Izale McLeod
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Izale Michael McLeod (born 15 October 1984) is a retired English 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 forward. He has played in
The Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional association football, football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in Association football around the wor ...
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 ...
,
Milton Keynes Dons Milton Keynes Dons Football Club (), usually abbreviated to MK Dons, is a professional association football club based in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England. The team competes in , the third tier of the English football league system. The ...
,
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 ...
, Barnet,
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 ...
,
Crawley Town Crawley Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Crawley, West Sussex, England. The club was founded as Crawley Football Club in 1896, changed its name to Crawley Town Football Club in 1958. The team com ...
,
Notts County Notts County Football Club is a professional association football club based in Nottingham, England. The team participate in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. Founded on the 25 November 1862, it is the ...
and
Yeovil Town Yeovil Town may refer to: * Yeovil Town F.C., an English football team based in Yeovil, Somerset * Yeovil Town L.F.C. Bridgwater United Women's Football Club are an English women's association football club based in Bridgwater, Somerset who wer ...
. He also played for
England U21 The England national under-21 football team, also known as England under-21s or England U21(s), is considered to be the feeder team for the England national football team. This team is for England players aged under 21 at the start of the calen ...
. McLeod is the all-time leading scorer for Milton Keynes Dons with 71 goals in 188 appearances.


Club career


Derby County

Born in
Perry Barr Perry Barr is a suburban area in north Birmingham, England. It is also the name of a council constituency, managed by its own district committee. Birmingham Perry Barr is also a parliamentary constituency; its Member of Parliament is Khali ...
,
Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1. ...
, McLeod began his career at
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 2002. He made his debut on 28 September 2002, at the age of seventeen, just three weeks before his eighteenth birthday, in a 1–0 win over
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 ...
during which he received a yellow card. Weeks later on 30 October 2002, he scored his first goal in a 2–1 win over
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 ...
and scored against the other Sheffield team, Sheffield Wednesday, the following week in a 3–1 win. After getting his chance in the first team, McLeod signed a two-year deal. However the following season, McLeod suffered a knee cartilage injury in training, and was out for 6 weeks following surgery, losing his first team place as a result. In the transfer window, McLeod was linked with a move to Russian and Ukrainian clubs, like Shinnik Yaroslavl. McLeod was close to joining Shinnik Yaroslavl and Metalurh Donetsk, with the moves reportedly around the £300,000 mark. However, McLeod eventually rejected the moves and stayed at Derby County, to fight for his place in the first team. But he spent time on
loan In finance, a loan is the lending of money by one or more individuals, organizations, or other entities to other individuals, organizations, etc. The recipient (i.e., the borrower) incurs a debt and is usually liable to pay interest on that ...
at First Division club Sheffield United, making seven appearances. During his career at Derby, McLeod scored four goals in 41 appearances.


Milton Keynes Dons

At the beginning of the 2004–05 season he joined newly relegated
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 ...
club
Milton Keynes Dons Milton Keynes Dons Football Club (), usually abbreviated to MK Dons, is a professional association football club based in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England. The team competes in , the third tier of the English football league system. The ...
for a reported fee of £150,000. In the opening game of the season, he scored in his MK Dons debut in a 1–1 draw against Barnsley. On 25 September 2004, he received a red card for the first time of his career and also scored a brace in a 4–2 win over
Hartlepool United Hartlepool United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Hartlepool, County Durham, England. The team competes in EFL League Two, League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. They were founded i ...
. At the end of the season, he had scored 18 goals in a total of 48 appearances in an excellent start at MK Dons. At the start of his second season at MK Dons, he signed a two-year deal. In early March 2007, the Football League declared him
League Two The English Football League Two (often referred to as League Two for short or Sky Bet League Two for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League Two from 2004 until 2016) is the third and lowest division of the English Football Lea ...
player of the year and he finished that season as League Two's joint top scorer despite missing several games due to injuries and suspensions. McLeod was named in the PFA Team of the Year for League Two for the 2006–07 season. At the end of the season, McLeod was linked with clubs in Championship, having handed in a transfer request.


Charlton Athletic

McLeod joined Charlton for a fee of £1.1 million, which could rise to £1.55 million, on a four-year contract on 9 August 2007. He scored just one goal in 18 appearances for the Addicks before he joined
Colchester United Colchester United Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Colchester, Essex, England. The team competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1937, the club spent its earl ...
on loan on 29 February 2008 for one month. It was later revealed that Charlton had turned down approaches from League One clubs
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 ...
and
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 ...
. However, his loan spell was cut short after he suffered a knee injury in the game against Plymouth Argyle on 4 March 2008, ruling him out for the remainder of the 2007–08 season. His time at Charlton had not gone as planned and he couldn't reproduce his form at MK Dons.


Millwall

McLeod joined
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 ...
on loan during the January transfer window in 2009 in an attempt to overcome the injury problems which had plagued his Charlton career, scoring two goals in five appearances. However, after falling out with manager
Kenny Jackett Kenneth Francis Jackett (born 5 January 1962) is a former professional football player and manager, who is currently Director of Football at club Gillingham. A skilful left-footed player, able to play in defence or midfield, Jackett was cappe ...
, McLeod returned to Charlton.


Peterborough United

On 9 January 2010, McLeod joined
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
Peterborough United Peterborough United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, England. The team compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Peterborough have a long-standing ...
on loan until the end of the season. McLeod made his Peterborough debut in a 2–1 loss 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 ...
on 23 January 2010. After making three more appearances, he fell out of favour with manager Mark Cooper, due to a discipline issue. Even worse, McLeod suffered a meniscus problem, ruling him out for six to eight weeks. As a result of his injury, he returned to Charlton.


Barnet

McLeod left Charlton Athletic after his contract was cancelled in July 2010. After unsuccessful trials over the summer of 2010 with Brentford and
Southend United Southend United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England. As of the 2022–23 season, the team competes in the National League, the fifth tier of English football. Southend are known as ...
, McLeod signed a one-year contract with Barnet on 29 September 2010. His penalty against
Port Vale Port Vale Football Club are a professional football club based in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, England, which compete in . Vale are the only English Football League club not to be named after a place; their name being a reference to the valley o ...
on the final day of the
2010–11 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. ...
season saved the club from relegation out of the Football League. On 18 May 2011, he signed for another year at Barnet. McLeod had a great start to the 2011–12 League Two season. He scored both goals as Barnet twice came from behind to draw 2–2 at home with then league leaders Gillingham. He then went on to score a penalty in an away 2–2 at
Rotherham United Rotherham United Football Club, nicknamed The Millers, is a professional football club based in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . The club's colours were initially yellow and black, but changed to red and white around 1 ...
. His good league form continued, as he scored two more goals in Barnet's 4–2 away defeat to
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. ...
. He scored another penalty in Barnet's 3–1 win at Colchester United 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 Le ...
First Round. He was subsequently sent off during the same game for two bookable offences. McLeod returned to the first team after a one match ban and marked his return with a goal in a 3–1 defeat at Crewe Alexandra. He then scored another goal in Barnet's 2–0 home victory over struggling. McLeod netted in six straight league games for Barnet, scoring seven goals in the process. Due to his goalscoring form, McLeod was linked with clubs like
Crawley Town Crawley Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Crawley, West Sussex, England. The club was founded as Crawley Football Club in 1896, changed its name to Crawley Town Football Club in 1958. The team com ...
in the transfer windows during the season. But McLeod rejected the transfer speculation, insisting he wanted to concentrate on his career at Barnet. In April, McLeod was named in the PFA Team of the Year for League Two for the 2011–12 season. On 21 May 2012, he was out of contract and was subsequently released. After his release from Barnet, McLeod explained that he left the club for a new challenge with a team that could gain promotion rather than helping to avoid relegation.


Portsmouth

In July, McLeod went on trial at League One relegated club
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 ...
, having previously stated he is on the verge of joining a new club but the move was never finalised. After playing in series of friendlies, on 16 August 2012, McLeod agreed to join Portsmouth on a short-term deal. He scored on his league debut in a 1–1 draw against Bournemouth. His second goal came in a 3–0 away win against Crawley Town on 9 September. While at Portsmouth, McLeod's performance was praised by
Guy Whittingham Guy Whittingham (born 10 November 1964) is an English football manager and former professional footballer. As a player, he was a striker from 1988 until 2005, notably in the Premier League for Aston Villa and Sheffield Wednesday. Having start ...
, due to his work rate. McLeod scored 11 goals in 27 games before leaving the club by mutual consent at the end of December 2012. This is explained when caretaker manager Whittingham left him out of the squad, citing tactical reason in a 2–1 loss against Crawley Town, which could have been his last appearance. During Portsmouth's first half in the league, McLeod was the club's top scorer.


Milton Keynes Dons (second spell)

On 3 January 2013 McLeod signed for Milton Keynes Dons on a free transfer on an 18-month contract, having been linked a move back to his former club after his release. Mcleod described his return to MK Dons as a dream come true. He scored his first goal upon his return against Doncaster Rovers in a 3–0 win. On 28 November 2013, McLeod joined
Northampton Town Northampton Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Northampton, England. The team plays in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1897, the club competed in the Midland ...
until 4 January 2014 but it was cut short due to an injury suffered in a 1–0 defeat in the hands of Burton Albion on Boxing Day 2013.


Later career

Following his release from MK Dons, on 25 June 2014, McLeod signed a two-year deal with Crawley Town on a free transfer. On 22 August 2015, McLeod joined
Notts County Notts County Football Club is a professional association football club based in Nottingham, England. The team participate in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. Founded on the 25 November 1862, it is the ...
for an undisclosed six-figure sum on a two-year contract. On 25 August 2016, McLeod left Notts County by mutual consent having scored 10 goals in 41 appearances for the club. Following the mutual termination of his contract at Notts County, McLeod joined fellow League Two club
Yeovil Town Yeovil Town may refer to: * Yeovil Town F.C., an English football team based in Yeovil, Somerset * Yeovil Town L.F.C. Bridgwater United Women's Football Club are an English women's association football club based in Bridgwater, Somerset who wer ...
until the end of the season. He scored his first goal for Yeovil in an EFL Trophy tie against Portsmouth on 30 August 2016. On 10 November 2016, after making only six appearances for Yeovil, McLeod left the club after his contract was terminated by mutual consent due to personal reasons. On 24 November 2016, McLeod joined Northern Premier League club
Corby Town Corby Town Football Club is a football club based in Corby, Northamptonshire, England. They are currently members of the and play at Steel Park. History The club was established in 1948, taking over from Stewarts & Lloyds as the main team ...
. On 6 January 2017, McLeod joined
Wrexham Wrexham ( ; cy, Wrecsam; ) is a city and the administrative centre of Wrexham County Borough in Wales. It is located between the Welsh mountains and the lower Dee Valley, near the border with Cheshire in England. Historically in the count ...
. He was released by the club at the end of the 2016–17 season. On 4 July 2017, McLeod announced his retirement from professional football whilst also taking up a new role as a Business Sales Executive with his former club Milton Keynes Dons. At the time of taking up his new position, McLeod was still the club's all-time leading goalscorer. McLeod came out of retirement in November 2018 to sign for Southern League club Kempston Rovers. He retired again in January 2020 due to a recurring injury.


International career

In February 2006, he was selected for the
England national under-21 football team The England national under-21 football team, also known as England under-21s or England U21(s), is considered to be the feeder team for the England national football team. This team is for England players aged under 21 at the start of the calen ...
squad. He played one game for the under-21s, as a 73rd minute substitute versus Norway's U21 team, on 28 February 2006, at the
Madejski Stadium The Madejski Stadium (currently known as the Select Car Leasing Stadium for sponsorship reasons) is a Association football, football stadium in Reading, Berkshire, Reading. It is the home of Reading F.C., Reading Football Club, who play in the E ...
,
Reading, Berkshire Reading ( ) is a town and borough in Berkshire, Southeast England, southeast England. Located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the rivers River Thames, Thames and River Kennet, Kennet, the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 mot ...
. England won the game 3–1.


Career statistics


Honours

*
Milton Keynes Dons Milton Keynes Dons Football Club (), usually abbreviated to MK Dons, is a professional association football club based in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England. The team competes in , the third tier of the English football league system. The ...
Player of the Year: 2005–06 *
Football League Two The English Football League Two (often referred to as League Two for short or Sky Bet League Two for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League Two from 2004 until 2016) is the third and lowest division of the English Football Lea ...
Player of the Year: 2006–07 * PFA Team of the Year: 2006–07 League Two, 2011–12 League Two * Football League One Player of the Month: February 2015


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:McLeod, Izale 1984 births Living people Footballers from Birmingham, West Midlands English footballers England under-21 international footballers Association football forwards Derby County F.C. players Sheffield United F.C. players Milton Keynes Dons F.C. players Milton Keynes Dons F.C. non-playing staff Charlton Athletic F.C. players Colchester United F.C. players Millwall F.C. players Peterborough United F.C. players Barnet F.C. players Portsmouth F.C. players Northampton Town F.C. players Crawley Town F.C. players Notts County F.C. players Yeovil Town F.C. players Corby Town F.C. players Wrexham A.F.C. players Kempston Rovers F.C. players English Football League players National League (English football) players Northern Premier League players Southern Football League players Black British sportspeople