Sylvan Augustus Ebanks-Blake (born 29 March 1986) 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 le ...
who played as a
striker.
He played youth team football for
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 N ...
and
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 ...
before making his professional debut in 2004. A spell on loan with
Royal Antwerp
Royal Antwerp Football Club, often referred to as Royal Antwerp or simply Antwerp, is a Belgian football club based in the city of Antwerp. Founded around 1880 as ''Antwerp Cricket Club'' by English students residing in Antwerp, 15 years before ...
followed before Ebanks-Blake was transferred to
Plymouth Argyle
Plymouth Argyle Football Club is a professional football club based in the city of Plymouth, Devon, England. As of the 2021–22 season, the team are competing in League One, the third tier of English football. They have played at Home Park, ...
in 2006. During his two seasons with Argyle, he scored 21 goals in 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 ...
and then joined Wolverhampton Wanderers for £1.5 million, where he won the
Championship top scorer award in consecutive seasons to help the club gain promotion to the
Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...
.
Ebanks-Blake represented
England at under-21 level, but was also eligible to play for
Jamaica
Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...
at senior international level through his parents.
Career
Early career
Born in
Cambridge
Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...
,
Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire (abbreviated Cambs.) is a Counties of England, county in the East of England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the north-east, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and North ...
,
Ebanks-Blake attended the
Netherhall School
The Netherhall School and The Oakes College is a mixed secondary school and sixth form located in the Queen Edith ward of Cambridge, England. Its logo is a modified version of the arms of the City of Cambridge. It is one of the largest schools ...
and his first clubs were Cherry Hinton Lions and Fulbourn Falcons in the Cambridge area. At the age of 15, having been on schoolboy terms with
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 N ...
, he attended a two-week trial with
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 ...
at their
training centre. He was offered a contract at the end of the trial and turned down a scholarship with Cambridge to join
Manchester United's Academy. He played his first match at senior level for the club on 26 October 2004 against
Crewe Alexandra
Crewe Alexandra Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Crewe, Cheshire, that competes in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. Nicknamed 'The Railwaymen' because of ...
in 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 ...
. One year later, he scored his first senior level goal for the club against
Barnet
Barnet may refer to:
People
*Barnet (surname)
* Barnet (given name)
Places United Kingdom
*Chipping Barnet or High Barnet, commonly known as Barnet, one of three focal towns of the borough below.
*East Barnet, a district of the borough below; an ...
in another League Cup tie.
Towards the end of the 2004–05 season, he fractured his leg and was ruled out for the remainder of the season. He recovered and scored a
hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three.
Origin
The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three wic ...
on his return for the Manchester United reserves. However, he was never called on for a first team league game again, although he was an unused substitute in several
Champions League games. In January 2006, he moved on loan to
Royal Antwerp
Royal Antwerp Football Club, often referred to as Royal Antwerp or simply Antwerp, is a Belgian football club based in the city of Antwerp. Founded around 1880 as ''Antwerp Cricket Club'' by English students residing in Antwerp, 15 years before ...
in Belgium to gain first team experience.
Plymouth Argyle
Ebanks-Blake returned to England in the summer and signed a three-year deal with
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 ...
club
Plymouth Argyle
Plymouth Argyle Football Club is a professional football club based in the city of Plymouth, Devon, England. As of the 2021–22 season, the team are competing in League One, the third tier of English football. They have played at Home Park, ...
on 14 July 2006. The fee paid to Manchester United was an initial £200,000, potentially rising to over £300,000 due to clauses. Ebanks-Blake was new 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 signing and became a first team regular.
The striker notched up 10 goals in his first season at Argyle, many of which came at the end of the season. He cemented his status as a fan favourite and top prospect with 11 league goals by New Year in the 2007–08 season, despite starting the season on the substitutes bench.
Wolverhampton Wanderers
![Sylvan Ebanks-Blake (2014)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/29/Sylvan_Ebanks-Blake_%282014%29.jpg)
His form attracted the attention from fellow
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 ...
side
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club (), commonly known as Wolves, is a professional football club based in Wolverhampton, England, which compete in the . The club has played at Molineux Stadium since moving from Dudley Road in 1889. The club's ...
, who activated a buy-out clause in his contract for £1.5 million, and he signed for them on 11 January 2008, on a four-and-a-half-year contract. He scored his first league goal for Wolves on 19 January 2008, against
Scunthorpe United
Scunthorpe United Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire, England. The side currently competes in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. The tea ...
, and a run of seven goals in his first eight games won him the Championship Player of the Month Award for March 2008. The season ended with him winning the Championship Golden Boot for the 2007–08 season, scoring a total of 23 goals, 12 for Wolves and 11 for
Plymouth Argyle
Plymouth Argyle Football Club is a professional football club based in the city of Plymouth, Devon, England. As of the 2021–22 season, the team are competing in League One, the third tier of English football. They have played at Home Park, ...
.
Ebanks-Blake started the 2008–09 season in excellent form, scoring nine goals in the opening 13 league games, form which also earned him a cap for the
England under-21 side, when he came on as a substitute against
Czech Republic U21s on 18 November 2008. At the
2009 Football League Awards he was named Championship Player of the Year, and also received the Goal of the Year Award for his solo effort at
Charlton Athletic
Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, south-east London, which compete in . Their home ground is The Valley, where the club have played since 1919. They have also played at The Mount in C ...
in March 2008.
During the season he scored his first
hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three.
Origin
The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three wic ...
of his professional career, 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 ...
on 3 February 2009 at
Molineux, to once again reach the 20-goal mark. Having recovered from a calf injury, his final goal of the campaign came against
Queens Park Rangers
Queens Park Rangers Football Club, commonly abbreviated to QPR, is a professional football club based in Shepherd's Bush, West London, England, which compete in the . After a nomadic early existence, they have played home matches at Loftus Ro ...
on 18 April 2009, which gave the team the 1–0 win that secured promotion to the
Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...
. The striker finished this Championship-winning season with a tally of 25 goals, enough to retain the Championship Golden Boot for a second consecutive season. Wolves rewarded him with a new four-year deal in July 2009, which saw him stay at Molineux until the summer of 2013.
Ebanks-Blake struggled to repeat his goalscoring form at Premier League level. After struggling with injuries in early stages of the season, he returned but only managed to score one goal, from the penalty spot (against
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 ...
in October 2009). He was then dropped from the side as manager
Mick McCarthy
Michael Joseph McCarthy (born 7 February 1959) is a professional football manager, pundit, and former player. He was last in charge of EFL Championship club Cardiff City.
McCarthy began his playing career at Barnsley in 1977, and he later had ...
preferred to play the 4–5–1 formation, with
Kevin Doyle
Kevin Edward Doyle (born 18 September 1983) is an Irish former professional footballer who played as a forward.
He played for Wexford F.C. (formerly Wexford Youths), St Patrick's Athletic, and Cork City in his homeland before he moved to Engl ...
playing the lone striker role. Later on in the season, Ebanks-Blake scored his second and final league goal in the campaign, heading in against
Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is a professional football club, based in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, which competes in the , the second tier of the English football league system. They have played home matches at Ewood Park since 1890. T ...
on 24 April 2009 to secure a 1–1 draw that effectively guaranteed Wolves their Premier League survival.
He had a brighter start to the 2010–11 Premier League season, scoring four league goals before Christmas: against
Everton,
Newcastle United
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, that plays in the Premier League – the top flight of English football. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End ...
, former club
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 ...
and
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 ...
. Although he was less favoured for a starting berth than
Kevin Doyle
Kevin Edward Doyle (born 18 September 1983) is an Irish former professional footballer who played as a forward.
He played for Wexford F.C. (formerly Wexford Youths), St Patrick's Athletic, and Cork City in his homeland before he moved to Engl ...
or new signing
Steven Fletcher, he ended the season with seven goals from 28 appearances as the club narrowly avoided relegation on the final day.
In August 2011, he suffered knee ligament damage that put him out of action for six weeks, but when he returned, he was unable to match his goalscoring tally of the previous season as the team struggled against relegation. He scored only one Premier League goal during the campaign (against Norwich) as the club returned to 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 ...
under the temporary management of
Terry Connor
Terence Fitzroy Connor (born 9 November 1962) is an English former professional football player turned coach who is assistant manager at Blackpool.
He was born in Leeds and was a pupil at Foxwood School, Seacroft, Leeds. As a player, Connor ...
.
The 2012–13 season saw Ebanks-Blake return to his goalscoring form and net 14 league goals, before a broken fibula and sprained ankle suffered against
Birmingham City
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional football club based in Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943. Since 2011, the first te ...
on 1 April 2013 ruled him out for the remainder of the season, as well as potentially the start of the following. He was released by the club at the end of the 2012–13 season, which saw Wolves relegated to League One.
Ipswich Town
Ebanks-Blake signed for
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 19 December 2013 a move which reunited him with his former manager Mick McCarthy.
He was assigned the number 27 shirt having signed a contract until end of
2013–14 season.
He made his debut for the club in the FA Cup third round tie against
Preston North End
Preston North End Football Club, commonly referred to as Preston, North End or PNE, is a professional football club in Preston, Lancashire, England, who currently play in the EFL Championship, the second tier of the English football league syste ...
on 4 January 2014, but was substituted off injured after 29 minutes.
Preston North End
After a trial period with
Brentford
Brentford is a suburban town in West London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It lies at the confluence of the River Brent and the Thames, west of Charing Cross.
Its economy has diverse company headquarters buildings whi ...
in October 2014, Ebanks-Blake went on trial with a number of other Football League clubs before ending up at Preston North End in December 2014. He was signed by Preston on a short-term contract on 1 January 2015, keeping him at the club until the end of the
2014–15 season.
He was released in May 2015 following Preston's promotion to the Championship, making 13 appearances in all competitions, his only goal for the club came in the form of a 76th-minute equaliser against Yeovil Town.
Chesterfield
On 6 June 2015, Ebanks-Blake signed for
Chesterfield
Chesterfield may refer to:
Places Canada
* Rural Municipality of Chesterfield No. 261, Saskatchewan
* Chesterfield Inlet, Nunavut United Kingdom
* Chesterfield, Derbyshire, a market town in England
** Chesterfield (UK Parliament constitue ...
after his release from Preston North End. Ebanks-Blake was released at the end of the
2016–17 season.
Shrewsbury Town (loan)
Ebanks-Blake joined
Shrewsbury Town
Shrewsbury Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third tier of English football. The club plays its home games at the New Meadow, having mo ...
on a half-season loan on 31 August 2016. Making just seven first-team appearances without scoring during his loan period, which also saw a change in management at the club, new manager
Paul Hurst
Paul Michael Hurst (born 25 September 1974) is an English football manager and former player who is the manager of club Grimsby Town.
As a player, he was a defender from 1993 to 2008, notably playing his entire career at Rotherham United, ba ...
opted not to extend this arrangement when it came to an end in January 2017.
A.F.C. Telford United
In October 2017, it was reported that as a free-agent, Ebanks-Blake was training with
National League North
The National League North, formerly Conference North, is a division of the National League in England, immediately below the National League division. Along with the National League South, it is at the second level of the National League Sy ...
side
A.F.C. Telford United
AFC Telford United is a football club based in Telford, Shropshire, England. The club was formed in 2004 after the original Telford United, founded in 1872, folded due to financial problems. Currently members of the National League North, the ...
. He joined the club the following month, making his debut on 25 November in a 4–2
FA Trophy
The Football Association Challenge Trophy, commonly known as the FA Trophy, is a men's football knockout cup competition run by and named after the English Football Association and competed for primarily by semi-professional teams. The compet ...
victory over
Droylsden
Droylsden is a town in Tameside, Greater Manchester, England, east of Manchester city centre and west of Ashton-under-Lyne, with a population at the 2011 Census of 22,689.
Within the boundaries of the historic county of Lancashire, in the ...
, scoring two goals.
Ebanks-Blake left Telford on 6 February 2018, as manager
Rob Edwards wanted to balance the budget.
Halesowen Town
Ebanks-Blake joined
Halesowen Town
Halesowen Town Football Club is a football club based in Halesowen, West Midlands, England. They are currently members of the and play at the Grove Recreation Ground.
History
The club was believed to have been established around 1873, but rece ...
on 26 July 2018 to play alongside former
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 ...
striker
Lee Hughes
Lee Hughes (born 22 May 1976) is an English professional footballer who plays as a striker for club Stourport Swifts.
A strong striker with excellent finishing abilities, Hughes represented the England semi-professional team once in 1996. ...
. After a change in management at Halesowen he signed for league rivals
Barwell
Barwell is a civil parish and large village in Leicestershire, England, with a population of 8,750 residents, Increasing to 9,022 at the 2011 census, the name literally translates as "Stream of the Boar" and is said to originate from a boar that ...
in October 2018.
Walsall Wood
In December 2018, Ebanks-Blake joined
Midland League
The Midland Football League is an English football league that was founded in 2014 by the merger of the former Midland Alliance and Midland Combination. The league has four divisions that sit at levels 9–12 of the football pyramid.
History
Th ...
side
Walsall Wood
Walsall Wood is a suburb split between both Brownhills and Aldridge in the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall, West Midlands, England.
History
In the late-18th century and early-19th century, the workers of Walsall Wood were primarily involved in t ...
. He scored two goals in five games in the
2018–19 Midland League Premier Division, prior to suffering a serious injury having broken his leg for the third time in his career.
Personal life
In 2008 Ebanks-Blake was charged with causing
actual bodily harm
Assault occasioning actual bodily harm (often abbreviated to Assault OABH, AOABH or simply ABH) is a statutory offence of aggravated assault in England and Wales, Northern Ireland, the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Hong Kong and th ...
to a doorman in an incident at a
Plymouth
Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west.
Plymouth ...
nightclub on 11 November 2007 while a
Plymouth Argyle
Plymouth Argyle Football Club is a professional football club based in the city of Plymouth, Devon, England. As of the 2021–22 season, the team are competing in League One, the third tier of English football. They have played at Home Park, ...
player. He was subsequently fined £1,350 with £650 costs and £500 compensation by Plymouth Crown Court on 4 July 2008, after admitting to having attacked the doorman with his girlfriend's handbag causing a three-inch cut to his head. In March 2013 he was arrested and questioned by police in Birmingham on suspicion of witness intimidation but released without charge.
Career statistics
Honours
Wolverhampton Wanderers
*
Football League Championship
The English Football League Championship (often referred to as the Championship for short or the Sky Bet Championship for sponsorship purposes) is the highest division of the English Football League (EFL) and second-highest overall in the En ...
:
2008–09
Individual
*
Denzil Haroun Reserve Team Player of the Year:
2004–05
*
Football League Championship Player of the Month: March 2008
*
Football League Championship Golden Boot:
2007–08,
2008–09
*
PFA Team of the Year
The Professional Footballers' Association Team of the Year (often called the PFA Team of the Year, or simply the Team of the Year) is an annual award given to a set of 55 footballers across the top four tiers of men's English football; the Premie ...
:
2008–09 Championship
*
Football League Championship
The English Football League Championship (often referred to as the Championship for short or the Sky Bet Championship for sponsorship purposes) is the highest division of the English Football League (EFL) and second-highest overall in the En ...
Player of the Year:
2008–09
*
Football League
The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...
Goal of the Year:
2008–09
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ebanks-Blake, Sylvan
1986 births
Living people
Sportspeople from Cambridge
English footballers
England under-21 international footballers
Black British sportspeople
Association football forwards
Manchester United F.C. players
Royal Antwerp F.C. players
Plymouth Argyle F.C. players
Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. players
Ipswich Town F.C. players
Preston North End F.C. players
Chesterfield F.C. players
Shrewsbury Town F.C. players
AFC Telford United players
Halesowen Town F.C. players
Barwell F.C. players
Walsall Wood F.C. players
Premier League players
English Football League players
National League (English football) players
Southern Football League players
Midland Football League players
English sportspeople of Jamaican descent
English expatriate footballers
Expatriate footballers in Belgium
English expatriate sportspeople in Belgium
People educated at Netherhall School