
The Football Conference is a football league in England which consists of three divisions called Conference National, Conference North, and Conference South. Some Football Conference clubs are fully professional, such as Luton Town, but most of them are semi-professional...
.
He played fairly regularly in Exeter's first two seasons in the Conference, but was out of favour by the time he joined local rivals Torquay United
Torquay United F.C.
Torquay United Football Club, nicknamed the Gulls, are an English association football club based in the tourist resort town of Torquay, Devon. They played in the Conference National in 2008–09, but were promoted to Football League Two after a 2–0 win over Cambridge United on 17 May 2009 at Wembley...
on loan in January 2006. He played five times for Torquay as they successfully battled against relegation to the Conference, but was not offered a permanent deal by either Exeter or Torquay at the end of the season, joining Forest Green Rovers
Forest Green Rovers F.C.
Forest Green Rovers Football Club is an English football club based in Nailsworth, Gloucestershire, currently the longest-serving members of the Conference National. The club is affiliated to the Gloucestershire County FA.-Early years:...
.
He made a successful start to his career with Forest Green and in November 2006 was called up to the England National Game XI
England National Game XI
The England C National Football Team is the football team that represents England at non-league level. Formed in 1979 as the England Non-League team, it features players who play for clubs outside of the Football League...
squad for the European Trophy decider against Holland
Netherlands national football team
The Netherlands National Football Team represents the Netherlands in association football and is controlled by the Royal Dutch Football Association , the governing body for football in the Netherlands...
.
In February 2009 Afful picked up a serious knee injury which required an operation which ruled him out for the rest of the campaign. He tore his posterior cruciate ligament when he twisted his knee in a 2–2 home draw with Histon
Histon F.C.
Histon Football Club is an English football club based in the twin villages of Histon and Impington, approximately north of Cambridge, Cambridgeshire. From the 2007–08 season they competed in the Conference National, the highest level that the club has ever reached in the English football league...
.
Afful was not offered a contract at the end of the season and was released. He then signed for Truro City
Truro City F.C.
Truro City F.C. are an English professional football club based in Truro, Cornwall. They currently play in the Conference South following five promotions in six seasons. They were founding members of the South Western League in 1951 and won the title five times in their history...
.