Delroy Facey

Born in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England, Facey began his career at Huddersfield Town, joined as an apprentice in April 1996 and turning professional in May 1997.[1] He went on to become a first team regular, playing over fifty league games and getting fifteen goals. Facey broke into the first team during the 1998–99 season after beginning his career as a trainee with his hometown club. He made most of his appearances from the bench for the first team until Lou Macari handed him his chance in December 2000. He earned an extended run in the side and scored 10 goals in 21 full starts and one as a substitute to finish the 2000–01 campaign as joint top-scorer alongside Kevin Gallen. Facey went on to make an extra 15 league appearances for Huddersfield in the 2001–02 season, before leaving the club to join Premier League side Bolton Wanderers.

On 19 June 2002, Facey agreed a two-year contract to join Bolton Wanderers.[2] As Facey was under the age of 24, then, under the Bosman ruling, Huddersfield were entitled to compensation for him; a tribunal held on 15 August 2002 decided that Bolton Wanderers should pay an initial £100,000 for Facey plus £50,000 for every five games, up to a maximum of 25 games, that he played for the club with the club also receiving a sell on clause of 15% of any fee that Bolton could receive for him.[3]

After playing him in ten matches in the Premier League for Bolton (scoring twice), Allardyce decided that the young centre-forward was not yet ready for first team football and so sent him out on loan to Bradford City (where he scored on his debut against Wimbledon)[4] and then Burnley during the 2002–03 season. Whilst on loan at these two clubs he exhibited his strength and speed, grabbing six goals and managing to score a hat-trick in a 3–1 home win for Burnley against Walsall.[5]

This was not enough to convince Bolton to play Facey regularly, and so he moved to West Bromwich Albion in January 2004. Again he made only a limited impact, with only two league starts, and was released at the end of his short-term contract.[6]

He then signed a twelve-month contract with Hull City.[7]

On 26 February 2005 he joined Huddersfield Town on a one-month loan deal.[8] After a short and unspectacular spell at the Galpharm Stadium he left the club.

On 24 March 2005 he joined Oldham Athletic, signing an 18-month deal with the club.[9]

On 31 August 2005 he moved to Tranmere Rovers, agreeing a deal until the end of the 2005–06 season.[10] In his first season at Prenton Park, Facey secured a first team slot and managed to find the scoresheet fairly regularly, scoring eight league goals.

Following his release from Prenton Park at the end of the 2005–06 season, Facey signed for League One club Rotherham United.[11] He added considerable force to his new club's attack, scoring eleven goals in 36 league appearances. He hit an excellent run of form in March 2007, scoring four goals in three matches.

On 20 June 2007, chairman Paul Scally confirmed that Facey had signed for Gillingham.[12] On 27 March 2008, Facey signed on loan for Wycombe Wanderers until the end of the season.[13] He scored against former club Bradford in the last game of the season to help them qualify for the play-offs,[14] where his goal against Stockport County in the semi-final was not enough to put them through to the final.[15] He was transfer listed by Gillingham on 5 June 2008.[16] Two months later his contract was terminated by mutual consent.[17] Later the same day he left the club.

Facey signed for Notts County of Football League Two.[18] He made his debut for County against Bradford City, a club where he played on loan, in their 2–1 defeat on the opening day of the 2008–09 season.[19]

In November 2009, Facey signed a loan deal with Lincoln City, scoring his first and only goal for the club against Chesterfield.[20] The loan lasted until 2 January 2010.

In March 2010, a group of Notts County fans attempted to make the 19 March "Delroy Facey Day". However, as no request was formally submitted to Nottingham City Council or Parliament, the day has no legal standing, and cannot be declared and was not formally recognised.[21] In 2010, he was part of the Notts County team that won the Football League Two title.

On 10 May 2010 it was announced that he had been released by Notts County along with 7 other players.[22]

In July 2010 he signed a deal with Lincoln City.[23] In March, he dislocated his shoulder, an injury which kept him out for the rest of the season.[24] This injury hit Lincoln especially hard as Facey was at the time club captain and been an inspiration to the team. He had been made captain on 15 January for a match against his former club Wycombe. Lincoln lost that match, after which they were bottom of the League Two table. Facey kept the captaincy though and Lincoln went on to win eight of their next fifteen matches, leading Lincoln up to fourteenth in the table. After dislocating his shoulder in the dying minutes of a draw against Macclesfield, however, and subsequently missing the rest of the season, Lincoln's form dropped severely, earning only one point from their remaining ten fixtures, seeing them relegated on the last day of the season.

In May 2011 he was not offered a new contract after a mass clear out of players following the club's relegation from the Football League.[25]

Facey signed a one-year deal with Hereford United on 17 June 2011. After Hereford's relegation, Facey was not offered a new contract.

During the 2013–14 season Facey joined Non-league side Albion Sports.[26]