Steve Brooker
Encyclopedia
Stephen Michael "Steve" Brooker (born 21 May 1981 in Newport Pagnell
Newport Pagnell
Newport Pagnell is a town in the Borough of Milton Keynes , England. It is separated by the M1 motorway from Milton Keynes itself, though part of the same urban area...

, Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....

) is an English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...

 football striker. In a twelve years professional career he has scored 86 goals in 294 games.

He began his career with 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 1999, before moving on to Port Vale
Port Vale F.C.
Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as...

 in 2001, following a short loan spell. With Vale he won the Football League Trophy
Football League Trophy
The Football League Trophy, currently known as the Johnstone's Paint Trophy for sponsorship reasons, is an annual English association football knock-out competition open to the 48 clubs in Football League One and Football League Two, the bottom two divisions in the four fully professional top...

 in 2001
2001 Football League Trophy Final
The 2001 Football League Trophy Final was the 18th final of the Football League Trophy, the domestic football cup competition for teams from the Football League Second and Third Divisions...

. He transferred to Bristol City
Bristol City F.C.
Bristol City Football Club is one of two football league clubs in Bristol, England . They play at Ashton Gate, located in the south-west of the City...

 in 2004, where he would spend the next five years. In 2008 he spent time on loan at both Cheltenham Town
Cheltenham Town F.C.
Cheltenham Town Football Club is an English football club playing in League Two, the fourth tier of English football. Founded in 1887, the team has played at four different grounds, namely Agg-Gardner's Recreation Ground, Carter's Field and now the Abbey Business Stadium, although it is more...

 and 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...

, before he joined Doncaster permanently in 2009. He spent two years with the club before he was released due to injury concerns.

Playing career

Brooker came through the youth system at 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...

 before joining Port Vale
Port Vale F.C.
Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as...

, initially on loan, in January 2001. He signed permanently the following month for £15,000. He helped the "Valiants" to lift the 2001
2001 Football League Trophy Final
The 2001 Football League Trophy Final was the 18th final of the Football League Trophy, the domestic football cup competition for teams from the Football League Second and Third Divisions...

 Football League Trophy
Football League Trophy
The Football League Trophy, currently known as the Johnstone's Paint Trophy for sponsorship reasons, is an annual English association football knock-out competition open to the 48 clubs in Football League One and Football League Two, the bottom two divisions in the four fully professional top...

, after he scored past Brentford
Brentford F.C.
Brentford Football Club are a professional English football club based in Brentford in the London Borough of Hounslow. They are currently playing in Football League One....

 in the final.

Forced to undergo a hernia operation at the start of the 2002–03
2002–03 Port Vale F.C. season
The 2002–03 season was Port Vale's ninety-first season of football in the Football League, and third successive season in the Second Division. Another poor season, Brian Horton's side avoided relegation with a seventeenth place finish...

 season, he recovered to score five goals in thirty games. After he recovered from a hamstring injury that caused him to miss a month at the start of the 2003–04
2003–04 Port Vale F.C. season
The 2003–04 season was Port Vale's ninety-second season of football in the Football League, and fourth successive season in the Second Division. Brian Horton resigned in February, and was replaced by Martin Foyle. Vale fought for promotion, but finished outside the play-off zone on goal difference...

 season, he went on to finish the campaign with eight goals in 34 games.

He started the 2004–05
2004–05 Port Vale F.C. season
The 2004–05 season was Port Vale's ninety-third season of football in the Football League, and first in the newly created League One. Martin Foyle's first full season in charge, Vale survived a relegation dogfight to finish in eighteenth place...

 season in tremendous form, scoring for four successive league games in August, including a brace past Hull City
Hull City A.F.C.
Hull City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, founded in 1904. The club participates in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football...

. With his contract up in the summer, the next month he was sold to Bristol City
Bristol City F.C.
Bristol City Football Club is one of two football league clubs in Bristol, England . They play at Ashton Gate, located in the south-west of the City...

 for a fee of £225,000. This came days after fans were told he was not for sale and would not be moving by Vale chairman Bill Bratt
Bill Bratt
William Amos "Bill" Bratt MBE is the former chairman of Port Vale Football Club, who served the club in this post from 2003 to 2011....

 – a statement that convinced City chairman Stephen Lansdown
Stephen Lansdown
Stephen Philip Lansdown is co-founder with Peter Hargreaves of UK financial services firm Hargreaves Lansdown and majority shareholder of Bristol City Football Club.-Career:...

 that "we must now look elsewhere." He went on to have a highly successful season with City, scoring sixteen goals for the club, despite suffering from a broken toe. This gave him a total of 21 goals for both Vale and City in 2004–05, and won him another year on his contract with City. This extended deal quashed rumours of a move to Norwich City
Norwich City F.C.
Norwich City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. As of the 2011–12 season, Norwich City are again playing in the Premier League after a six-year absence, having finished as runner up in the Championship in 2010–11 and winning automatic promotion.The...

.

He was both the club's player of the season and top scorer in the 2005–06 season with sixteen league goals, one of these goals came against former club Port Vale after the player claimed that the boo-boys at Vale Park
Vale Park
Vale Park is a football stadium in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, England. It is the home ground of Port Vale F.C., who have played at the ground since 1950....

 inspired him to find the net. His form helped the club go from bottom of the league in December, to finish just six points shy of the play-offs. He was rewarded with a new deal with the club, despite having two years remaining on his existing contract.

He scored three goals in 27 games during City's 2006–07 promotion-winning campaign. However on his release from prison in September he found himself battling a catalogue of injuries, that would go on to plague him for a number of years. He missed the start of the campaign with hamstring and knee injuries, and picked up a further knee injury in April, which caused him to miss the club's pre-season tour of Latvia
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...

.

He missed much of the 2007–08 season after being forced to undergo two knee operations. In January Brooker was made available for a loan spell so as to regain fitness, and twenty clubs put in offers. After recovering from illness and a further back injury, he joined Keith Downing
Keith Downing
Keith Gordon Downing is an English former footballer. He made the vast majority of his appearances for Wolverhampton Wanderers, where he was nicknamed “Psycho” for his robust style playing in central midfield.-Playing career:...

's 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 Cheltenham Town
Cheltenham Town F.C.
Cheltenham Town Football Club is an English football club playing in League Two, the fourth tier of English football. Founded in 1887, the team has played at four different grounds, namely Agg-Gardner's Recreation Ground, Carter's Field and now the Abbey Business Stadium, although it is more...

 on a one month loan. This deal was later extended by another month. Playing fourteen games with the "Robins", he scored his five goals for the club in the space of six matches, helping the club to avoid relegation into 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....

. His form persuaded manager Gary Johnson
Gary Johnson (footballer)
Gary Johnson is an English football manager and former player. He was most recently the manager of Npower League Two's Northampton Town....

 to re-call him to Bristol. On his return to City he scored an emotional late goal against Norwich to send his club top of the table; however the "Reds" would have to settle with a play-off place. Overall he played just four games of the club's march to the play-off Final with Hull City
Hull City A.F.C.
Hull City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, founded in 1904. The club participates in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football...

, and was not named on the teamsheet in the final itself. Cheltenham were hopeful of signing the striker in the summer, but were denied the chance to have him back on loan, despite City having six strikers on the books.

He started the 2008–09 season
2008–09 in English football
The 2008–09 season was the 129th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:* West Bromwich Albion, Stoke City and Hull City were all playing in the Premier League after winning promotion from the Championship last season. Stoke returned to the top flight after a 23-year absence, while...

 well by coming off the bench to get the late winners at Blackpool
Blackpool F.C.
Blackpool Football Club are an English football club founded in 1887 from the Lancashire seaside town of Blackpool. They are competing in the 2011–12 season of the The Championship, the second tier of professional football in England, having been relegated from the Premier League at the end of the...

, Peterborough United
Peterborough United F.C.
Peterborough United Football Club are a professional English football club based in Peterborough. Peterborough United formed in 1934 and played in the old Midland League, which they won six times; eventually being admitted to the Football League in 1960, replacing Gateshead. Their home ground is...

, and Coventry City
Coventry City F.C.
Coventry City Football Club, otherwise known as the Sky Blues owing to the traditional colour of their strip, are a professional English Football league club based in Coventry...

. However he was then struck down by an Achilles injury. On the November loan window deadline day, he 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...

 on a one month loan with a view to a permanent deal. He came on as a substitute for his Rovers debut against Watford and scored with his first touch to give his new team a 1–1 draw. However, he suffered a torn calf muscle
Triceps surae muscle
The triceps surae is a pair of muscles located at the calf - the gastrocnemius and the soleus...

 in training and returned to Ashton Gate. He returned to Rovers permanently for an undisclosed fee in January 2009, penning a two and a half year deal despite not being fully fit. He was initially expected to be rested for two weeks, but soon found himself out of action on a long-term basis after requiring an operation to fix an ankle injury.

He missed the entirety of the 2009–10
2009–10 Doncaster Rovers F.C. season
The 2009–10 Football League Championship was Doncaster Rovers F.C.s second season in the Championship. This article shows statistics of the club's players in the season, and also lists all matches that the club has played during the 2009–10 season.-Legend:...

 campaign with his injury problems. In the 2010–11
2010–11 Doncaster Rovers F.C. season
The 2010–11 season will be the 131st season in Doncaster Rovers Football Club's existence, and their 3rd consecutive year in the second tier of English football.-Pre-season:Doncaster's first pre-season friendly is an away game against local team Askern Villa...

 campaign he finally made his second appearance for the club, and on 30 April, Brooker scored his second goal for "Donny" when he blasted a 25 half-volley into the net to earn his club a 1–1 draw with Leicester City
Leicester City F.C.
Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester...

 – the point ensured his club safety from relegation. However he was still released from the club at the end of the season.

Personal life

On 1 September 2006, Brooker was sentenced to prison for 28 days for his part in a 2005 nightclub
Nightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...

 brawl, which also saw his Bristol City
Bristol City F.C.
Bristol City Football Club is one of two football league clubs in Bristol, England . They play at Ashton Gate, located in the south-west of the City...

 team mates Bradley Orr
Bradley Orr
Bradley James Orr is an English defender currently playing for Queens Park Rangers. He has played for the club since July 2010, joining for an undisclosed fee from Bristol City....

 and David Partridge
David Partridge
David William Partridge is an English-born Welsh professional footballer who plays for Thurrock. He plays as a defender and has won seven caps for Wales...

 imprisoned. Two weeks later, he and Orr were released on license, having served half of their original sentence in custody. The sentence was described by City chairman Stephen Lansdown
Stephen Lansdown
Stephen Philip Lansdown is co-founder with Peter Hargreaves of UK financial services firm Hargreaves Lansdown and majority shareholder of Bristol City Football Club.-Career:...

 as 'harsh'.

Statistics

|-
|1999–2000
1999–2000 Watford F.C. season
During the 1999–2000 English football season, Watford F.C. competed in the FA Premier League, after being promoted from the First Division last season.-Season summary:...

||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...

||Premier League||1||0||1||0||0||0||2||0
|-
|2000–01
2000–01 Watford F.C. season
During the 2000–01 English football season, Watford F.C. competed in the Football League First Division, after being relegated from the FA Premier League last season.-Season summary:...

||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...

||First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....

||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0
|-
|2000–01
2000–01 Port Vale F.C. season
The 2000–01 season was Port Vale's eighty-ninth season of football in the Football League, and first season back in the Second Division. A season of two halves, Vale were struggling at the bottom of the table when Isthmian League minnows Canvey Island knocked the Vale out of the FA Cup with a 2–1...

||Port Vale
Port Vale F.C.
Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as...

||Second Division
Football League Second Division
From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...

||23||9||0||0||0||0||28||11
|-
|2001–02
2001–02 Port Vale F.C. season
The 2001–02 season was Port Vale's ninetieth season of football in the Football League, and second successive season in the Second Division. On the pitch Vale finished in mid-table, whilst exiting both the FA Cup and the League Cup at the Second Round, and the League Trophy at the Area...

||Port Vale
Port Vale F.C.
Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as...

||Second Division
Football League Second Division
From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...

||41||9||2||1||2||0||48||11
|-
|2002–03
2002–03 Port Vale F.C. season
The 2002–03 season was Port Vale's ninety-first season of football in the Football League, and third successive season in the Second Division. Another poor season, Brian Horton's side avoided relegation with a seventeenth place finish...

||Port Vale
Port Vale F.C.
Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as...

||Second Division
Football League Second Division
From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...

||26||5||1||0||1||0||30||5
|-
|2003–04
2003–04 Port Vale F.C. season
The 2003–04 season was Port Vale's ninety-second season of football in the Football League, and fourth successive season in the Second Division. Brian Horton resigned in February, and was replaced by Martin Foyle. Vale fought for promotion, but finished outside the play-off zone on goal difference...

||Port Vale
Port Vale F.C.
Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as...

||Second Division
Football League Second Division
From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...

||32||8||1||0||1||0||34||8
|-
|2004–05
2004–05 Port Vale F.C. season
The 2004–05 season was Port Vale's ninety-third season of football in the Football League, and first in the newly created League One. Martin Foyle's first full season in charge, Vale survived a relegation dogfight to finish in eighteenth place...

||Port Vale
Port Vale F.C.
Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as...

||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....

||9||5||0||0||1||0||11||5
|-
|2004–05||Bristol City
Bristol City F.C.
Bristol City Football Club is one of two football league clubs in Bristol, England . They play at Ashton Gate, located in the south-west of the City...

||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....

||33||16||1||0||0||0||34||16
|-
|2005–06||Bristol City
Bristol City F.C.
Bristol City Football Club is one of two football league clubs in Bristol, England . They play at Ashton Gate, located in the south-west of the City...

||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....

||37||16||1||0||1||0||39||16
|-
|2006–07||Bristol City
Bristol City F.C.
Bristol City Football Club is one of two football league clubs in Bristol, England . They play at Ashton Gate, located in the south-west of the City...

||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....

||23||2||2||1||0||0||27||3
|-
|2007–08||Bristol City
Bristol City F.C.
Bristol City Football Club is one of two football league clubs in Bristol, England . They play at Ashton Gate, located in the south-west of the City...

||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...

||4||1||0||0||0||0||4||1
|-
|2007–08||Cheltenham Town
Cheltenham Town F.C.
Cheltenham Town Football Club is an English football club playing in League Two, the fourth tier of English football. Founded in 1887, the team has played at four different grounds, namely Agg-Gardner's Recreation Ground, Carter's Field and now the Abbey Business Stadium, although it is more...

||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....

||14||5||0||0||0||0||14||5
|-
|2008–09||Bristol City
Bristol City F.C.
Bristol City Football Club is one of two football league clubs in Bristol, England . They play at Ashton Gate, located in the south-west of the City...

||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...

||4||2||0||0||2||1||6||3
|-
|2008–09||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...

||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...

||1||1||0||0||0||0||1||1
|-
|2009–10
2009–10 Doncaster Rovers F.C. season
The 2009–10 Football League Championship was Doncaster Rovers F.C.s second season in the Championship. This article shows statistics of the club's players in the season, and also lists all matches that the club has played during the 2009–10 season.-Legend:...

||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...

||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...

||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0
|-
|2010–11
2010–11 Doncaster Rovers F.C. season
The 2010–11 season will be the 131st season in Doncaster Rovers Football Club's existence, and their 3rd consecutive year in the second tier of English football.-Pre-season:Doncaster's first pre-season friendly is an away game against local team Askern Villa...

||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...

||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...

||13||1||2||0||1||0||16||1
|-
261||80||11||2||9||1||294||86
261||80||11||2||9||1||294||86

Notes:
  • Football League Trophy
    Football League Trophy
    The Football League Trophy, currently known as the Johnstone's Paint Trophy for sponsorship reasons, is an annual English association football knock-out competition open to the 48 clubs in Football League One and Football League Two, the bottom two divisions in the four fully professional top...

     results included in totals.
  • Play-offs results included in totals.

Honours

Individual
  • Bristol City F.C.
    Bristol City F.C.
    Bristol City Football Club is one of two football league clubs in Bristol, England . They play at Ashton Gate, located in the south-west of the City...

     Player of the season:
    2005–06


with Port Vale
  • Football League Trophy
    Football League Trophy
    The Football League Trophy, currently known as the Johnstone's Paint Trophy for sponsorship reasons, is an annual English association football knock-out competition open to the 48 clubs in Football League One and Football League Two, the bottom two divisions in the four fully professional top...

     winner:
    2001
    2001 Football League Trophy Final
    The 2001 Football League Trophy Final was the 18th final of the Football League Trophy, the domestic football cup competition for teams from the Football League Second and Third Divisions...



with Bristol City
  • Football 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....

     runner-up: 2006–07

External links

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