Ibou Touray

Ibou Omar Touray (born 24 December 1994) is a professional footballer who plays as a left back for EFL League Two club Stockport County.[3]

Ibou Touray
Touray with Salford City in the 2022–23 season
Personal information
Full name Ibou Omar Touray[1]
Date of birth (1994-12-24) 24 December 1994
Place of birth Liverpool, England
Height 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in)[2]
Position(s) Left back
Team information
Current team
 Stockport County
Number 3
Youth career
2011–2014 Everton
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2014–2015 Chester 19 (0)
2015–2016 Rhyl 29 (2)
2016–2017 Nantwich Town
2017–2023 Salford City 237 (8)
2023– Stockport County 8 (0)
International career‡
2015– Gambia 19 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 12:40, 24 September 2023 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 10:45, 19 June 2023 (UTC)

Born in England, he represents Gambia internationally, qualifying through his father.[4]

Touray began his career with local team Everton, but left in 2014 having made no appearances for the first team. He spent successive seasons in the lower leagues with Chester, Rhyl, and Nantwich Town, before signing for National League North team Salford City in 2017. He helped them achieve back to back promotions in his first two seasons, first to the National League and then to League Two, the first time Salford had reached the English Football League in their history. He is the longest serving player in the clubs' history, and helped the club win the 2020 EFL Trophy Final. Since 2022, he has been the team captain.

Touray made his international debut for Gambia in 2015, and represented his country at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, their first ever major international tournament, helping Gambia to reach the quarter-finals.

Club career

Everton

Born in Toxteth,[5] Liverpool, Touray started his career at Everton, having joined the club in 2011.[6] He was close of joining Liverpool before joining Everton instead.[7] After progressing through the Everton's youth system, he signed his first professional contract at the club in July 2013.[6][4] Although he was given a number 40 shirt in the 2013–14 season, he was released by the club in May 2014.[8]

Chester

After leaving Everton in the summer, Touray went on a trial at Tranmere Rovers.[9] After the trial was unsuccessful, he joined Chester on 13 September 2014,[10] having caught the eye of manager Steve Burr during a pre-season game between Tranmere and Chester.[7]

After appearing as an unused substitute against Woking, Touray made his Chester debut three days later joining the club, coming on as a first half substitute, in a 2–0 win over Southport.[11][12] Since making his Chester debut, Touray quickly established himself in the starting eleven at the club, playing in the left-midfield position.[7] His performance attracted attention from League One side Oldham Athletic, which he appeared on the substitute bench on two occasions.[13] After returning, he appeared in every match until he was sent-off for a "wild challenge" on Nicky Clee, in a 4–1 loss to Altrincham on 31 December 2014.[14] Although he served a three match suspension,[15] Touray, however, lost his first team place for the rest of the season and was released by the club.[16]

Rhyl

After leaving Chester, Touray moved to Wales when he joined Rhyl.[17][18]

Touray made his Rhyl debut in the opening game of the season, in a 1–1 draw against Bangor City on 21 August 2015, starting the whole game.[19] Since making his Rhyl debut, he established himself in the starting eleven for the side despite missing out one game through suspension.[20] It wasn't until on 9 April 2016 when Touray scored his first goals, in a 5–0 win over Port Talbot Town.[21] Rhyl had not won in 16 matches and faced accusations of match fixing due to suspicious betting patterns.[22] At the end of the season, Touray went on to make a total of 29 appearances and scoring two times in total.

After one season at Rhyl, Touray was released by Rhyl in May 2016.[23][24]

Nantwich Town

After being released by Rhyl,[23] he signed for Nantwich Town.[25] His move came after at a recommendation from the club's manager Dave Cooke.[26]

Touray made his Nantwich Town debut in the opening game of the season, in a 1–1 draw against Ashton United.[27] Throughout the season, Touray established himself in the starting eleven at Nantwich Town as a left-back.[28] He'a also played a role when the club won 5–3 in the penalty shootout to the final of Cheshire Senior Cup against Warrington Town.[29] However, the club went on to lose the final after losing to Crewe Alexandra 3–2.[30]

After making 41 appearances in all competitions, Touray was awarded the club's Young Player of the Year.[31][32]

Salford City
Touray playing for Salford City in 2017.

In May 2017, he signed for Salford City.[33] Touray made his Salford City debut in the opening game of the season, in a 2–0 loss against Darlington.[34] Following an impressive 2020–21 season, Touray was named in the 2020–21 EFL League Two Team of the Season at the league's annual awards ceremony.[35]

On 22 June 2021, Touray signed a new two-year contract; Touray and manager Gary Bowyer both cited a connection with Salford's supporters as being key to the new deal.[36] On 14 January 2023, he made his 250th Salford appearance in a 2–0 league win against Sutton United.[37] Along with teammate Elliot Watt, Touray was named in the EFL League Two Team of the Season for the 2022–23 season.[38]

Stockport County

In June 2023 it was announced that he would sign for Stockport County on 1 July 2023.[3][39]

International career

He made his international debut for Gambia in 2015.[17] Touray is eligible for Gambia through his father, who moved to England aged 16,[40][41] and is one of several of the Gambian diaspora called up who helped the country's results improve.[42] In a 2021 interview, Touray said that his proudest moment in international football was when Gambia drew 1–1 with Algeria, who at the time were unbeaten in over two years.[41]

Touray played in the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, his national team's first continental tournament, where they made the quarter-final.[43][44] He described representing the country at the tournament, as well as visiting the residency of Adama Barrow, the President of the Gambia, as "surreal".[40] He missed the knockout stage match against Guinea through illness,[45]

Career statistics
As of match played 20 May 2023
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National Cup League Cup Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Chester 2014–15[46] Football Conference 19010—2[lower-alpha 1]0220
Rhyl 2015–16[46] Welsh Premier League 29200——292
Nantwich Town 2016–17 Northern Premier League Premier Division No data
Salford City 2017–18[46] National League North 39000—00390
2018–19[46][47] National League 45330—4[lower-alpha 2]0523
2019–20[48] League Two 35421104[lower-alpha 3]0425
2020–21[49] League Two 46110202[lower-alpha 3][lower-alpha 4]0511
2021–22[51] League Two 27020102[lower-alpha 3]1321
2022–23[52] League Two 45020108[lower-alpha 5]0560
Total 23781015020127210
Career total 285101115022132312
  1. Appearance(s) in the FA Trophy.
  2. Two appearances in the FA Trophy and two appearances in the National League play-offs.
  3. Appearance(s) in the EFL Trophy.
  4. Includes appearance in the 2019–20 EFL Trophy final which was postponed until 13 March 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[50]
  5. Six appearances in the EFL Trophy, two appearances in the play-offs

Honours

Salford City

Individual

References
  1. "Notification of shirt numbers: Salford City" (PDF). English Football League. p. 62. Retrieved 26 October 2019.
  2. "Ibou Touray". Premier League. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
  3. "Touray becomes first signing of the Summer". Stockport County. 17 June 2023.
  4. "Gambia: Citizen Spotted At EPL Side Everton FC". All Africa. 5 August 2012. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
  5. "Keane on key quality Everton require in Salford cup tie". Everton FC. 15 September 2020. Retrieved 3 November 2021. Toxteth-born former Everton Academy player Ibou Touray
  6. "Touray Signs Pro Deal". Everton F.C. 31 July 2013. Archived from the original on 6 December 2017. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
  7. Green, Jim (1 October 2014). "Ibou Touray loving life with the Blues". Chester Chronicle. Retrieved 11 July 2016.
  8. "Squad Numbers Announced". Everton F.C. 15 July 2013. Archived from the original on 6 December 2017. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
    "Premier League clubs submit retained and released lists". Premier League. 23 May 2014. Archived from the original on 4 May 2015.
  9. "Rowe stars for Rovers as they hold championship side Bolton at Prenton Park". Liverpool Echo. 25 July 2014. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
  10. "Ibou Touray: Ex-Everton defender signs Chester contract". BBC Sport. 13 September 2014. Retrieved 11 July 2016.
  11. "Match report: Woking 1 Chester FC 0". Chester Chronicle. 13 September 2014. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
  12. "Chester FC 2–0 Southport FC match report". Liverpool Echo. 16 September 2014. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
  13. "Blues unlucky not to share spoils, says Burr". Chester Chronicle. 2 November 2014. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
  14. "Altrincham 4 Chester FC 1: Match report". Chester Chronicle. 31 December 2014. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
  15. "Chester FC v Kidderminster Harriers: Match preview". Chester Chronicle. 23 January 2015. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
  16. "Chester FC end-of-term survey 2014–15: Results". Chester Chronicle. 14 May 2015. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
  17. "Ibou Touray". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 11 July 2016.
  18. "Gambia's Ibou Touray signs for Welsh side Rhyl FC". Nagambia News. 24 August 2015. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
  19. "Rhyl FC 1 Bangor City 1: Rival bosses both take positives from stalemate". Daily Post. 23 August 2015. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
  20. "Rhyl manager Gareth Owen expects a determined Aberystwyth at Belle Vue". Daily Post. 5 November 2015. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
  21. "Welsh Premier League round-up". Daily Post. 9 April 2016. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
  22. "FAW investigates 'suspicious betting' on Welsh Premier League match". BBC Sport. 13 April 2016. Retrieved 13 November 2020.
  23. @rhylfc (15 May 2016). "IBOU TOURAY has been released #thankyou&goodluck" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  24. "New Welsh Premier League season: Dave Jones' team by team guide". Daily Post. 11 August 2016. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
  25. "Nantwich Town sign Ibou Touray". Nantwich Town F.C. 19 May 2016. Archived from the original on 6 December 2017. Retrieved 6 November 2016.
  26. "ANNOUNCEMENT: New Management Team unveiled". Nantwich Town F.C. 10 May 2017. Archived from the original on 6 December 2017. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
  27. "Match Report: Ashton United 1–1 Nantwich Town". Nantwich Town F.C. 17 August 2016. Archived from the original on 6 December 2017. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
  28. "Match Report: Kidsgrove Athletic 0–4 Nantwich Town". Nantwich Town F.C. 6 August 2016. Archived from the original on 6 December 2017. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
  29. "Match Report: Nantwich Town 0–0 Warrington Town(5–3 on Pens)". Nantwich Town F.C. 14 March 2017. Archived from the original on 6 December 2017. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
  30. "Match Report: Crewe Alexandra 3–2 Nantwich Town". Nantwich Town F.C. 5 April 2016. Archived from the original on 6 December 2017. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
  31. "Gambia: Ibou Touray Awarded By Nantwich". All Africa. 9 May 2017. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
  32. "Touray gets club's young player of the year award". The Standard. 9 May 2017. Retrieved 11 November 2020.
  33. "Touray Agrees Salford City Deal". Salford City F.C. 17 May 2017. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
  34. "Opening day defeat for Salford City". Salford City F.C. 5 August 2015. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
  35. "Football Manager EFL Team of the Season line-ups announced". EFL.com. 24 April 2022. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  36. Atherton, Charlotte (8 May 2021). ""The fans have been great to me" – Ibou Touray commits his future to Salford City". EFL Official Website. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
  37. "🗣 "I'm very proud of it" - Ibou Touray's 250th appearance". Salford City F.C. 15 January 2023. Retrieved 17 January 2023.
  38. Warner, Harry (24 April 2023). "Two Salford City players named in the League Two Team of the Season". Salford Now. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
  39. "Stockport to sign Salford skipper Touray" – via www.bbc.co.uk.
  40. Frostick, Nancy (20 January 2022). "Ebou Adams and Ibou Touray: The League Two players powering The Gambia's surprise challenge at AFCON". The Athletic. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
  41. Quick, Harry (21 October 2021). "Interview: Ibou Touray on International Duty". Salford City F.C. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
  42. Al-Smith, Gary (28 January 2022). "Saintfiet's 'hop hop' Gambia Don't Want the Ball, They Just Want to Win". The Analyst. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
  43. https://www.cafonline.com/total-africa -cup-of-nations/matches/2021/2243295/lineups
  44. "The Gambia name squad for first Nations Cup finals". BBC Sport. 21 December 2021. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
  45. Quao, Nathan (24 January 2022). "AFCON 2021: Gambia beat Guinea to make historic quarter final appearance". CitiSports. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
  46. Ibou Touray at Soccerway. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
  47. "Games played by Ibou Touray in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
  48. "Games played by Ibou Touray in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
  49. "Games played by Ibou Touray in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
  50. "EFL statement: Leasing.com Trophy Final". www.efl.com.
  51. "Games played by Ibou Touray in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
  52. "Games played by Ibou Touray in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
  53. Rindl, Josef (11 May 2019). "AFC Fylde 0–3 Salford City". BBC Sport. Retrieved 11 May 2019.
  54. "Salford City: Club co-owned by former Man Utd players promoted to National League". BBC Sport. 21 April 2018. Retrieved 6 September 2020.
  55. Williams, Adam (13 March 2021). "Portsmouth 0–0 Salford City". BBC Sport. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
  56. "EFL Team of the Season line-ups revealed". English Football League. 23 April 2023. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  57. "Erling Haaland: Manchester City forward wins PFA men's Player of the Year award". BBC Sport. 29 August 2023. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
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