Dave Kitson

For the Somerset cricketer, see David Kitson (cricketer). For the politician, see Dave Kitson (South African politician).

Dave Kitson
Kitson warming up for Reading in 2008
Personal information
Full name David Barry Kitson[1]
Date of birth (1980-01-21) 21 January 1980 (age 44)
Place of birth Hitchin, England
Height 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)[2]
Position(s) Forward
Youth career
0000–1998 Hitchin Town
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1998–2000 Hitchin Town 2 (0)
2000–2001 Arlesey Town
2001–2003 Cambridge United 102 (40)
2003–2008 Reading 135 (54)
2008–2010 Stoke City 34 (3)
2009 → Reading (loan) 10 (2)
2009 → Middlesbrough (loan) 6 (3)
2010–2012 Portsmouth 68 (12)
2012–2013 Sheffield United 33 (11)
2013–2014 Oxford United 32 (4)
2014–2015 Arlesey Town 0 (0)
Total 420 (129)
Managerial career
2014–2015 Arlesey Town (player-assistant manager)
2024– Nauru
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

David Barry Kitson (born 21 January 1980) is an English former professional footballer who played as a forward.

He made 420 appearances in the Premier League and Football League, including 145 for Reading.

Kitson began his career with non-league Hitchin Town and Arlesey Town before he joined Cambridge United in 2001 and became one of the brightest prospects in the Third Division, which led to him being signed by Reading in 2003 for a fee of £150,000.

He enjoyed great success with Reading, forming a formidable strike partnership with Kevin Doyle as Reading won the Championship title with a record 106 points and gained promotion to the Premier League for the first time in 2006. After two seasons in the top flight Reading were relegated and Kitson signed for Stoke City for a club record fee of £5.5 million.[3]

He had loan spells with Reading and Middlesbrough before joining Portsmouth. He spent two seasons at Fratton Park but agreed to cancel his contract with Portsmouth in August 2012 with the club in danger of being liquidated, and subsequently joined Sheffield United on a short term deal, before signing a two-year contract at Oxford United in June 2013.

Club career

[edit]

Cambridge United

[edit]

After playing non-league football for Hitchin Town and Arlesey Town, Kitson joined Cambridge United, then in Division Two, in 2001 after being recommended by agent Barry Silkman to U's manager John Beck.

He made his debut in 3–2 victory away over Stoke City on 17 March 2001.[4] On the final day of the same season, Kitson notched his first goal for the club in a 1–1 draw at Swansea City.[4]

The following season saw the club relegated from League One but Kitson scored 10 goals,[5] finishing as the club's second-top goalscorer, one behind Tom Youngs.

It was in the 2002–03 campaign that Kitson really found his feet. He scored 25 goals in a prolific campaign which saw him hot on the heels of David Crown's club record of 27 goals in a season.[6] After 11 goals in 19 appearances at the start of the 2003–04 season,[7] Kitson left Cambridge to join second-tier outfit Reading. His return of 47 goals in 123 appearances in all competitions ensured Kitson's place among the club's all-time legends.[2][8]

Reading

[edit]
Kitson playing for Reading

Kitson was sold to Reading on 26 December 2003, for a fee of £150,000.[9]

At Reading, he scored five goals in 10 starts in his first season.[7] In the 2005–06 season, despite injury he went on to record an impressive goals-to-game ratio, and continued to do so as Reading won the Championship title with a record 106 points.

Following promotion with Reading, Kitson scored the club's first Premier League goal in their 3–2 home win against Middlesbrough on the opening day of the 2006–07 season,[10] but was then badly injured later in the same match.[11] The injury kept him out of the game until Reading's FA Cup victory over Birmingham City on 27 January 2007.[12]

On 27 March 2007, he committed his future to Reading, signing a new deal until June 2010.[13]

In Reading's first Premier League game of the 2007–08 season, Kitson was sent off less than a minute after coming on as a substitute against Manchester United at Old Trafford, for a challenge on Patrice Evra.[14]

Stoke City

[edit]

On 18 July 2008, Kitson moved in a £5.5m move from Reading to Stoke City, breaking Stoke's record transfer fee.[15]

Speculation soon arose as to whether Kitson was settled at Stoke, as he struggled to adapt to the side's style of play after being played out of position by manager Tony Pulis.

As a result, he failed to score any goals in any of the 18 competitive games he played for Stoke City in the 2008–09 season.[16]

Chairman Peter Coates and Pulis denied any rumour that he might be leaving the Britannia Stadium.[17] He rejoined Reading on loan until the end of the 2008–09 season on 10 March 2009.[18]

Dave Kitson playing for Sheffield United in March 2013

Kitson later revealed that he made the "wrong decision" in joining Stoke, adding that he and his family were happy at Reading and that "I threw all of that away for what I thought was going to be a new challenge... I hold my hands up – it was my fault. I made the decision to go to Stoke, I didn't have to, no-one forced me to go, and it was a bad decision."

Addressing his lack of goals for Stoke, he said "I'd been bought for a lot of money but I wasn't sure I was being utilised in the way I thought I was going to be... You do have some days at training when you go back in and wonder what you're doing there."[19]

However, Reading failed to gain promotion, meaning that Kitson returned to Stoke. Kitson stated that he would "start his Stoke career again".[20]

His first competitive goal for Stoke came in a 1–0 League Cup win at Leyton Orient on 26 August 2009.[21]

He scored his first league goal for Stoke on 29 August 2009, which proved to be the winning goal against Sunderland and then scored again with a goal against Bolton Wanderers.[21]

However Kitson lost his place to James Beattie and joined Middlesbrough on a two-month loan.[22]

He scored his first goals for Middlesbrough when he scored a brace against Peterborough United on 28 November 2009.[21]

He returned to Stoke on 1 January 2010. He scored in the FA Cup against Manchester City and Bolton Wanderers.[21]

Portsmouth

[edit]

Kitson joined Portsmouth with Liam Lawrence on deadline day as part of a deal which saw Marc Wilson join Stoke City.[23] Kitson made his Portsmouth debut on 11 September 2010 in a 0–0 draw with Ipswich at Fratton Park.[24] He scored his first goal for the club in a 4–1 defeat at Crystal Palace on 14 September 2010 and a further 2 goals in a 6–1 win over Leicester at Fratton Park on 24 September 2010.[24] In his first season, Kitson made 39 appearances and scored 8 goals.[24]

In his second season, Kitson was frequently left out of the squad, before Steve Cotterill left the club to become manager of Nottingham Forest. Kitson experienced a dip in form and was dropped to the bench by Cotterill's successor Michael Appleton. Kitson registered his first Portsmouth goal since October 2011 at Doncaster Rovers with a 90th minute equaliser, before Márkó Futács scored in stoppage time to secure a 4-3 win,[25] which kept Portsmouth in the division for at least one more week and confirmed Doncaster's relegation. Kitson left the club in August 2012.[26]

Sheffield United

[edit]
Kitson playing for Oxford United in 2013

On 31 August 2012, Kitson joined Sheffield United on a short-term deal.[27] He made his debut on 15 September 2012, coming on as a second-half substitute in the 1–1 draw with Bury.[28] His first goal for the Blades came in a 1–1 draw against Notts County at Bramall Lane on 29 September 2012.[28]

On 16 November 2012 Kitson extended his contract until the end of the season, stating that "It wouldn't have sat comfortably with me to leave a job half done after integrating myself into a great squad... I still would like to go to America but we will revisit that at a later date because the aim is to have a good crack at winning promotion here."[29]

Kitson played regularly for the remainder of the season, making 37 appearances in total and scoring 11 goals,[30] but with the Blades failing to gain promotion he was released when his contract expired in June 2013.[31]

Oxford United

[edit]

On 27 June 2013, Kitson joined League Two club Oxford United, signing a two-year contract.[32][33] He scored four league goals in his only season at the club.[34] On 22 July 2014 Kitson announced his decision to retire from playing professional football.[35]

Return to Arlesey Town

[edit]

In December 2014, Kitson returned to Arlesey Town as a player and assistant manager, but left in February 2015 following manager Nick Ironton's departure.[36][37][38]

Other roles in football

[edit]

In 2017, Kitson was appointed as a volunteer coach for Grenfell Athletic, the team set up to support victims of the Grenfell Tower fire.[39][40]

From April 2021 to 19 February 2024, he was chairman of Arlesey Town.[41][42]

In March 2024, Kitson was announced as Nauru's first ever national team manager and international ambassador. He was tasked with assembling a team to play in Nauru's first competitive game.[43]

Personal life

[edit]

Kitson was born in Hitchin, Hertfordshire and worked for Sainsbury's as a shelf stacker prior to becoming a professional footballer.[44]

In 2008, Kitson was arrested and subsequently banned from driving for 18 months after failing to provide a breath test.[45]

He has been written about as being a 'leading contender' as the former Premier League player behind The Secret Footballer series of Guardian columns and books.[46][47]

Kitson caused controversy in December 2018 when, during a TalkSport interview, he said that "players make themselves a target" following racist abuse of Raheem Sterling. Tyrone Mings pulled out of a planned TalkSport interview in protest.[48]

In May 2020, Kitson came in for criticism following his announcement that he wanted to become chief executive of the Professional Footballers’ Association, with the chairman of Kick It Out questioning his anti-racism credentials and three black players attacking the former Reading striker for his comments about Sterling.[49]

Kitson signed as a player for Reading Sunday League side Caversham United to support Sunday League Day on 24 March 2024.[50]

Career statistics

[edit]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League FA Cup League Cup Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Hitchin Town 1997–98[51] Isthmian League Premier Division 2 0 0 0 — 1[a] 0 3 0
1998–99[51] Isthmian League First Division 0 0 0 0 — 3[b] 0 3 0
Total 2 0 0 0 — 4 0 6 0
Cambridge United 2000–01[4] Second Division 8 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 8 1
2001–02[5] Second Division 33 9 2 0 1 0 4[c] 1 41 10
2002–03[6] Third Division 44 20 6 1 2 1 4[c] 3 55 25
2003–04[7] Third Division 17 10 1 1 1 0 0 0 19 11
Total 102 40 9 2 4 1 8 4 123 47
Reading 2003–04[7] First Division 17 5 0 0 0 0 — 17 5
2004–05[52] Championship 37 19 0 0 0 0 — 37 19
2005–06[53] Championship 34 18 2 0 3 4 — 40 22
2006–07[10] Premier League 13 2 4 2 0 0 — 18 4
2007–08[14] Premier League 34 10 0 0 2 0 — 36 10
Total 135 54 6 2 5 4 — 146 60
Stoke City 2008–09[16] Premier League 16 0 1 0 1 0 — 18 0
2009–10[21] Premier League 18 3 2 1 2 1 — 22 5
Total 34 3 3 1 3 1 — 40 5
Reading (loan) 2008–09[16] Championship 10 2 — — 2[d] 0 12 2
Middlesbrough (loan) 2009–10[21] Championship 6 3 — — — 6 3
Portsmouth 2010–11[24] Championship 35 8 1 0 1 0 — 37 8
2011–12[25] Championship 33 4 1 0 1 0 — 35 4
Total 68 12 2 0 2 0 — 72 12
Sheffield United 2012–13[28] League One 33 11 2 1 0 0 2[e] 0 37 12
Oxford United 2013–14[34] League Two 32 4 4 0 0 0 0 0 36 4
Career total 422 129 26 6 14 6 16 4 478 145
  1. ^ Appearance in East Anglian Cup
  2. ^ Two appearances in Isthmian League Cup, one appearance in Herts Senior Cup
  3. ^ a b Appearances in Football League Trophy
  4. ^ Appearances in Championship play-offs
  5. ^ Appearances in League One play-offs

Honours

[edit]

Cambridge United

Reading

Individual

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Dave Kitson". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 23 February 2020.
  2. ^ a b Dave Kitson at Soccerbase Edit this at Wikidata
  3. ^ "Kitson joins Stoke in club-record deal". The Guardian. 18 July 2008.
  4. ^ a b c "Games played by Dave Kitson in 2000/2001". Soccerbase. Centurycomm.
  5. ^ a b "Games played by Dave Kitson in 2001/2002". Soccerbase. Centurycomm.
  6. ^ a b "Games played by Dave Kitson in 2002/2003". Soccerbase. Centurycomm.
  7. ^ a b c d "Games played by Dave Kitson in 2003/2004". Soccerbase. Centurycomm.
  8. ^ "U'S LEGENDS RETURN TO ABBEY FOR MICK GEORGE CHARITY MATCH – SECURE YOUR PLACE!". www.cambridge-united.co.uk. Retrieved 23 February 2020.
  9. ^ "Cash Point!". Cambridge Evening News. 27 March 2006. Archived from the original on 9 May 2006. Retrieved 16 May 2006.
  10. ^ a b "Games played by Dave Kitson in 2006/2007". Soccerbase. Centurycomm.
  11. ^ "Royals come back from two-nil down to beat Boro in first ever Premiership match". Reading FC. 19 August 2006. Archived from the original on 27 September 2008. Retrieved 5 February 2007.
  12. ^ "Royals progress to the fifth round after good away win against Blues". Reading FC. 27 January 2007. Archived from the original on 5 August 2012. Retrieved 5 February 2007.
  13. ^ "Kitson signs new three-year contract". Reading FC. 27 March 2007. Archived from the original on 5 August 2012. Retrieved 27 March 2007.
  14. ^ a b "Games played by Dave Kitson in 2007/2008". Soccerbase. Centurycomm.
  15. ^ "Stoke seal £5.5m Kitson transfer". BBC Sport. 18 July 2008.
  16. ^ a b c "Games played by Dave Kitson in 2008/2009". Soccerbase. Centurycomm.
  17. ^ "Kitson going nowhere, says Coates". BBC Sport. 27 November 2008.
  18. ^ "Kitson returns to Reading on loan". BBC Sport. 10 March 2009. Retrieved 10 March 2009.
  19. ^ "Striker Kitson regrets Stoke move". BBC Sport. 12 March 2009.
  20. ^ "Dave's Determined". Stoke City F.C. 15 August 2009. Archived from the original on 25 July 2009. Retrieved 16 August 2009.
  21. ^ a b c d e f "Games played by Dave Kitson in 2009/2010". Soccerbase. Centurycomm.
  22. ^ "Kitson Completes Loan Move To Boro". Stoke City F.C. 17 November 2009. Archived from the original on 20 November 2009. Retrieved 17 November 2009.
  23. ^ "Kitson and Lawrence In, Wilson Out". Portsmouth FC. 31 August 2010. Archived from the original on 3 September 2010. Retrieved 31 August 2010.
  24. ^ a b c d "Games played by Dave Kitson in 2010/2011". Soccerbase. Centurycomm.
  25. ^ a b "Games played by Dave Kitson in 2011/2012". Soccerbase. Centurycomm.
  26. ^ "Two left as Dave Kitson leaves Fratton Park". BBC Sport. Retrieved 3 August 2012.
  27. ^ "Striker agrees Blades deal". Sheffield United FC Official Web Site. 31 August 2012. Retrieved 31 August 2012.
  28. ^ a b c "Games played by Dave Kitson in 2012/2013". Soccerbase. Centurycomm.
  29. ^ "Dave Kitson extends Sheffield United contract". BBC Sport. 16 November 2012. Retrieved 16 November 2012.
  30. ^ "Games played by Dave Kitson in 2012/2013". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 19 June 2013.
  31. ^ "Retained list". Sheffield United FC Official Website. 18 June 2013. Retrieved 18 June 2013.
  32. ^ "Dave Kitson: Oxford United sign ex-Sheffield United striker". BBC Sport. Retrieved 27 June 2013.
  33. ^ "United Sign Kitson". Oxford United F.C. Retrieved 27 June 2013.
  34. ^ a b "Games played by Dave Kitson in 2013/2014". Soccerbase. Centurycomm.
  35. ^ a b "Dave Kitson: Former Oxford, Stoke City and Reading striker retires". BBC Sport. 22 July 2014. Retrieved 23 February 2020.
  36. ^ "The Secret Footballer becomes the Invisible Man". Game Of The People. 27 December 2014. Retrieved 10 September 2024.
  37. ^ "New Manager Appointed". Arlesey Town F.C. 14 December 2014. Archived from the original on 14 February 2015. Retrieved 18 February 2015.
  38. ^ "Abbey brothers return to take charge at Arlesey Town". The Comet. 11 February 2015. Retrieved 10 September 2024.
  39. ^ "Arlesey to welcome football squad of Grenfell Tower survivors and bereaved this weekend". Biggleswade Today. 27 July 2022.
  40. ^ "Grenfell Athletic: the football club uniting a community hit by tragedy". The Guardian. 15 March 2022.
  41. ^ "New Arlesey Town chairman Dave Kitson looking to make the community proud". The Herts Advertiser. 2 August 2021. Retrieved 25 October 2023.
  42. ^ "Dave Kitson on why he is stepping down at Arlesey Town". The Comet. 27 February 2024. Retrieved 18 August 2024.
  43. ^ "Dave Kitson: Former Reading forward set to manage Nauru in first international match". BBC. 25 March 2024. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
  44. ^ "Reading FC Memories: Dave Kitson was not a typical footballer, and that's what makes him special". BerkshireLive. 22 July 2014.
  45. ^ "Royals striker banned from driving". Reading Chronicle. 24 January 2008.
  46. ^ "Fans identify The Secret Footballer as mystery star trends online". Birmingham Live. 9 April 2018.
  47. ^ "'Is it you?' - Ex-Stoke City striker Dave Kitson quizzed on being The Secret Footballer". StokeOnTrentLive. 23 August 2020.
  48. ^ "Raheem Sterling: Tyrone Mings refuses to appear on Talksport after Dave Kitson comments". Independent. 11 December 2018.
  49. ^ "Dave Kitson faces backlash from black players in bid to become head of PFA". The Guardian. 1 May 2020.
  50. ^ "Reading FC legend signs for Sunday League Caversham United". Reading Chronicle. 6 March 2024. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
  51. ^ a b "Fixtures 1990–1999". fishpondersfactsandstats.info. Retrieved 23 February 2020.
  52. ^ "Games played by Dave Kitson in 2004/2005". Soccerbase. Centurycomm.
  53. ^ "Games played by Dave Kitson in 2005/2006". Soccerbase. Centurycomm.
  54. ^ Fletcher, Paul (24 March 2002). "Blackpool lift LDV Vans Trophy". BBC Sport. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
  55. ^ David McKechnie (28 April 2003). "Henry lands PFA award". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  56. ^ "Players of the Season". Reading FC. Retrieved 1 May 2023.
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