John Purkiss Popular Books

John Purkiss Biography & Facts

Benjamin John Purkiss (born 1 April 1984) is an English former professional footballer and former chairman of the Professional Footballers' Association (PFA). Having failed to break into the Sheffield United first-team, he joined Gainsborough Trinity in 2003. He spent four years at the club before winning a move to York City in 2007. He played for York in the 2009 FA Trophy final and 2010 Conference Premier play-off final, both of which ended in defeat. He signed with Oxford United in May 2010, and after one season with the club was loaned out to Darlington, before he was allowed to join Hereford United in January 2012. Purkiss joined Walsall in August the same year, and spent three seasons with the club, appearing on the losing team in the 2015 Football League Trophy final. He joined Port Vale in June 2015, and was appointed as joint-captain the following year. He switched to Swindon Town in June 2017, and then rejoined Walsall in October 2018. He was elected as chairman of the PFA in November 2017. He served in the role for four years. Club career Sheffield United Born in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, Purkiss progressed through the Sheffield United youth system and was included in the first-team for the 2003–04 season. Gainsborough Trinity He was released by United in 2003 and joined Northern Premier League Premier Division club Gainsborough Trinity, choosing to pursue a career in semi-professional football while studying for a degree in French and Law at the University of Sheffield. He made his debut for Gainsborough in a 2–0 defeat to Stalybridge Celtic on 16 August. He played in a 7–1 defeat to Second Division team Brentford in the FA Cup first round on 8 November. Purkiss was targeted by Third Division club Scunthorpe United and was handed a trial at the club in December 2003. He finished the season with 34 appearances for Gainsborough and signed a new one-year contract on 5 May 2004. He scored his first goal in a 2–1 defeat to Alfreton Town on 17 August. He completed 2004–05 with 37 appearances 1 one goal. His 2005–06 season was restricted to 15 appearances due to his studies in France. He started in a 3–1 defeat to League Two team Barnet in the FA Cup first round on 11 November 2006. York City Purkiss joined Conference National club York City on loan until the end of 2006–07 on 22 March 2007 in time for their play-off push. Purkiss had been considering a move to the club for some time and eventually agreed a deal that included a loan period and a four-figure sum for Gainsborough despite there being only five weeks remaining on his contract. Prior to signing, he had made 35 appearances for Gainsborough that season. Once at York Purkiss went straight into the first-team, making his debut as a substitute in York's 1–1 draw with Exeter City. He was offered a permanent contract with York at the end of the season after making eight appearances on loan. He finished 2007–08 with 46 appearances for York. Purkiss played in the 2009 FA Trophy final at Wembley Stadium on 9 May 2009, which York lost 2–0 to Stevenage Borough. He finished 2008–09 with 47 appearances and two goals for York and was offered a new contract by the club. He delayed signing as he wanted to see if the club would retain their key players and he eventually signed a new one-year contract on 8 June. He meanwhile continued his studies, and graduated from the College of Law in 2009, and represented Great Britain at the 2009 Summer Universiade in Serbia. He started in the 2010 Conference Premier play-off final at Wembley on 16 May 2010, which was lost 3–1 to Oxford United. He finished 2009–10 with 47 appearances and one goal for York and was offered a new contract by the club, which he rejected. Oxford United He signed for Oxford on a two-year contract on 21 May following their promotion to League Two. He made his debut in a 0–0 draw with Wycombe Wanderers as an 11th-minute substitute on 21 August and his first start came in a 1–0 defeat away to West Ham United of the Premier League in the League Cup on 24 August. He was made available for loan by Oxford in March 2011, and told he could leave the club permanently in the summer. He eventually signed for Conference Premier club Darlington on one-month loan on 5 August, and after making seven appearances the loan was extended for a further two months in September. He returned to Oxford in November following the expiry of his loan at Darlington. Hereford United Purkiss left Oxford on 24 January 2012 after being released from his contract and subsequently signed for League Two rivals Hereford United. He made 15 appearances for the club before leaving Edgar Street in the summer after Hereford were relegated out of the Football League. Walsall Purkiss signed for League One club Walsall on a one-year contract, on 6 August 2012 after a successful trial; he rejoined his former Hereford boss Richard O'Kelly, who had just been appointed assistant manager at Walsall. He was dropped from the first-team in the first half of 2013–14 in favour of Mal Benning and then James Chambers. He signed a one-year contract extension in May 2014. He missed the start of 2014–15 with an ankle injury, but returned to first-team action with good energy after working hard to maintain his fitness levels. He was named on the Football League team of the week for his performance in a 2–0 win at Doncaster Rovers on 7 February, having denied the home side an equaliser with a goal-line clearance. He made a third losing appearance at Wembley Stadium on 22 March, as Walsall lost 2–0 to Bristol City in the final of the Football League Trophy. Despite Purkiss showing good form during many of his 39 appearances throughout the campaign he was one of four players released by manager Dean Smith in May 2015. "I thought I had probably done my time there. I felt like I went there as an attacking full back and almost was forced to convert into a defender. I feel like I walked off some games towards the back end of the season and people said I was playing well, but I didn't feel like I was contributing. For whatever reason I felt it didn't fit. The irony is they now do attack from full back. I reflect on it and think I did that all the time in my first season. In the second season I didn't play so much because he said he preferred a defensive option. We had a lot of conversations about the role of the full back. I used to think you could get forward every time and Dean was of the opposing view where you looked to really pick and choose." Port Vale Purkiss signed for League One club Port Vale on 24 June 2015 on a two-year contract. Manager Rob Page signed him as a replacement for departing right-back Frédéric Veseli to provide competition to Adam Yates. He began 2015–16 as the club's first choice right-back, combining well with winger Byron Moore, and impressed in the role to the extent that Yates was sent out on loan. Page praised Purkiss for his performances early in the season, and said his sig.... Discover the John Purkiss popular books. Find the top 100 most popular John Purkiss books.