Jonathan Geoffrey Hallworth (born 26 October 1965) is an English former professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...

who played as a

goalkeeper In many team sports which involve scoring goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or intercepting o ...

Club career

Hallworth began his career as a trainee at

Ipswich Town Ipswich Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Ipswich, Suffolk, England. They play in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. The club was founded in 1878 but did not turn profession ...

before signing a professional contract. During his time at the club he spent time on loan at

Swindon Town Swindon Town Football Club is a professional football club based in Swindon, Wiltshire, England. The team currently competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. The club has played home matches at the County Ground sin ...

Bristol Rovers Bristol Rovers Football Club are a professional football club in Bristol, England. They compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. They play home matches at the Memorial Stadium in Horfield, they have been ...

, where he made his professional debut, and Fulham before returning to become first choice goalkeeper until he was displaced by

Craig Forrest Craig Lorne Forrest (born 20 September 1967) is a Canadian former professional soccer player and sports commentator. As a player, he was a goalkeeper from 1985 until 2002, playing his entire career in England. He made Premier League appearance ...

. In 1989, he joined

Oldham Athletic Oldham Athletic Association Football Club is a professional football club in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. The history of Oldham Athletic be ...

in a deal worth £75,000. He went on to spend the majority of his career at Oldham and was the club's first choice goalkeeper for most of his eight years there. He helped them reach the

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...

semi-finals and the Football League Cup final in his first season, promotion to the First Division after a 68-year exile in 1991 as

Second Division In sport, the Second Division, also called Division 2 or Division II is usually the second highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Following the rise of Premier League style compet ...

champions, and to another FA Cup semi-final in 1994. In both FA Cup semi-finals, the Latics held Manchester United to a draw before losing in a replay. He also helped the Latics survive three years in the top flight ( FA Premier League from 1992) before relegation in 1994. He left the club in 1997 to sign for Cardiff City on a free transfer. He was first choice goalkeeper for three years before being replaced by Neil Alexander. One of his most notable games at Cardiff occurred in December 1999 away at

Cambridge United Cambridge United Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Cambridge, England. They compete in EFL League one , the 3rd tier of the English football league system. The club is based at the Abbey Stadium on Ne ...

; Cardiff had picked up three red cards and were reduced to eight men. Cambridge were awarded a late penalty but Hallworth saved from Martin Butler to help his side secure an unlikely 0–0 draw. He left Cardiff in 2001 and went on to play for fellow Welsh clubs Newport County and

Bangor City Bangor City Football Club ( cy, Clwb Pêl-droed Dinas Bangor) are an inactive Welsh football club from the City of Bangor, Gwynedd. They started the 2021–22 season in the Cymru North the second level of the Welsh football league system, but ...

. At the end of his career, Hallworth part owned the Liverpool based Gentlemens Club "Rude" with friend and former full time football manager Stewart Holt.

Honours

Individual * PFA Team of the Year: 1998–99 Third Division

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hallworth, Jon 1965 births Living people English men's footballers Men's association football goalkeepers English Football League players Ipswich Town F.C. players Swindon Town F.C. players Bristol Rovers F.C. players Fulham F.C. players Oldham Athletic A.F.C. players Cardiff City F.C. players Newport County A.F.C. players Bangor City F.C. players Premier League players Footballers from Stockport