User:JMSON2012

= Ian King Football Player = Ian King, (born 23 December 1974) is a retired English football player and current coach. He played as a midfield player at professional clubs in the England, Australian and Malaysia leagues including Aston Villa, Stoke City, Rushden and Diamonds, Stevenage FC, Nuneaton Borough, Kettering Town, APIA Leichardt Tigers and FC Keda.

King played 422 times scoring 89 goals in all competitive league and cup competitions during his playing career which spanned from his first professional contract at 18 years of age to his last competitive game at 40. Since retiring as a player in 2012, King has worked as a manager and coach at Sydney FC, Birmingham City, Leamington FC, Daventry Town and Northampton Town.

Playing Career
King began an apprentice professional for Aston Villa in 1991 having spent five years there as an Academy player. He spent two years at the club without appearing in the first team before moving into non-league football with local club VS Rugby. He first came to prominence in the 1993-1994 season, making 33 appearances and scoring 25 goals from midfield before being sold for £25,000 to Joe Jordan’s Stoke City. After making several first team appearances in his early period at the club King sustained an ankle injury in a match against Middlesbrough which kept him out of the game for the majority of his time at the club. When Lou Macari replaced Jordan as first team manager King went on to join Rushden and Diamonds in 1995 on a free transfer. King went on to play 75 times for the club scoring fifteen goals, mainly from dead ball situations in an injury ravaged period between November 1994 and May 1997. He scored a free kick in his first game for the club and also scored in his final game in May 1997 against Altrincham. During this period King won a league title when the club gained promotion to the National League for the first time in its history under Roger Ashby. King also played under Brian Talbot when he replaced Ashby at the helm.

King joined Nuneaton Borough on a free transfer in June 1997 where after regaining full fitness he scored 21 times in thirty six appearances during the 1997-1998 season where he played as a wide midfield player. He joined Aylesbury United in the summer of 1998 and spent a successful 18 month period with the Ducks under the guidance of Bob Dowie. During this period King represented England at semi-professional level. Following Dowie’s departure the club entered administration, and King joined Stevenage Borough on a free transfer where he played 17 times during 1999-2000. King then rejoined Nuneaton Borough in the summer of 2000 where he was ever present in the National League playing 42 times in midfield scoring 10 goals. It was during this spell that King played in the side which successfully knocked Championship Stoke City out of the FA Cup before losing to AFC Bournemouth in the Third Round.

Injury blighted spells in Australia at Perth Glory in 2001/2002 and for FC Keda in Malaysia in 2002/2003 preceded King returning to the UK to play for Kettering Town in 2003/2004 playing 40 games in central midfield and scoring 10 goals under Kevin Wilson. King then captained Brackley Town during the 2004/2005 season before moving to Redditch United where he played 30 games at Right Back in the National League North scoring one goal and helping the club avoid relegation on the last day of the season.

King returned to Australia where he spent the next six seasons playing in the TeleChoice New South Wales Premier League. It was during this time that King scored in the Johnnie Warren Cup Final in 2007 to help APIA Leichardt Tigers lift the trophy for the first time. King was ever present for APIA Leichardt Tigers in 2007, 2008 and 2009 before joining Bankstown Lions and going on to play for Cringila Lions in the Illawarra Premier League. It was during this time that King began a career in youth coaching at the Sydney FC Academy. Upon his return to England in 2012 King completed his playing career with brief spells under Paul Holleran at Leamington FC and Daventry Town under Mark Kinsella where he scored in his final ever game at 40 years of age.

Coaching and Management Career
King began a career in youth coaching at the Sydney FC Academy working with the youth players. After a six and a half year spell in Australia King returned to England to take up a full time coaching role at Birmingham City FC where he was also the club's Head of Education. It was during this 4 year period he worked with Academy players of all ages at the club including Nathan Redmond and Demarai Gray. He then moved on to the coaching staff at Leamington FC where he helped the club regain promotion to the National League North. After a brief spell as First Team Coach at Worcester City King spent some time scouting for Derby County before moving into management at Daventry Town. Alongside Arron Parkinson during the 2017/18 season on a very limited budget the club finished in a respectable ninth position and lifted the Buckinghamshire Senior Cup. King moved on to Northampton Town where he currently works alongside Jon Brady as U18 coach in the Professional Development Phase alongside his full time role as Regional Officer for League Football Education with the English Football League.