Scott Loach
Encyclopedia
Scott James Loach is an English
footballer. He plays as a goalkeeper for Watford
in the Football League Championship
, having previously spent loan spells with non-league Stafford Rangers
and League Two
sides Morecambe
and Bradford City
. He has played for England at under-21
level, and in August 2010 was called up to the senior squad
for the first time. Scott Loach is a life long supporter of Ipswich Town.
, and his family moved to Ipswich
when he was four. He was a member of the academy at Ipswich Town
from 1997 to 2000. Loach was allowed to train with Nottingham Forest for 3 months until his contract was up with Ipswich,after his family moved back to Nottingham. He then trained and joined Chesterfield for a season, he left when they went into administration. Loach then signed for ex Forest player Colin Barret who was Manager of Southwell United. Keith Wort, Lincoln scout spotted Scott playing for Southwell and took him to Lincoln City F.C. as a Goalkeeper on a 8 week trial, Scott was a 14-year-old schoolboy in April 2003, becoming an apprentice in summer 2004. During his time at Sincil Bank
, he spent a number of periods on work experience with non-league sides. In August 2004 he played several games for Bourne Town
, and two months later played 2 games for Radcliffe Olympic
. He went to Boston Town
in January 2005, a spell that was subsequently extended until the end of the 2004–05 season. In August 2005, he was briefly loaned to Spalding United
, and later that month played two games for Stamford. In November 2005 he had a one game spell with Lincoln United
. He then made a brief return to Boston Town, Loach also played one game for Gedling Miners Welfare in Nottingham which then followed by a period at Grantham Town
in March 2006.
in April 2006. He signed professional terms for Watford in June, with Lincoln City receiving a transfer fee of £50,000. In pre-season 2007 he was on trial at Leeds United
with a view to a loan move. Although he played in several pre-season friendlies, the move did not come to fruition due to a transfer embargo as a result of Leeds entering administration.
In September 2007 he joined Conference
side Stafford Rangers
on an initial one-month loan. It was later extended to three months, and Loach played a total of league 11 games for Stafford. He joined Morecambe
on loan in January 2008, making his debut on 1 January in a 2–1 defeat to Stockport County
. He made only one more league appearance for Morecambe, during which he saved a penalty from Macclesfield Town
's Martin Gritton
, before he returning to Watford after just two weeks. At the end of the month he joined Bradford City
, another League Two
club, on loan until the end of the 2007–08 season as replacement for Donovan Ricketts
, who was expected to move to Queens Park Rangers
until he was refused a work permit. Loach made his debut a day after joining Bradford, conceding twice in their 4–2 victory over Shrewsbury Town
. He followed it up five days later with a clean sheet against Macclesfield Town after he saved a second penalty at Moss Rose
in as many months. Loach played the remainder of the season with Bradford, making 20 appearances for the club, who finished in 10th place in League Two
.
He returned to Watford and made his debut in the 1–0 Carling Cup win over Bristol Rovers
. He made his league debut as a substitute on 20 September 2008 when he came on to replace Mart Poom
in the fourth minute of a game against Reading
. Loach conceded his first goal in controversial circumstances when the referee and linesman gave a goal instead of a corner. The game finished in a 2–2 draw but the goal will be reviewed by the Professional Game Match Officials Board
. His first goal conceded that properly entered the net was a Stephen Hunt penalty in the same game. Loach remained a regular in the Watford team for the rest of the 2008–09 season
, under the management of Aidy Boothroyd, Malky Mackay
and later Brendan Rodgers
.
In August 2009, Four Four Two Magazine said Loach was the 'Key Player' in Watford's season and that fans should expect a good season from the young goalkeeper. Newspaper reports linked Loach to Tottenham Hotspur as backup to Heurelho Gomes, however as Carlo Cudicini
's alleged move to Portsmouth
did not go through, no deal was ever made. Loach made a good start to the 2009–10 season including a match winning performance against Plymouth where Watford won 1–0. Loach featured in all 46 Watford league games that season, and on 5 March 2010 extended his contract with Watford until 2013.
Loach retained his place in the team for the 2010–11 season
, and once again played all 46 league fixtures. However, he subsequently admitted that his form had dipped towards the end of that season. After 130 consecutive league appearances, Loach missed a Championship match for the first time since 2008 on 27 September 2011. He regained the place from Rene Gilmartin
a few weeks later.
call-up by manager Stuart Pearce
for a friendly
match against Ecuador's senior team
in Malaga. Loach made his international debut when he came on as a late replacement for Tom Heaton, as England lost 3–2.
In May 2009, Loach was named in the England Under-21 squad for the Under-21 Championships that take place in Sweden in June 2009. He only played in one match as Joe Hart
was first choice. He started in goal for England in the 4–0 defeat to Germany in the final of the Under-21 Championships in place of the suspended Hart and was highly culpable for the second German goal. With Hart and Joe Lewis ineligible for the U21's, Loach began to play regularly thereafter.
On 10 August 2010, after Ben Foster
and Paul Robinson withdrew from the squad, he received his first call up to the full England squad for the friendly against Hungary. The following month, after Scott Carson
withdrew from the England squad due to a bereavement, he received a second call up to the full England squad for the Euro 2012 qualifiers against Bulgaria and Switzerland.
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. He plays as a goalkeeper for 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...
in 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...
, having previously spent loan spells with non-league Stafford Rangers
Stafford Rangers F.C.
Stafford Rangers Football Club is a semi-professional English football team from Stafford which plays in the Northern Premier League Premier Division.The team wear black and white stripes with black shorts...
and 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....
sides Morecambe
Morecambe F.C.
Morecambe Football Club is an English football club based in Morecambe, Lancashire. It plays its football in League Two, the fourth division of English football, having been promoted in 2007 for the first time in their history to the Football League. They played their home matches at Christie Park...
and 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....
. He has played for England at 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....
level, and in August 2010 was called up to the senior squad
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
for the first time. Scott Loach is a life long supporter of Ipswich Town.
Early life
Loach was born in NottinghamNottingham
Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
, and his family moved to Ipswich
Ipswich
Ipswich is a large town and a non-metropolitan district. It is the county town of Suffolk, England. Ipswich is located on the estuary of the River Orwell...
when he was four. He was a member of the academy at Ipswich Town
Ipswich Town F.C.
Ipswich Town Football Club are an English professional football team based in Ipswich, Suffolk. As of 2011, they play in the Football League Championship, having last appeared in the Premier League in 2001–02....
from 1997 to 2000. Loach was allowed to train with Nottingham Forest for 3 months until his contract was up with Ipswich,after his family moved back to Nottingham. He then trained and joined Chesterfield for a season, he left when they went into administration. Loach then signed for ex Forest player Colin Barret who was Manager of Southwell United. Keith Wort, Lincoln scout spotted Scott playing for Southwell and took him to Lincoln City F.C. as a Goalkeeper on a 8 week trial, Scott was a 14-year-old schoolboy in April 2003, becoming an apprentice in summer 2004. During his time at Sincil Bank
Sincil Bank
Sincil Bank is a football stadium in Lincoln, England and has been the home of Lincoln City since 1895. Previously, Lincoln City had played at the nearby John O'Gaunts ground since the club's 1884 inception. Sincil Bank has an overall capacity of 10,120 and is colloquially known to fans as "The...
, he spent a number of periods on work experience with non-league sides. In August 2004 he played several games for Bourne Town
Bourne Town F.C.
Bourne Town Football Club is an English football team based in Bourne, England, currently playing in the United Counties Football League Division One. They were established in 1883 and joined the United Counties Football League in 1947, where they have been champions on three occasions - in...
, and two months later played 2 games for Radcliffe Olympic
Radcliffe Olympic F.C.
Radcliffe Olympic F.C. is an English football club based in Radcliffe-on-Trent, Nottinghamshire. The club are currently members of the East Midlands Counties League and play at the Recreation Ground.-History:...
. He went to Boston Town
Boston Town F.C.
Boston Town F.C. is an English football club based in Boston, Lincolnshire. The club are currently members of the United Counties League Premier Division and play at Tattershall Road.-History:...
in January 2005, a spell that was subsequently extended until the end of the 2004–05 season. In August 2005, he was briefly loaned to Spalding United
Spalding United F.C.
Spalding United F.C. is an English football club based in Spalding, Lincolnshire. The club are currently members of Division One of the United Counties League and play at Sir Halley Stewart Field.-History:...
, and later that month played two games for Stamford. In November 2005 he had a one game spell with Lincoln United
Lincoln United F.C.
Lincoln United F.C. is an English football team which plays in the Northern Premier League. The club is based in Lincoln. 'The Whites', as they are commonly known, play at the Ashby Avenue ground, which backs on to Hartsholme Country Park.-History:...
. He then made a brief return to Boston Town, Loach also played one game for Gedling Miners Welfare in Nottingham which then followed by a period at Grantham Town
Grantham Town F.C.
Grantham Town F.C. is a football club, based in Grantham, Lincolnshire, currently playing in the Northern Premier League Division One South. They are nicknamed The Gingerbreads and they play their home matches at the South Kesteven Sports Stadium . They were established in August 1874...
in March 2006.
Watford
Despite not being offered professional terms at Lincoln City, Loach joined WatfordWatford 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...
in April 2006. He signed professional terms for Watford in June, with Lincoln City receiving a transfer fee of £50,000. In pre-season 2007 he was on trial at Leeds United
Leeds United A.F.C.
Leeds United Association Football Club are an English professional association football club based in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, who play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system...
with a view to a loan move. Although he played in several pre-season friendlies, the move did not come to fruition due to a transfer embargo as a result of Leeds entering administration.
In September 2007 he joined 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...
side Stafford Rangers
Stafford Rangers F.C.
Stafford Rangers Football Club is a semi-professional English football team from Stafford which plays in the Northern Premier League Premier Division.The team wear black and white stripes with black shorts...
on an initial one-month loan. It was later extended to three months, and Loach played a total of league 11 games for Stafford. He joined Morecambe
Morecambe F.C.
Morecambe Football Club is an English football club based in Morecambe, Lancashire. It plays its football in League Two, the fourth division of English football, having been promoted in 2007 for the first time in their history to the Football League. They played their home matches at Christie Park...
on loan in January 2008, making his debut on 1 January in a 2–1 defeat 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...
. He made only one more league appearance for Morecambe, during which he saved a penalty from 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...
's Martin Gritton
Martin Gritton
Martin Francis Jeremy Gritton is a Scottish professional footballer who plays as a striker who currently plays for Stockport County. He is a journeyman player and has previously played for Plymouth Argyle, Shelbourne, Torquay United, Grimsby Town, Lincoln City, Mansfield Town, Macclesfield Town,...
, before he returning to Watford after just two weeks. At the end of the month he joined 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....
, another 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....
club, on loan until the end of the 2007–08 season as replacement for Donovan Ricketts
Donovan Ricketts
Donovan Ricketts is a Jamaican footballer who plays as goalkeeper for Montreal Impact in Major League Soccer. He is also the vice captain of the Jamaica national football team.-High School and College:...
, who was expected to move to 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...
until he was refused a work permit. Loach made his debut a day after joining Bradford, conceding twice in their 4–2 victory over Shrewsbury Town
Shrewsbury Town F.C.
Shrewsbury Town Football Club is an English Association football club based in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, who play in League Two, the fourth tier of English football. The club was formed in 1886 and has played in all the bottom three divisions in various guises since being elected into the Football...
. He followed it up five days later with a clean sheet against Macclesfield Town after he saved a second penalty at Moss Rose
Moss Rose
Moss Rose is a multi-purpose stadium in Macclesfield, England. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home ground of Macclesfield Town F.C....
in as many months. Loach played the remainder of the season with Bradford, making 20 appearances for the club, who finished in 10th place in 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....
.
He returned to Watford and made his debut in the 1–0 Carling Cup win over Bristol Rovers
Bristol Rovers F.C.
Bristol Rovers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Bristol, that competes in Football League Two. The team plays its home matches at the Memorial Stadium, in the Horfield area of the city....
. He made his league debut as a substitute on 20 September 2008 when he came on to replace Mart Poom
Mart Poom
Mart Poom is an Estonian former football goalkeeper. He retired after Estonia's 0–0 draw against Portugal on 10 June 2009 to focus on his job as goalkeeping coach at Arsenal and the Estonian national team, as well as other more "personal" projects....
in the fourth minute of a game against Reading
Reading F.C.
Reading Football Club is an English association football club based in the town of Reading, Berkshire who currently play in the Championship...
. Loach conceded his first goal in controversial circumstances when the referee and linesman gave a goal instead of a corner. The game finished in a 2–2 draw but the goal will be reviewed by the Professional Game Match Officials Board
Professional Game Match Officials Board
The Professional Game Match Officials Board , and since made a Limited Liability Company , was formed when English association football referees turned professional in 2001, specifically to provide match officials for all games played in the Premier League in England...
. His first goal conceded that properly entered the net was a Stephen Hunt penalty in the same game. Loach remained a regular in the Watford team for the rest of the 2008–09 season
2008–09 Watford F.C. season
-External links:**...
, under the management of Aidy Boothroyd, Malky Mackay
Malky Mackay
Malcolm George "Malky" Mackay is a Scottish football manager and former player, who played as a central defender. He is currently the manager of Cardiff City. Mackay began his playing career in Scottish football, with Queen's Park and Celtic. He joined English side Norwich City in 1998, remaining...
and later Brendan Rodgers
Brendan Rodgers
Brendan Rodgers is a Northern Irish former footballer, who is currently the manager of Swansea City.After retiring as a footballer at the age of 20, Rodgers stayed at Reading and was appointed as youth team coach. He joined Chelsea, under the leadership of José Mourinho, as youth team manager in...
.
In August 2009, Four Four Two Magazine said Loach was the 'Key Player' in Watford's season and that fans should expect a good season from the young goalkeeper. Newspaper reports linked Loach to Tottenham Hotspur as backup to Heurelho Gomes, however as Carlo Cudicini
Carlo Cudicini
Carlo Cudicini is an Italian goalkeeper who currently plays for Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur. In his 10 years at Chelsea he established himself as one of England's best goalkeepers before injury and the arrival of Petr Cech displaced him as first-choice...
's alleged move to Portsmouth
Portsmouth F.C.
Portsmouth Football Club is an English football club based in the city of Portsmouth. The club is nicknamed Pompey. Portsmouth's home matches have been played at Fratton Park since the club's formation in 1898. The team currently play in the Football League Championship after being relegated from...
did not go through, no deal was ever made. Loach made a good start to the 2009–10 season including a match winning performance against Plymouth where Watford won 1–0. Loach featured in all 46 Watford league games that season, and on 5 March 2010 extended his contract with Watford until 2013.
Loach retained his place in the team for the 2010–11 season
2010–11 Watford F.C. season
-Football League Championship:A total of 24 teams competed in the Football League Championship in the 2010–11 season. Each team played 46 matches; two against every other team, with one match played at each club's stadium. Three points were awarded for each win, one for a draw, and none for defeats...
, and once again played all 46 league fixtures. However, he subsequently admitted that his form had dipped towards the end of that season. After 130 consecutive league appearances, Loach missed a Championship match for the first time since 2008 on 27 September 2011. He regained the place from Rene Gilmartin
Rene Gilmartin
Rene Patrick Gilmartin is an Irish footballer, currently playing as a goalkeeper for Yeovil Town on loan from Watford. He started his professional career at Walsall, and also spent time on loan at Hednesford Town and Worcester City...
a few weeks later.
International career
In February 2009, his good form at club level earned him his first England under-21 internationalEngland 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....
call-up by manager Stuart Pearce
Stuart Pearce
Stuart Pearce OBE is an English football manager and former player. He is currently the manager of the England national under-21 team and the Great Britain and Northern Ireland Olympic football team...
for a friendly
Exhibition game
An exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition...
match against Ecuador's senior team
Ecuador national football team
The Ecuadorian national football team represents Ecuador in international football competitions and is controlled by the Ecuadorian Football Federation. They generally play official home matches at Estadio Olímpico Atahualpa in Quito, but often play friendlies in other stadiums around the country...
in Malaga. Loach made his international debut when he came on as a late replacement for Tom Heaton, as England lost 3–2.
In May 2009, Loach was named in the England Under-21 squad for the Under-21 Championships that take place in Sweden in June 2009. He only played in one match as Joe Hart
Joe Hart
Charles Joseph John "Joe" Hart is an English football goalkeeper who plays for Premier League club Manchester City and the England national football team and was previously a regular for the England under-21 team....
was first choice. He started in goal for England in the 4–0 defeat to Germany in the final of the Under-21 Championships in place of the suspended Hart and was highly culpable for the second German goal. With Hart and Joe Lewis ineligible for the U21's, Loach began to play regularly thereafter.
On 10 August 2010, after Ben Foster
Ben 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:...
and Paul Robinson withdrew from the squad, he received his first call up to the full England squad for the friendly against Hungary. The following month, after Scott Carson
Scott Carson
Scott Paul Carson is an English footballer who plays for Bursaspor as a goalkeeper.He joined the Leeds United football academy in 2002, making his full first team debut for Leeds against Manchester United in February 2004...
withdrew from the England squad due to a bereavement, he received a second call up to the full England squad for the Euro 2012 qualifiers against Bulgaria and Switzerland.
Playing statistics
Appearances correct as of 16 October 2011| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| 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... |
2007–08 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Stafford Rangers | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 | |
| Morecambe Morecambe F.C. Morecambe Football Club is an English football club based in Morecambe, Lancashire. It plays its football in League Two, the fourth division of English football, having been promoted in 2007 for the first time in their history to the Football League. They played their home matches at Christie Park... |
2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| Bradford 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.... |
20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 0 | |
| 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... |
2008–09 | 31 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 38 | 0 |
| 2009–10 Watford F.C. season 2009–10 Watford Football Club are an association football club from Watford, Hertfordshire, England. Home matches were played at the club's stadium, Vicarage Road, which had a capacity of 17,504 for the 2009–10 season... |
46 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 47 | 0 | |
| 2010–11 2010–11 Watford F.C. season -Football League Championship:A total of 24 teams competed in the Football League Championship in the 2010–11 season. Each team played 46 matches; two against every other team, with one match played at each club's stadium. Three points were awarded for each win, one for a draw, and none for defeats... |
46 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 46 | 0 | |
| 2011–12 2011–12 Watford F.C. season -Championship:-Summary:KeyH: Home fixtureA: Away fixtureCorrect .-Football League Cup:-Statistics:No. = Squad numberPos = Playing positionP = Number of games played... |
9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | |
| Total | 165 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 173 | 0 | |
External links
- Scott Loach profile at watfordfc.co.uk