Adam Boyd

Adam Boyd
NameAdam Mark Boyd
Date of Birth25th May 1982
Birthplace Hartlepool
Nationality (main) English
Debut02/11/1999 v Barnet (H), 3-0, League
Last Match31/08/2010 v Northampton (H), 4-0, FL Trophy
Games 141 + 79 = 220 (29th)
Goals 71 (9th)

Profile

Adam Boyd became an hit with Hartlepool fans less than 20 minutes into his league career. On as a late substitute against Shrewsbury Town in February 2000, he showed a young player`s enthusiasm in chasing a seemingly lost cause to the line 20 yards left of the goal. As Shrews keeper Paul Edwards tried to shepherd the ball out of play, Boyd slid in to dispossess him and then, in one movement, curled the ball from the goalline into the unguarded net.

Over the course of the next few seasons, Boyd`s appearances for the first team were infrequent. He found the net on a regular basis when given the opportunity, but often found himself left out of the side in favour of more established strikers. Successive Pools managers seemed unable to get the best out of Boyd on a consistent basis. In 2003/04 he seemed to be on his way out of the club when Neale Cooper allowed him to join third division Boston United for a loan spell.

Boston were keen to make the move a permanent one but they lacked the funds to pay a transfer fee. Boyd returned to Pools and almost immediately started to show the talent that he clearly possessed. After getting an unexpected chance as a substitute against Stockport, he started each of the last 10 games of the season, turning in a series of dazzling performances and scoring 12 goals as Pools surged from midtable towards the play-offs. Boyd`s equaliser at Swindon on the last day of the season clinched sixth spot in Division Two, the club`s highest league position since the old days of Division Three (North).

The following season saw Boyd finally establish himself as first-choice striker and with the security of a first team place his form and confidence were sky-high. His creative forward play helped to create numerous goals for other players and he weighed in with 29 himself, including a wonderful hat-trick against Sheffield Wednesday. Boyd signed an extension to his Pools contract in 2005, but the season that followed was a bad one for both player and club. Boyd injured his knee early in the season and his recovery was delayed when the knee became infected after surgery. He missed five months of the season and, although he did return to the side, he couldn`t provide the spark to save the club from relegation.

Former Pools manager Mike Newell, who was unsuccessful in an earlier attempt to prise Boyd away from Pools, returned in the summer of 2006 and this time his offer was accepted by the club and Boyd was transferred to Luton Town on July 28th 2006. Boyd had an unhappy time at Kenilworth Road and he made just a handful of first team starts in his year at the Hatters. He moved on to Leyton Orient where he rediscovered some of his old form, scoring 29 goals in his two seasons including a winner against Pools at Brisbane Road in November 2008.

With Pools limping to League One safety at the end of the 2008/09 campaign, manager Chris Turner recognised the need to bring some extra quality into the first team squad. On the day that relegation was avoided despite a 4-1 defeat at Bristol Rovers, Pools announced the signing of Adam Boyd for a second spell at the club.

Playing Career

Honours

Season by Season

Season First Team - League First Team - Other Reserves Youth Team
Starts Subs Goals Starts Subs Goals Starts Subs Goals Starts Subs Goals
1999/00 0 4 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2000/01 3 2 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2001/02 10 19 9 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2002/03 11 11 5 2 1 0 (8) (0) 5 0 0 0
2003/04 10 8 12 2 1 0 (8) (0) 3 (0) (0) (0)
2004/05 43 2 22 12 1 7 0 0 0 (0) (0) 0
2005/06 12 9 4 1 0 0 2 0 1 0 0 0
2009/10 25 15 7 2 2 2 2 0 3 0 0 0
2010/11 3 1 1 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
TOTAL 117 71 61 24 8 10 20 0 12 0 0 0

Note: figures in parentheses indicate that the data for that season is incomplete. Figures should be treated as a minimum.

Goals Breakdown

Competition Goals Scored One Scored Two Scored Three+ Penalties
League 61 38 10 1 9
FA Cup 3 1 1 0 0
League Cup 4 4 0 0 1
FL Trophy 1 1 0 0 0
League Playoffs 2 0 1 0 0
TOTAL 71 44 12 1 10

Games Played Against Pools

Date Competition Match Score Status Goals Cards
22-Sep-2007 League Leyton Orient (A) 4-2 Started 0
29-Dec-2007 League Leyton Orient (H) 1-1 Started 0
01-Nov-2008 League Leyton Orient (A) 0-1 Sub 1

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