Stephen Gleeson
Encyclopedia
Stephen Gleeson is an Irish
international
footballer, signed to League One
side Milton Keynes Dons
.
before moving to England where he received a three-year contract at the start of May 2006 having come up through the Wolves Academy.
In the 2006-07 season
he went on loan to Stockport County
for three months, making his senior debut on 11 November 2006 in a 2-1 victory at Exeter City
in the FA Cup
. He impressed at County, scoring two goals from midfield and playing an influential part in their nine match winning streak, without conceding a goal.
On returning to Wolves, he made four substitute appearances, in his nip including their play-off semi-final 2nd leg defeat at West Bromwich Albion
. The following season saw his only first team appearance for the club come in a League Cup
game. To gain playing time, he joined League Two
Hereford United
on 21 February 2008 on a month's loan. However, this was unsuccessful and fans became annoyed with his attitude, especially during a match against Stockport where Gleeson showed no desire throughout the match, prompting an early end to the loan spell.
After spending a couple of days back with his home club, Gleeson returned on loan to Stockport County on 26 March 2008 until the end of the 2007/08 season
. His first goal since his return to Edgeley Park
was at Wycombe Wanderers
in their semi-final play-off tie that saw them reach the final. Gleeson then appeared in the Wembley
final where the club won promotion to League One
after beating Rochdale. His semi-final goal was later voted Stockport's Goal of 2008 by fans, and also chosen by manager Jim Gannon
as his favourite goal of the year.
His association with Stockport continued again during the 2008/09 season as he spent the first half of the campaign on loan again with them. He returned to his parent club but again went out on loan, this time to League One
side in March 2009 for the remainder of the 2008–09 season. He helped the club reach the play-offs, but suffered ankle ligament damage which lead him to miss their unsuccessful bid for playoff promotion to the Championship.
He subsequently joined the MK Dons on a permanent basis on 1 July 2009 in a three-year deal for an undisclosed fee.
in February 2006, despite being a year younger than most of his colleagues, and was also named in the squad for the Under-19 European Championship qualifying rounds in May 2006. He also represented his country at Under 21 level, scoring twice on his debut, a 2-2 draw against Germany
on 21 August 2007.
He made his full international debut for the Republic of Ireland
against Ecuador
on 23 May 2007 in a 1-1 friendly draw at the Giants Stadium
in New Jersey
, United States
.
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
international
Republic of Ireland national football team
The Republic of Ireland national football team represents Ireland in association football. It is run by the Football Association of Ireland and currently plays home fixtures at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, which opened in May 2010....
footballer, signed to League One
Football League One
Football League One is the second-highest division of The Football League and third-highest division overall in the English football league system....
side Milton Keynes Dons
Milton Keynes Dons F.C.
.Milton Keynes Dons Football Club is an English professional football club founded in 2004 and based since 2007 at Stadium mk, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire...
.
Club career
Born in Dublin, Gleeson played for Cherry OrchardCherry Orchard F.C.
Cherry Orchard Football Club is an Irish football club founded in 1957 known locally as "the Orchard." The club is one of the biggest producers of talent in Ireland. They are linked with Manchester City. Their main rival is Crumlin United, for whom Robbie Keane played at schoolboy level. The club...
before moving to England where he received a three-year contract at the start of May 2006 having come up through the Wolves Academy.
In the 2006-07 season
2006-07 in English football
The 2006–07 season was the 127th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:* The number of divisions at Level 8 of the English football league system increased from four to five...
he went on loan 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...
for three months, making his senior debut on 11 November 2006 in a 2-1 victory at 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...
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...
. He impressed at County, scoring two goals from midfield and playing an influential part in their nine match winning streak, without conceding a goal.
On returning to Wolves, he made four substitute appearances, in his nip including their play-off semi-final 2nd leg defeat at West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion F.C.
West Bromwich Albion Football Club, also known as West Brom, The Baggies, The Throstles, Albion or WBA, are an English Premier League association football club based in West Bromwich in the West Midlands...
. The following season saw his only first team appearance for the club come in a 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...
game. To gain playing time, he joined 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....
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',...
on 21 February 2008 on a month's loan. However, this was unsuccessful and fans became annoyed with his attitude, especially during a match against Stockport where Gleeson showed no desire throughout the match, prompting an early end to the loan spell.
After spending a couple of days back with his home club, Gleeson returned on loan to Stockport County on 26 March 2008 until the end of the 2007/08 season
2007-08 in English football
The 2007–08 season was the 128th season of competitive football in England.-European competitions:In October 2007 Arsenal equalled the UEFA Champions League record victory with a 7–0 win over Slavia Prague at the Emirates Stadium. The record was broken the following month when Liverpool...
. His first goal since his return to Edgeley Park
Edgeley Park
Edgeley Park is an association football and rugby union stadium in Stockport, England. The stadium was initially built for the rugby league club Stockport in 1901, but by 1902, the rugby club was defunct and in the same year, Stockport County Football Club, who were looking for a bigger ground,...
was at Wycombe Wanderers
Wycombe Wanderers F.C.
Wycombe Wanderers Football Club is an English professional football team from High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, which has been promoted to Football League One after finishing third in Football League Two in the season 2010–11. The club's nicknames are "The Chairboys" and "The Blues", and they play...
in their semi-final play-off tie that saw them reach the final. Gleeson then appeared in the Wembley
Wembley Stadium
The original Wembley Stadium, officially known as the Empire Stadium, was a football stadium in Wembley, a suburb of north-west London, standing on the site now occupied by the new Wembley Stadium that opened in 2007...
final where the club won promotion to League One
Football League One
Football League One is the second-highest division of The Football League and third-highest division overall in the English football league system....
after beating Rochdale. His semi-final goal was later voted Stockport's Goal of 2008 by fans, and also chosen by manager Jim Gannon
Jim Gannon
James Paul "Jim" Gannon is a former footballer and football manager, who is now Director of football and manager of Conference National team Stockport County...
as his favourite goal of the year.
His association with Stockport continued again during the 2008/09 season as he spent the first half of the campaign on loan again with them. He returned to his parent club but again went out on loan, this time to League One
Football League One
Football League One is the second-highest division of The Football League and third-highest division overall in the English football league system....
side in March 2009 for the remainder of the 2008–09 season. He helped the club reach the play-offs, but suffered ankle ligament damage which lead him to miss their unsuccessful bid for playoff promotion to the Championship.
He subsequently joined the MK Dons on a permanent basis on 1 July 2009 in a three-year deal for an undisclosed fee.
International career
Gleeson was called up to the Irish Under 19 squad for a friendly tournament in La MangaLa Manga
La Manga , or La Manga del Mar Menor is a seaside spit in the Region of Murcia, Spain.The strip is 22 km long and 100 metres wide , separating the Mediterranean Sea from the Mar Menor lagoon, from Cabo de Palos to the Punta del Mojón.Historically, it was known by the Romans as Palus and...
in February 2006, despite being a year younger than most of his colleagues, and was also named in the squad for the Under-19 European Championship qualifying rounds in May 2006. He also represented his country at Under 21 level, scoring twice on his debut, a 2-2 draw against Germany
Germany national under-21 football team
The Germany national under-21 football team represents the under-21s of Germany in the UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship and is controlled by the German Football Association , the governing body of football in Germany....
on 21 August 2007.
He made his full international debut for the Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland national football team
The Republic of Ireland national football team represents Ireland in association football. It is run by the Football Association of Ireland and currently plays home fixtures at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, which opened in May 2010....
against Ecuador
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...
on 23 May 2007 in a 1-1 friendly draw at the Giants Stadium
Giants Stadium
Giants Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium, located in East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA, in the Meadowlands Sports Complex. Maximum seating capacity was 80,242. The building itself was 230.5 m long, 180.5 m wide and 44 m high from service level to the top of the seating bowl and 54 m high to...
in New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.