Stephen Wellman (born 31 August 1982 in

Tarxien Tarxien ( mt, Ħal Tarxien) is a town in the South Eastern Region of Malta. Its population stood at 8583 in March 2014. The town is most notable for the Tarxien Temples, a megalithic temple complex which is among the oldest freestanding structur ...

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

) is a Maltese 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 le ...

currently playing for

Żurrieq Żurrieq ( mt, Iż-Żurrieq ) is a town in the Southern Region of Malta. It is one of the oldest towns in the country, and it has a population of 11,823 inhabitants as of March 2014. The first documentation about it being a parish dates back to ...

where he plays as a defender, and also occasionally as a

striker Striker or The Strikers may refer to: People *A participant in a strike action *A participant in a hunger strike *Blacksmith's striker, a type of blacksmith's assistant *Striker's Independent Society, the oldest mystic krewe in America People wi ...

Playing career

Żurrieq

Stephen Wellman began his career playing for his local side

for the 1999–00 season. Stephen's performances where one shining light, in an otherwise disappointing season for

, the club finishing in 10th position in the Maltese Premier League, and were relegated to the

Maltese First Division The Maltese Challenge League (referred to as the BOV Challenge League for sponsorship reasons) is the second-highest division in Maltese football, behind the Maltese Premier League. The First Division was the precursor of the present Premier L ...

, Wellman made 22 appearances and scored six goals. Stephen's second season with

began with the hope of helping the club make a swift return to the Maltese Premier League, however it was again another disastrous finish as the club again recorded a 10th-place finish for the 2000–01 season, and were again relegated, this time to the

Maltese Second Division The Maltese Second Division (also known as the BOV Second Division due to sponsorship reasons) was the third-highest division in Maltese football until 2020 when it was merged with the Maltese Third Division to create the National Amateur Leagu ...

Floriana

Following the demise of

, Wellman joined Maltese Premier League side

Floriana Floriana ( mt, Il-Furjana or ''Il-Floriana''), also known by its title Borgo Vilhena, is a fortified town in the South Eastern Region area of Malta, just outside the capital city Valletta. It has a population of 2,205 as of March 2014. Floriana i ...

for the 2001–02 season. Stephen slotted into the squad almost instantly, and in his debut season, Wellman made 17 appearances and scored one goal, helping the club to record a 5th-place finish in the Maltese Premier League. Stephen went into the 2002–03 season hoping to help

improve on their previous season. however the club suffered a disappointing season and narrowly avoided relegation, finishing in 8th position, Wellman did not have a great deal of impact on the club's fortunes that season as he only made 5 appearances, and failed to score. Stephen made his return to the

first team for the 2003–04 season. He helped the club return to the championship pool, finishing in 6th position in the Maltese Premier League. Wellman made 17 appearances and scored one goal during the season. The 2004–05, proved to be Stephen's last with

. Wellman helped

record another 6th-place finish in the Maltese Premier League, making 19 appearances and scoring five goals.

Marsaxlokk

Stephen Wellman left

, and was sold to fellow Maltese Premier League side

Marsaxlokk Marsaxlokk () is a small, traditional fishing village in the South Eastern Region of Malta. It has a harbour, and is a tourist attraction known for its views, fishermen and history. As at March 2014, the village had a population of 3,534. The ...

for the 2005–06 season. Wellman continued to show some of his best form with his new club, and helped

to a 3rd-place finish in the Maltese Premier League. Stephen made 25 appearances, but failed to score any goals during his debut season. Stephen and

made history during the 2006–07 season, as

won the Maltese Premier League title for the first time in the club's history. Wellman played a big part in winning the title for

, making 18 appearances, but again failing to find the net. Wellman went into the 2007–08 season hoping to help

win more silverware, however the club found themselves victims of their own success, as many of the stars of the previous season left the club for pastures new, the likes of Daniel Bogdanovic,

Justin Haber Justin Haber (born 9 June 1981) is a Maltese professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Maltese side Hibernians and formerly played with the Malta national football team. Playing career Floriana Born in Floriana, Malta, Haber star ...

and Jamie Pace to name a few. This left the club short of talent, Stephen however stuck around and despite the club's loss of players, they still managed to record a very creditable 2nd-place finish in the Maltese Premier League, with Wellman making 21 appearances and even chipping in with two goals. The 2008–09 season proved to be Stephen's last with

. The club had an extremely disappointing start to the season by their own high standards, and only managed to gain a place in the championship pool by beating Msida Saint-Joseph in the final game of the first round. Wellman and

William Camenzuli William Camenzuli (born 11 February 1979 in Gżira, Malta) is a professional footballer currently playing for Maltese Second Division side Zebbug Rangers, where he plays as a defender. Playing career Floriana Camenzuli began his career playing ...

had found themselves frozen out and were serving suspensions, imposed on them for breach of club rules. Stephen left the club in January 2009, he had made 11 appearances, without scoring, and despite the club's extremely disappointing start to the season, they managed to finish the season in 4th position in the Maltese Premier League.

Qormi

On 16 January 2009 Stephen Wellman left

and joined fellow Maltese Premier League side

Qormi Qormi ( mt, Ħal Qormi ; pronounced in the Qormi dialect), also known by its title Città Pinto, is a city in the Southern Region of Malta, southwest of Valletta in the centre of the island. It has a population of 16,324 (as of March 2018), mak ...

for the remainder of the 2008–09 season. Wellman signed a three-year deal with the Yellow-Blacks and made his debut on 18 January 2009 in the Maltese Premier League match against Msida Saint-Joseph. In his first season with

, Wellman helped the club avoid the threat of relegation by finishing in 7th position in the Maltese Premier League. Stephen made 9 appearances, but failed to score during the season. Stephen went into his first full season with the club, the 2009–10 season proved to be a positive one for Wellman. The player featured on a regular basis in the

squad, and went on to make 26 appearances and scored one goal, as the club surprised many by finishing in 3rd position in the Maltese Premier League. Stephen went on to make a total of 35 appearances with

, scoring once. Wellman left the club at the end of the 2009–10 season.

Vittoriosa Stars

Qormi

International career

Malta

Wellman represented

Malta national football team The Malta national football team ( mt, Tim nazzjonali tal-futbol ta' Malta) represents Malta in international football and is controlled by the Malta Football Association, the governing body for football in Malta. The first official game playe ...

, playing 20 games and scoring one goal. This goal came from a free kick, an equaliser in a 1–1 draw against Croata, in a game valid for the 2016 FIFA World Cup qualification. This match was marred with riots from Croatian fans in the Maltese stands.

International goals

Honours

;Marsaxlokk * Maltese Premier League: 2006–07

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wellman, Stephen Living people 1982 births Maltese footballers Malta international footballers Żurrieq F.C. players Floriana F.C. players Marsaxlokk F.C. players Qormi F.C. players Vittoriosa Stars F.C. players Association football defenders