Luke Beckett
Encyclopedia
Luke John Beckett is an English
professional footballer who plays as a striker
and is currently without a club. Beckett played in the Football League for ten years notably appearing for Sheffield United
, Huddersfield Town
and Oldham Athletic
, having also played for Chester City
, Chesterfield
, Stockport County
, Gainsborough Trinity
and Worksop Town
.
début for Chester City
in a 2–0 defeat by Leyton Orient
in August 1998. He had been signed on a free transfer from Barnsley
and was to be a big hit in his two years with Chester, winning the club's player of the season award in 1999–2000
. This season saw Chester relegated from the Football League
and Beckett moved to Chesterfield
.
Despite the Spireites suffering a points deduction for off-field matters, Beckett helped them win promotion from Division Three in 2000–01
and he would go on to be similarly prolific for Stockport County
. This prompted a move to Sheffield United
in November 2004 for £50,000.
However, he never scored for the Blades and spent most of the his two seasons as a United player out on loan at Oldham Athletic
. £
20,000 of his loan fee to Oldham was subsidised by Trust Oldham
. He was also on loan at Huddersfield Town
where his six goals in seven appearances in 2005 persuaded Terriers manager Peter Jackson to sign Beckett on 3 July 2006, for £
85,000, on a three-year deal.
On 5 January 2008, Beckett scored the opening goal in a 2–1 defeat of Premier League side Birmingham City
in the FA Cup
third round. He scored in the following round as Huddersfield defeated Oldham Athletic 1–0. He was believed to be close to signing for League Two
side Bradford City
in May, and was later ready to sign for York City
in the Conference National
, but could not reach an agreement over the remainder of his contract with Huddersfield.
On 27 November, he joined Conference North
side Gainsborough Trinity
on a short-term contract after paying off the remainder of his contract with Huddersfield. Beckett made his Trinity debut two days later; after setting up the first two goals, he scored the third goal in the club's 3–0 win over Harrogate Town
. In January, he extended his stay with Gainsborough until the end of the 2008–09 season.
On 11 March 2011 Beckett joined Worksop Town
on loan for the remainder of the 2010–11 season. Upon the completion of the 2010–11 season Beckett was released by Trinity.
fan, Beckett is married to Tracy and has three daughters, including twins.
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...
professional footballer who plays as a 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...
and is currently without a club. Beckett played in the Football League for ten years notably appearing for 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...
, 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 Oldham Athletic
Oldham Athletic A.F.C.
Oldham Athletic Association Football Club is an English association football club based at Boundary Park, on Sheepfoot Lane in Oldham, Greater Manchester. The club currently competes in the Football League One, the third tier of the English league...
, having also played for Chester City
Chester City F.C.
Chester City Football Club was an English football team from Chester. The club was founded as Chester F.C., and joined the Football League in 1931, spending most of their time in the lower divisions. They changed their name to Chester City in 1983. Chester won their first league title in 2004, the...
, Chesterfield
Chesterfield F.C.
Chesterfield Football Club is an English football club based in Chesterfield, Derbyshire. The club currently plays in Football League One, the third tier of English football. Despite being the fourth oldest Football League club in England, they have spent most of their existence in the lower...
, 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...
, Gainsborough Trinity
Gainsborough Trinity F.C.
Gainsborough Trinity Football Club are an English football club based in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire.Between 1896 and 1912 they were members of the Football League. They are currently in the Conference North, and play their home matches at The Northolme, which has a capacity of 4,304...
and Worksop Town
Worksop Town F.C.
Worksop Town Football Club are a semi-professional English football club from Worksop, Nottinghamshire who play in the Northern Premier League Premier Division...
.
Career
Beckett made his name as a prolific striker since making his Football LeagueThe 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...
début for Chester City
Chester City F.C.
Chester City Football Club was an English football team from Chester. The club was founded as Chester F.C., and joined the Football League in 1931, spending most of their time in the lower divisions. They changed their name to Chester City in 1983. Chester won their first league title in 2004, the...
in a 2–0 defeat by 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...
in August 1998. He had been signed on a free transfer from 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...
and was to be a big hit in his two years with Chester, winning the club's player of the season award in 1999–2000
1999-2000 in English football
-Premier League:Manchester United were crowned FA Premier League champions with an 18-point margin over runners-up Arsenal and with just 3 league defeats all season. This was despite their failure to retain the European Cup and withdrawal from the FA Cup in order to compete in the FIFA Club World...
. This season saw Chester relegated from 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 Beckett moved to Chesterfield
Chesterfield F.C.
Chesterfield Football Club is an English football club based in Chesterfield, Derbyshire. The club currently plays in Football League One, the third tier of English football. Despite being the fourth oldest Football League club in England, they have spent most of their existence in the lower...
.
Despite the Spireites suffering a points deduction for off-field matters, Beckett helped them win promotion from Division Three in 2000–01
2000-01 in English football
The 2000–01 season was the 121st season of competitive football in England.-Overview:Manchester United secured their 3rd Premiership title in succession and their 7th title in just nine seasons...
and he would go on to be similarly prolific for 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...
. This prompted a move to 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...
in November 2004 for £50,000.
However, he never scored for the Blades and spent most of the his two seasons as a United player out on loan at Oldham Athletic
Oldham Athletic A.F.C.
Oldham Athletic Association Football Club is an English association football club based at Boundary Park, on Sheepfoot Lane in Oldham, Greater Manchester. The club currently competes in the Football League One, the third tier of the English league...
. £
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...
20,000 of his loan fee to Oldham was subsidised by Trust Oldham
Trust Oldham
Trust Oldham is a Supporters' trust, for the English football club, Oldham Athletic based in Oldham, Greater Manchester.-Background:The trust was formed in 2003 after previous Latics owner Chris Moore left the club in dire financial straights...
. He was also on loan 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...
where his six goals in seven appearances in 2005 persuaded Terriers manager Peter Jackson to sign Beckett on 3 July 2006, 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...
85,000, on a three-year deal.
On 5 January 2008, Beckett scored the opening goal in a 2–1 defeat of Premier League side 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...
in the 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...
third round. He scored in the following round as Huddersfield defeated Oldham Athletic 1–0. He was believed to be close to signing for 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....
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....
in May, and was later ready to sign for York City
York City F.C.
York City Football Club is an English football club based in York, North Yorkshire. The club participates in the Conference National, the fifth tier of English football. Founded in 1922, they joined the Football League in 1929, and have spent most of their history in the lower divisions...
in the Conference National
Conference National
Conference National is the top division of the Football Conference in England. It is the highest level of the National League System and fifth highest of the overall English football league system...
, but could not reach an agreement over the remainder of his contract with Huddersfield.
On 27 November, he joined Conference North
Conference North
The Conference North also known as Blue Square Bet North for sponsorship reasons, is a division of the Football Conference in England, taking its place immediately below the Conference National. Along with Conference South it is at Step 2 of the National League System and the sixth overall tier of...
side Gainsborough Trinity
Gainsborough Trinity F.C.
Gainsborough Trinity Football Club are an English football club based in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire.Between 1896 and 1912 they were members of the Football League. They are currently in the Conference North, and play their home matches at The Northolme, which has a capacity of 4,304...
on a short-term contract after paying off the remainder of his contract with Huddersfield. Beckett made his Trinity debut two days later; after setting up the first two goals, he scored the third goal in the club's 3–0 win over Harrogate Town
Harrogate Town F.C.
Harrogate Town Football Club is an English semi-professional football club based in Harrogate, North Yorkshire. The club was founded in 1914 and currently competes in the Conference North division of the Football Conference.-History:...
. In January, he extended his stay with Gainsborough until the end of the 2008–09 season.
On 11 March 2011 Beckett joined Worksop Town
Worksop Town F.C.
Worksop Town Football Club are a semi-professional English football club from Worksop, Nottinghamshire who play in the Northern Premier League Premier Division...
on loan for the remainder of the 2010–11 season. Upon the completion of the 2010–11 season Beckett was released by Trinity.
Personal life
A boyhood Manchester CityManchester City F.C.
Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...
fan, Beckett is married to Tracy and has three daughters, including twins.