x

Skard 50th Foreigner - Ipswich Town News

Vemund Brekke Skard became the 50th overseas player to make a senior appearance for the Blues when he came on as a late sub at Crystal Palace on Saturday. Skard is also the first Norwegian ever to play for Town, the 19th non-British or Irish nationality to represent the club.

This season has seen six overseas players make their debuts, Skard, Ricardo Fuller, Jaime Peters, Mark Fish, Jimmy Juan and Sito, amongst an overall 18 players making their first appearances for Town, surely a record for one season (with the obvious exception of the club's inaugural year).

Players like Terry Butcher (born Singapore) and Neil Gregory (born Zambia) have not been included in the list as they are to all intents and purposes English, while the South African-born Colin Viljoen and Mich D'Avray are there despite taking British nationality during their spells with the club.

The 50 (unless we've missed someone) starts with South African forward Willie Havenga back in the fifties when foreign players were a rarity, through to the Dutchman in the late seventies and on to the Premiership years with overseas stars two-a-penny.

The 50 Foreigners
1. Willie Havenga (Town player between 1952-53)
2. Gerard Baker (1963-68)
3. Colin Viljoen (1967-78)
4. Bruce Twamley (1973-75)
5. Arnold Mühren (1978-82)
6. Frans Thijssen (1979-83
7. Mich D'Avray (1979-90)
8. Frank Yallop (1983-96)
9. Romeo Zondervan (1984-92)
10. Andy Bernal (1987-88)
11. Ulrich Wilson (1987-88)
12. Craig Forrest (1988-97)
13. Sergei Baltacha (1989-90)
14. Vlado Bozinoski (1992-94)
15. Bontcho Guentchev (1992-95)
16. Andrew Petterson (1993-95)
17. Mauricio Taricco (1994-98)
18. Claus Thomsen (1994-96)
19. Adrian Paz (1994-95)
20. Gus Uhlenbeek (1995-98)
21. Bobby Petta (1996-99)
22. Earl Jean (1996)
23. Niklas Gudmundsson (1997)
24. David Johnson (1997-2000)
25. Marco Holster (1998-99)
26. Manuel Thetis (1998-2000)
27. Samassi Abou (1998)
28. Fabian Wilnis (1999- )
29. Jonas Axeldal (1999-2000)
30. Martijn Reuser (2000-2004)
31. Hermann Hreidarsson (2000-03)
32. Amir Karic (2000-01)
33. Nabil Abidallah (2001-03)
34. Pablo Couñago (2001-2005)
35. Finidi George (2001-02)
36. Matteo Sereni (2001-03)
37. Sixto Peralta (2001-02)
38. Thomas Gaardsøe (2001-03)
39. Ulrich Le Pen (2001-03)
40. Drissa Diallo (2003-05)
41. Georges Santos (2003-04)
42. Shefki Kuqi (2003-05)
43. Jason De Vos (2004- ).
44. Daniel Karbassiyoon (2004-05)
45. Jaime Peters (2005- )
46. Jimmy Juan (2005- )
47. Sito (2005- )
48. Mark Fish (2005)
49. Ricardo Fuller (2006- )
50. Vemund Brekke Skard (2006- )

Where They Came From
10 from Holland: Mühren, Thijssen, Wilson, Zondervan, Uhlenbeek, Petta, Holster, Wilnis, Reuser, Abidallah
5 from Canada: Twamley, Yallop, Forrest, De Vos, Peters
4 from France: Thetis, Le Pen, Santos, Juan
4 from South Africa: Havenga, Viljoen, D'Avray, Fish
3 from Australia: Pettersson, Bozinoski, Bernal
2 from USA: Baker, Karbassiyoon
2 from Sweden: Gudmundsson, Axeldal
2 from Argentina: Taricco, Peralta
2 from Denmark: Thomsen, Gaardsøe
2 from Spain: Couñago, Sito
2 from Jamaica: Johnson, Fuller
1 from Soviet Union: Baltacha
1 from Bulgaria: Guentchev
1 from Uruguay: Paz
1 from Ivory Coast: Abou
1 from Iceland: Hreidarsson
1 from Slovenia: Karic
1 from St Lucia: Jean
1 from Nigeria: George
1 from Italy: Sereni
1 from Guinea: Diallo
1 from Finland: Kuqi
1 from Norway: Skard

Compiled by Geir Ingvald Jacobsen and Philip Ham.

What to read next:

O'Shea and Ogbene Win Caps as Ireland Fall to Last-Gasp Defeat in Portugal
Blues skipper Dara O’Shea and on-loan wideman Chieo Ogbene were in the Republic of Ireland side which fell to a last-gasp 1-0 defeat to World Cup qualification group leaders Portugal in Lisbon.
Slicker Sent Off After Final Whistle
On-loan Blues keeper Cieran Slicker was shown a red card after the final whistle having recorded his third clean sheet in four games as Barnet won 2-0 at Tranmere in League Two.
Sheehan: Birmingham the Strongest Team in the League
Town Women’s boss Joe Sheehan believes his side will be facing the strongest team in WSL2 when they host Birmingham City at the JobServe Community Stadium in Colchester on Sunday afternoon (KO 2pm).
Neville: I've Settled in On and Off the Pitch
Ipswich Town Women’s right-back Grace Neville says she’s settled into life with the Blues on and off the field, the New Zealand international having made the move from London City Lionesses following their promotion to the WSL in the summer.
O'Shea: I've Enjoyed First Months as Captain
Town skipper Dara O’Shea says he has enjoyed his first two months as Blues captain and believes the club’s trust has enabled him to flourish.
Blues Quartet Set For Irish Caps
Town quartet Dara O’Shea, Kasey McAteer, Jack Taylor and Chieo Ogbene could all add to their international caps when the Republic of Ireland take on Portugal in a World Cup qualifier in Lisbon this evening (KO 7.45pm, Amazon Prime).
Nunez First Town Player to Win Chile Cap
Marcelino Nunez became the first Town player to win a cap for Chile as his side came from behind to beat Peru 2-1 in a friendly in Santiago overnight.
Walle Egeli Out of Norway U21s Squad
Town forward Sindre Walle Egeli missed Norway U21s’ friendly in Spain this evening having withdrawn from the squad.
Young Joins Chatham On Loan
Blues U21s midfielder Tyler Young has joined Isthmian League Premier Division Chatham Town on loan.
Town Expelled From Suffolk Premier Cup
Town have been excluded from this year’s Endeavour Automotive Suffolk Premier Cup for fielding an ineligible player in their first-round win at Hadleigh United last month.