Perseverance pays off for Stockdale

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It has been a long road with plenty of twists and turns for the Brighton keeper.

A common perception of a footballers’ life is that you instantly find yourself into a world full of fancy clothes, nice cars, glamorous partners and plenty of money. In many cases that is far away from the reality. Brighton & Hove Albion goalkeeper David Stockdale is a prime example of a footballer that has done the hard yards.

After starting his career in the youth ranks at Huddersfield, he played in the Conference for York City in the early part of the last decade before brief loan stops at Wakefield-Emley in NPL Premier Division and Worksop Town in the Conference North.

After being released by York City, he enjoyed a better time of things at League Two side Darlington and it was there he started getting noticed by Premier League clubs and in 2008 was signed by Fulham.

Another widely held perception is when you get signed by a Premier League club your career instantly progress on a forward trajectory, but in many cases it is only the start of the hard work. With Mark Schwarzer signing for the Cottagers in the same off-season, it meant Stockdale was set for series of loan moves and in between them he managed some intermittent appearances for the West London club.

After being on their books for six seasons, Stockdale departed Fulham after just under 40 appearances for the club and joined Brighton on a permanent deal.

Now in his third season at the Seagulls, Stockdale has only missed a handful of games since joining the club. Goalkeepers usually reach their peak a few years later than outfield players so despite being 31, he is still seen to be in his prime.

Stockdale currently leads the Championship in clean sheets where he currently has six in 10 league games (he missed one game through a shin injury). If Stockdale keeps up that ratio, he will pass his totals in the previous two seasons where he claimed 12 in 2014/15 and 17 in 2015/16.

Having a strong defence is a proven way of winning promotion to the Premier League and the goalkeeper will play a major part in Brighton keeping their present mantle as the best defence in the Championship. Stockdale may have travelled an unglamorous and at times frustrating career path, but his story is one that proves that perseverance can pay off. It is a credit to him that he is now in charge of his own footballing destiny.