John Irving

John Irving is equally at home at right back and in the centre of defence, where his pace and determination have been acknowledged by England Under-16s.

Irving was encouraged to play football at a young age. He played for Liverpool and Everton junior squads from the age of 7. When he reached the age of 9 he had to make a choice between them and decided to stay with team he supported which is Everton. He comes from a large Evertonian family and his middle name is Goodison named after the home of Everton. When he was 14 he played his first international match for the England Under-16s against Northern Ireland.

His first appearance of note for the Everton Academy was in the Liverpool Senior Cup Final of 2003-04.

Irving also won the Reserve Player of the Season award for the second season in a row (2007-08) and was further rewarded with a one-year contract in the summer of 2008. But, despite the obvious promise, that was the closest he would get to becoming an Everton first-team player.  After faltering in the reserves, he was eventually released in June 2009 without having played a first team game.

His last professional club was Bala Town who play in the Welsh professional leagues. He subsequently moved to New Zealand where he played for Northern League First Division club Ngaruawahia United before joining Auckland City FC in September 2013.

By Michael Kenrick
Last updated September 2013