Stephen Michael Bywater (born 7 June 1981) 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 ...
.
He has made appearances for thirteen clubs, most notably for
Derby County
Derby County Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Derby, Derbyshire, England. In 2022, it was announced that DCFC was acquired by Clowes Developments (UK) Ltd, a Derbyshire-based property group.
Founded in 188 ...
, where he made over 150 appearances and won the
2007 Championship play-off Final and for
West Ham United
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club that plays its home matches in Stratford, East London. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The club plays at the London Stadium, hav ...
, where he spent eight seasons, made over 60 appearances and won the
2005 Championship play-off Final. He is also a former
England Under-21 international. Bywater has worn the number 43 shirt in memory of his mentor and coach,
Les Sealey
Leslie Jesse Sealey (29 September 1957 – 19 August 2001) was an English professional footballer and coach.
He played as a goalkeeper, most notably in the top flight for Coventry City, Manchester United, Aston Villa, and West Ham United. ...
, who died aged 43 in 2001.
Club career
West Ham United
Born in
Oldham
Oldham is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, amid the Pennines and between the rivers Irk and Medlock, southeast of Rochdale and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, wh ...
, Greater Manchester, Bywater attended
the Blue Coat School, Oldham as a boy starting his career in August 1997 with
Rochdale
Rochdale ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, at the foothills of the South Pennines in the dale on the River Roch, northwest of Oldham and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough ...
. His only first team appearance was against
Carlisle United in a
Football League Trophy
The English Football League Trophy, known for sponsorship purposes as the Papa Johns Trophy after restaurant chain Papa John's Pizza, is an annual English association football knockout competition open to all clubs in EFL League One and EFL Leag ...
game which Rochdale lost 6–1. He was brought to West Ham as a 16-year-old by
Harry Redknapp
Henry James Redknapp (born 2 March 1947) is an English former football manager and player. He has previously managed AFC Bournemouth, West Ham United, Portsmouth, Southampton, Tottenham Hotspur, Queens Park Rangers and Birmingham City. In his ...
in February 1998 for £250,000, rising to £1.75 million depending on performances and achievements. He graduated through the youth set-up and featured in West Ham's 1999
FA Youth Cup
The Football Association Youth Challenge Cup is an English football competition run by The Football Association for under-18 sides. Only those players between the age of 15 and 18 on 31 August of the current season are eligible to take part. It ...
winning team along with
Joe Cole
Joseph John Cole (born 8 November 1981) is an English football coach and former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder or winger in the Premier League, Ligue 1, League One and United Soccer League. He is regarded as on ...
and
Michael Carrick
Michael Carrick (born 28 July 1981) is an English professional football manager and former player who is currently head coach of Middlesbrough. He is one of the most decorated English footballers of all time and is best known for his 12-year p ...
.
He spent the next two seasons learning from former
Manchester United
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...
,
Luton Town
Luton Town Football Club () is a professional association football club based in the town of Luton, Bedfordshire, England, that competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1885, it is nicknam ...
,
Aston Villa
Aston Villa Football Club is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club competes in the , the top tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1874, they have played at their home ground, Villa Park ...
and
Coventry City
Coventry City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Coventry, West Midlands, England. The team currently compete in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. The club is nicknamed t ...
goalkeeper
Les Sealey
Leslie Jesse Sealey (29 September 1957 – 19 August 2001) was an English professional footballer and coach.
He played as a goalkeeper, most notably in the top flight for Coventry City, Manchester United, Aston Villa, and West Ham United. ...
and sitting in the pecking order behind
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 ...
,
Bernard Lama
Bernard Pascal Maurice Lama (born 7 April 1963) is a French football coach and former professional player who played as a goalkeeper. He spent a large part of his career at Paris Saint-Germain. He was also a member of the France national team ...
and
Shaka Hislop
Neil Shaka Hislop CM (born 22 February 1969) is a retired footballer who played as a goalkeeper. Born in England, he played for them at under-21 level before representing Trinidad and Tobago at senior international level.
The majority of his ...
. With first team opportunities limited, Bywater joined
Wycombe Wanderers
Wycombe Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. The team compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. They play their ho ...
on loan in September 1999, making two appearances, and then went to
Hull City
Hull City Association Football Club is a professional football club based in Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England, that compete in the . They have played home games at the MKM Stadium since moving from Boothferry Park in 2002. The club's t ...
on loan in November 1999, making four appearances.
A broken leg for
Shaka Hislop
Neil Shaka Hislop CM (born 22 February 1969) is a retired footballer who played as a goalkeeper. Born in England, he played for them at under-21 level before representing Trinidad and Tobago at senior international level.
The majority of his ...
meant a debut for Bywater at the age of 19 against
Bradford City
Bradford City Association Football Club is an English professional football club in Bradford, West Yorkshire. The team competes in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system and are currently managed by Mark Hughes.
Th ...
in February 2000, in a game that saw Bradford score four times but which West Ham eventually won 5–4. Bywater also appeared in the final three games of the
1999–00 season, against
Arsenal
An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
,
Sunderland
Sunderland () is a port city in Tyne and Wear, England. It is the City of Sunderland's administrative centre and in the Historic counties of England, historic county of County of Durham, Durham. The city is from Newcastle-upon-Tyne and is on t ...
and
Leeds United
Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire in England. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of England's football league system, and plays its home matches at Elland Road ...
and made a single appearance in the
following season against Bradford in February 2001.
Wolves
The wolf (''Canis lupus''; plural, : wolves), also known as the gray wolf or grey wolf, is a large Canis, canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of Canis lupus, subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been reco ...
signed Bywater on loan in July 2001 to ease a goalkeeping crisis but he returned to West Ham the following month having not made an appearance for Wolves other than on the bench in the opening game of the season against
Portsmouth
Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council.
Portsmouth is the most dens ...
. His chances to move up the pecking order were limited with the club signing
David James in July 2001 and the retention of Shaka Hislop as James was injured on international duty in August 2001, and he did not make a single appearance for West Ham in the
2001–02 season nor in the
2002–03 season.
He joined
Cardiff City on a one-month loan at the end of March 2002 but made no appearance there.
Eventually, after the club was relegated in 2002–03 and David James moved to
Manchester City
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The tw ...
in January 2004, Bywater became a regular starter in the first-team, making 23 appearances as West Ham reached the
First Division play-off final, where they were beaten 1–0 by
Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace may refer to:
Places Canada
* Crystal Palace Complex (Dieppe), a former amusement park now a shopping complex in Dieppe, New Brunswick
* Crystal Palace Barracks, London, Ontario
* Crystal Palace (Montreal), an exhibition building ...
.
He signed a three-year contract extension in June 2004, saying "I am very pleased to have signed on for another three years at West Ham. We were very unlucky last year and I am sure that we will start next season with a squad capable of challenging for promotion again. The club have invested a lot in my career and the manager showed great faith in me last season. I am determined to repay everyone at the club by helping the team back into the Premiership."
He soon had to share the role of the club's primary keeper with
Jimmy Walker
James John Walker (June 19, 1881November 18, 1946), known colloquially as Beau James, was mayor of New York City from 1926 to 1932. A flamboyant politician, he was a liberal Democrat and part of the powerful Tammany Hall machine. He was forced t ...
who was brought in from
Walsall
Walsall (, or ; locally ) is a market town and administrative centre in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands County, England. Historic counties of England, Historically part of Staffordshire, it is located north-west of Birmingham, east ...
in June 2004 to provide competition for Bywater. Bywater made 39 league and cup appearances in the
2004–05 season for West Ham as the club were promoted to the
Premiership,
and appeared in the play-off final at the
Millennium Stadium
The Millennium Stadium ( cy, Stadiwm y Mileniwm), known since 2016 as the Principality Stadium ( cy, Stadiwm Principality) for sponsorship reasons, is the national stadium of Wales. Located in Cardiff, it is the home of the Wales national rug ...
in May 2005, coming on as a late substitute for the injured Jimmy Walker in the 1–0 victory over
Preston North End.
The signing of
Roy Carroll
Roy Eric Carroll (born 30 September 1977) is a Northern Irish former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He is best known for his spells at Wigan Athletic, Manchester United (where he won a Premier League winners medal and the 20 ...
in June 2005 and the re-signing of
Shaka Hislop
Neil Shaka Hislop CM (born 22 February 1969) is a retired footballer who played as a goalkeeper. Born in England, he played for them at under-21 level before representing Trinidad and Tobago at senior international level.
The majority of his ...
on a one-year contract in July 2005 once again limited Bywater's first-team opportunities and he joined
Coventry City
Coventry City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Coventry, West Midlands, England. The team currently compete in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. The club is nicknamed t ...
in August 2005, on loan until the end of the year, where he made 14 appearances.
An injury to Carroll however led to Bywater being recalled from Coventry in October 2005. He made a single appearance for West Ham in the remainder of the 2005–06 season, against
West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion Football Club () is an English professional football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. The club was formed in 1878 and has pla ...
in November 2005.
Derby County
Bywater joined
Derby County
Derby County Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Derby, Derbyshire, England. In 2022, it was announced that DCFC was acquired by Clowes Developments (UK) Ltd, a Derbyshire-based property group.
Founded in 188 ...
in August 2006 on an initial emergency loan deal for two weeks and signed a permanent three-year deal two weeks later for a fee of £225,000.
Before the
2006–07 season, he wore the number 43 shirt at Derby as a tribute to his mentor and former goalkeeping coach
Les Sealey
Leslie Jesse Sealey (29 September 1957 – 19 August 2001) was an English professional footballer and coach.
He played as a goalkeeper, most notably in the top flight for Coventry City, Manchester United, Aston Villa, and West Ham United. ...
, who died at the age of 43 in 2001, saying, "Les looked after me most of the time. He took me to training every day, coached me and advised me on life. I know he is watching over me and that he wants me to do well, so that was for him." Bywater made 43 league and cup appearances in the 2006–07 season
as Derby reached the Championship play-off final, where they beat
West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion Football Club () is an English professional football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. The club was formed in 1878 and has pla ...
1–0 to secure a place in the Premier League.
In June 2007, Bywater reiterated his desire to play for
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
and his hopes to be noticed in the
2007–08 season, saying "I grew up with a few of the lads like Paul Robinson,
Rob Green and Chris Kirkland and they are good but I don't think they are anything special. I do believe if I play well and have a good season, I will be up there in contention. I am confident but not cocky." After a first half of the season that saw Derby County rooted to the foot of the Premier League, Bywater joined
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 ...
on loan in January 2008 for the rest of the season.
Jim Magilton
James Magilton (born 6 May 1969) is a Northern Irish football manager and former professional player.
As a player, he was a midfielder who notably played in the Premier League for Southampton, Sheffield Wednesday and Ipswich Town. He started hi ...
, manager of Ipswich Town, described him as, "...a young, ambitious keeper who knows what is needed to win promotion from this division."
He made his debut for Ipswich Town against
Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1867 as an offshoot of ...
in February 2008 and made 17 appearances in the remainder of the 2007–08 season as Ipswich finished below the play-off places. Following Derby's relegation at the end of the 2007/08 season, Bywater almost returned to the Premier League with a move to
Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as Tottenham () or Spurs, is a professional association football, football club based in Tottenham, London, England. It competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English footba ...
. However, when the deal fell through, Bywater remained with ''The Rams'' and, after initially playing as second fiddle to
Roy Carroll
Roy Eric Carroll (born 30 September 1977) is a Northern Irish former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He is best known for his spells at Wigan Athletic, Manchester United (where he won a Premier League winners medal and the 20 ...
for the start of the 2008–09 season, Bywater regained and retained his place in the team after Carroll was sent off against
Norwich City
Norwich City Football Club (also known as The Canaries or The Yellows) is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. The club competes in the EFL Championship following their relegation from the Premier League in the 20 ...
. His form was good enough that he held the number 1 position for the rest of the season and he signed a new
3-year contract with Derby on 13 January 2009. He made his 100th appearance for the club away to
Blackpool
Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the North West England, northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the Borough of Blackpool, borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, betw ...
on 8 August 2009, keeping a clean sheet. In December 2009, after keeping two successive clean sheets, manager
Nigel Clough
Nigel Howard Clough (born 19 March 1966) is an English professional football manager and former player who is currently the manager of Mansfield Town. Playing predominantly as a forward, but later in his career used as a midfielder, Clough was ...
praised Bywater's performances in the two games: "Stephen has been exemplary. He is fully fit and approaching the peak of his career. He has a good temperament, which is probably a factor of his age. He works hard in training and, like all goalkeepers, he is a bit daft." An injury sustained away to
Reading
Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of Letter (alphabet), letters, symbols, etc., especially by Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch.
For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process invo ...
in March 2010 saw Bywater ruled out for two games which brought to an end a run of 71 consecutive league appearances in the Derby goal. He returned and put in Championship Team of the Week performance as Derby drew 0–0 at Sheffield Wednesday. After Derby secured survival with a 1–1 draw with
Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace may refer to:
Places Canada
* Crystal Palace Complex (Dieppe), a former amusement park now a shopping complex in Dieppe, New Brunswick
* Crystal Palace Barracks, London, Ontario
* Crystal Palace (Montreal), an exhibition building ...
, Bywater sat out the last two games of the season to rest a sprained rib joint.
He returned to the first team in the 2010–11 season and made his 150th appearance for the club in a 2–0 defeat at Hull City. Bywater played every minute of Derby's opening 11 games of the season, keeping two clean sheets, before a wrist injury sustained in training during the October international break ruled him out for a month.
He returned to the first team in November 2011, which coincided with a dreadful run of form which saw Derby drop from 4th to 18th in 3 months. Bywater then sustained an injury in a 1–0 defeat to Hull City on 22 February 2011, ruling him out for several weeks.
On 4 March 2011, Bywater joined
Cardiff City on loan until the end of the season.
He made his debut the following day in a 2–0 loss to Ipswich Town. Following
Cardiff
Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...
's playoff semi final defeat to
Reading
Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of Letter (alphabet), letters, symbols, etc., especially by Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch.
For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process invo ...
, in which a Bywater error cost Cardiff an important goal, Bywater returned to Derby. His future at ''The Rams'' was cast into serious doubt when he was not given a squad number ahead of the 2011–12 season and this was confirmed when Derby's goalkeeping coach
Martin Taylor revealed "He's not in the squad at all. Nothing against Stephen because he's worked really hard but he doesn't figure in our plans. At his age he just needs to play games and get in the shop window."
On 31 December 2011, Bywaters's contract was terminated by mutual consent.
Sheffield Wednesday
On 20 September 2011, Bywater joined Sheffield Wednesday on loan for 3 months due to an injury picked up by first choice 'keeper
Nicky Weaver.
Bywater's loan spell proved to be very successful, with Wednesday losing just 1 of his 12 games and keeping six clean sheets, moving boss
Gary Megson
Gary John Megson (born 2 May 1959) is an English former football player and manager.
He has previously managed Norwich City, Blackpool, Stockport County, Stoke City, West Bromwich Albion, Nottingham Forest, Leicester City, Bolton Wanderers ...
to state his intention to make Bywater's move permanent,
with Derby manager Nigel Clough confirming talks with Wednesday over a potential transfer.
On 30 December 2011, it was reported that Bywater was to join Wednesday on a permanent transfer when the January transfer window opened. On 31 December 2011, Bywater signed for Wednesday on a permanent transfer, with a contract until the end of the 2011–2012 season, the move went ahead on 1 January 2012. After this permanent move, he was initially second choice behind
Nicky Weaver before taking over as first choice in a 3–1 win against
Scunthorpe United on 24 January 2012. Bywater played in all the remaining games of the season, keeping 14 clean sheets in 34 appearances.
Wednesday secured promotion to the Championship by coming runners up in League One, narrowly finishing ahead of local rivals
Sheffield United
Sheffield United Football Club is a professional football club in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . They are nicknamed "the Blades" due to Sheffield's history of cutlery production. The team have played home games at ...
.
Bywater then entered contract talks with the club, with a new one-year contract signed on 27 June 2012,
upon signing this new contract Bywater praised manager
David Jones and called Wednesday "the biggest club out of the
Premiership and that is a fact".
Bywater's goalkeeping competition for
2012–13 season consisted of
Arron Jameson
Arron Thomas Jameson (born 7 November 1989) is an English semi-professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Northern Premier League Premier Division club Matlock Town.
Jameson started his career at Sheffield Wednesday and had loan spel ...
,
Chris Kirkland
Christopher Edmund Kirkland (born 2 May 1981) is an English football coach and former professional goalkeeper who is now the head goalkeeping coach at Colne. As a player, he made 321 league and cup appearances in an 18-year professional career ...
and
Nicky Weaver.
Millwall
In June 2013 Bywater signed a two-year contract with
Millwall
Millwall is a district on the western and southern side of the Isle of Dogs, in east London, England, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It lies to the immediate south of Canary Wharf and Limehouse, north of Greenwich and Deptford, eas ...
, becoming manager,
Steve Lomas' first signing for the club.
He made his Millwall debut on 6 August 2013 in the first round of the
League Cup
In several sports, most prominently association football, a league cup or secondary cup generally signifies a cup competition for which entry is restricted only to teams in a particular league. The first national association football tournament t ...
in a 2–1 home win against
AFC Wimbledon
AFC Wimbledon is an English professional Association football, football club, based in London Borough of Merton, Merton, London, that plays in the EFL League Two, after being relegated from the EFL League One following the 2021–22 EFL Leagu ...
. Bywater played in Millwall's next three league games, against Ipswich Town,
Huddersfield Town
Huddersfield Town Association Football Club is a professional football club based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . The team have played home games at the Kirklees Stadium since moving from Leeds Road in 1994. Th ...
and Sheffield Wednesday and a 2–1 defeat by
Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an association football club based in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England. Nottingham Forest was founded in 1865 and have been playing their home games at the City Ground, on the banks of the River Tren ...
in the second round of the League Cup. Regular goalkeeper,
David Forde resumed in the goalkeeper position for Millwall until January 2014. On 18 January 2014 Bywater replaced Forde at half-time in a 1–0 home win against Ipswich Town, a match which saw new Millwall manager,
Ian Holloway
Ian Scott Holloway (born 12 March 1963) is an English professional football manager, former player, media personality and television pundit who was most recently the manager of Grimsby Town.
A midfielder, he notably played in the Premier League ...
's first win a manager of the club.
On 15 August 2014, he joined
Gillingham on loan until 3 January as cover for the injured
Stuart Nelson
Stuart James Nelson (born 17 September 1981) is an English professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Dover Athletic.
Career
Born in Stroud, Gloucestershire, Nelson started his career at Cheltenham youth club FC Battledown. He als ...
.
Bywater was released by Millwall on 14 January 2015 when his contract with them was cancelled. He had not appeared for Millwall since February 2014.
Doncaster Rovers
In January 2015 Bywater signed a six-month contract with League One side
Doncaster Rovers
Doncaster Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. The team compete in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. The club play their home games at ...
. He made his first appearance for Doncaster against
Barnsley
Barnsley () is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. As the main settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley and the fourth largest settlement in South Yorkshire. In Barnsley, the population was 96,888 while the wider Borough has ...
on 17 January in a 1–0 win. He was released by the club at the end of the 2014–15 season.
Kerala Blasters
In August 2015 Bywater signed with
Indian Super League
The Indian Super League (ISL) is an Indian professional league for men's association football clubs. At the top of the Indian football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Organised by the All India Football Federat ...
side
Kerala Blasters
Kerala Blasters Football Club (), commonly referred to as The Blasters, is an Indian professional football club based in Kochi, Kerala, that competes in the Indian Super League, the top tier of football in India. The club was established i ...
.
Burton Albion
Bywater joined
Burton Albion
Burton Albion Football Club is a professional association football club in the town of Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, England. The team compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. The club moved its home groun ...
on 13 January 2016, as backup to
Jon McLaughlin. In summer 2017, the Brewers decided to release McLaughlin and Bywater was installed as first choice, playing 44 league games in 2017–18, however Burton were relegated from the
Championship
In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion.
Championship systems
Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship.
Title match system
In this system ...
at the end of the season. Following relegation, Bywater returned to backup status behind loan keeper
Bradley Collins
Bradley Ray Collins (born 18 February 1997) is an English professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for EFL Championship club Coventry City.
Career Chelsea
Born in Southampton, Collins joined Chelsea in 2010 at under-12 level, and signe ...
, and then another loan keeper,
Kieran O'Hara
Kieran Michael O'Hara (born 22 April 1996) is a professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Colchester United. Born in England, he represents the Republic of Ireland national team at international level.
Club career Urmston Town
Bor ...
, in the 2019–20 season. Following the signing of
Ben Garratt in October 2019, Bywater dropped to third choice, and stopped taking a salary and attending training while remaining available in an emergency. He was released at the end of the season and then announced his retirement.
International career
Bywater made his
England U19 debut during 1999 and rotated in the role with both
Paul Robinson and
Chris Kirkland
Christopher Edmund Kirkland (born 2 May 1981) is an English football coach and former professional goalkeeper who is now the head goalkeeping coach at Colne. As a player, he made 321 league and cup appearances in an 18-year professional career ...
. He later progressed to the
U21 team with the same group of players though by that time both Kirkland and Robinson had become established league players. Injuries had limited his opportunities with both a broken finger and later on a fractured wrist holding up his development and limiting his opportunities. He made six appearances for the U21 team.
Bywater was tipped to be called up for the England squad after Derby's promotion to the Premier League in 2006–07, but he wasn't picked.
Honours
West Ham United
*
FA Youth Cup
The Football Association Youth Challenge Cup is an English football competition run by The Football Association for under-18 sides. Only those players between the age of 15 and 18 on 31 August of the current season are eligible to take part. It ...
: 1998–99
*
Football League First Division play-offs runners-up:
2004
*Football League Championship play-offs:
2005
File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...
Derby County
*Football League Championship play-offs:
2007
Sheffield Wednesday
*
League One
The English Football League One (often referred to as League One for short or Sky Bet League One for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League One from 2004 until 2016) is the second-highest division of the English Football Leag ...
: runners-up:
2011–12
Career statistics
:A. The "Other" column constitutes appearances and goals (including those as a substitute) in the
Football League Trophy
The English Football League Trophy, known for sponsorship purposes as the Papa Johns Trophy after restaurant chain Papa John's Pizza, is an annual English association football knockout competition open to all clubs in EFL League One and EFL Leag ...
and the
play-offs
The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...
.
Personal life
Bywater has reiterated on several occasions his intention to move into
mixed martial arts
Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, inc ...
and
cage fighting
Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorp ...
when his playing career ends, saying "I have told my agent that one day I am going to take it up! He laughs at me – but I'm serious."
He has also been involved in several controversies. In an October 2007 interview with
Clare Tomlinson on
Sky Sports
Sky Sports is a group of British subscription sports channels operated by the satellite pay television company Sky Group (a division of Comcast), and is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It ...
' ''
Goals on Sunday
''Goals on Sunday'' is a British football discussion television programme on Sky Sports that shows highlights and analysis of the Premier League, Scottish Premiership and Football League Championship matches. Shown every Sunday and Bank Hol ...
'' programme he spelt out the word "
cunt
''Cunt'' () is a vulgar word for the vulva or vagina. It is used in a variety of ways, including as a term of disparagement. Reflecting national variations, ''cunt'' can be used as a disparaging and obscene term for a woman in the United Stat ...
" whilst live on air as part of an anecdote.
In September 2010, Bywater stirred more controversy with regards to a provocative art installation in his garden in
Sutton on the Hill, Derbyshire. The installation – a horse box with mattresses and a sex doll strapped to it with graffiti sprayed on the side – brought complaints from neighbours, who described the piece as "very ugly" and an "eyesore". Bywater, who claimed that art was his latest hobby and the installation was his "masterpiece", issued a statement via Derby County stating "I would like to apologise to any supporters and local residents in Derbyshire who have been offended. It was and is still my view that my actions were made as a private citizen and in no way linked to Derby County Football Club. However, now it has been brought into the public domain, I acknowledge that this does not reflect well on me as a professional or the Club in general. I apologise again if my actions have in anyway damaged my reputation or the reputation of the Club." He eventually auctioned the piece, announcing the
eBay
eBay Inc. ( ) is an American multinational e-commerce company based in San Jose, California, that facilitates consumer-to-consumer and business-to-consumer sales through its website. eBay was founded by Pierre Omidyar in 1995 and became a ...
sale via his Twitter page, saying all the proceeds would be donated to the Teen Pride charity.
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Bywater, Stephen
1981 births
Living people
Footballers from Oldham
People from South Derbyshire District
Footballers from Derbyshire
English footballers
England youth international footballers
England under-21 international footballers
Association football goalkeepers
Rochdale A.F.C. players
West Ham United F.C. players
Wycombe Wanderers F.C. players
Hull City A.F.C. players
Ipswich Town F.C. players
Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. players
Cardiff City F.C. players
Coventry City F.C. players
Derby County F.C. players
Sheffield Wednesday F.C. players
Millwall F.C. players
Gillingham F.C. players
Doncaster Rovers F.C. players
Burton Albion F.C. players
Premier League players
English Football League players