Andy Woodward
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Andrew Woodward | ||
| Date of birth | 23 September 1973 | ||
| Place of birth | Stockport, England | ||
| Playing position | Defender | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1992–1994 | Crewe Alexandra | 20 | (0) |
| 1994–1999 | Bury | 115 | (1) |
| 1999–2000 | Sheffield United | 3 | (0) |
| 2000–2001 | → Scunthorpe United (loan) | 12 | (0) |
| 2001–2002 | Halifax Town | 30 | (1) |
| Northwich Victoria | |||
| Total | 180 | (2) | |
|
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. | |||
Andrew Woodward (born 23 September 1973 in Stockport, England) is an English former professional footballer who played in the English Football League for Crewe Alexandra, Bury, Sheffield United, Scunthorpe United (two loan spells) and Halifax Town.[1] Later a serving police officer, in 2016 he revealed he had been a victim of child sexual abuse.
Football career
Woodward signed his first professional contract with Crewe in July 1992, and made his first team debut in April 1994, coming on as a substitute in a Third Division match at Walsall. He made his first professional start on 17 August 1993, playing in a League Cup tie against Wrexham at Gresty Road.[2]
He joined Bury in March 1997 and played for the Lancashire club 134 times in three years. He scored his first league goal on 26 December 1998 against his former club, Crewe, in a 3-1 defeat at Gresty Road.[3] He was then signed by Sheffield United in March 2000. He played only four games for the Blades, and had two loan spells at Scunthorpe, before joining Halifax Town in the summer of 2001.[1] When Halifax went into administration in the summer of 2002, Woodward was sacked, and subsequently joined Northwich Victoria.[4]
Police career
Andrew Woodward joined the Lancashire police force after retiring from football, eventually leaving the force in November 2016. He was dismissed for gross misconduct following an inappropriate relationship with a family member of a victim.[5]
Victim of sex abuse
Later in November 2016, it was reported that Woodward had been a victim of repeated child sexual abuse by Barry Bennell (later convicted as a paedophile) while a trainee at Crewe Alexandra in the 1980s.[5][6][7][8]
References
- 1 2 "Andy Woodward - Football Stats - No Club - Age 43 - 1992-2003 - Soccer Base".
- ↑ Crisp, Marco (1998). Crewe Alexandra Match by Match. Tony Brown. p. 125. ISBN 1 899468 81 1.
- ↑ "Games played by Andy Woodward in 1998/1999". Soccerbase. Retrieved 19 November 2016.
- ↑ Harling, Nicholas (30 August 2002). "Accused Woodward talks peace with angry Halifax". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
- 1 2 Taylor, Daniel (16 November 2016). "Andy Woodward: 'It was the softer, weaker boys he targeted'". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 November 2016.
- ↑ Taylor, Daniel; James, Stuart (17 November 2016). "Associate of Barry Bennell also preyed on boys, two former footballers reveal". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 November 2016.
- ↑ "Former footballer Andy Woodward tells of sexual abuse". BBC News. 17 November 2016. Retrieved 19 November 2016.
- ↑ Taylor, Daniel (19 November 2016). "Andy Woodward showed great courage – but is his story just the tip of the iceberg?". The Observer. Retrieved 19 November 2016.