Stuart O'Keefe
O'Keefe playing for Cardiff City in 2015
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Stuart Antony Alan O'Keefe | ||
| Date of birth | 4 March 1991 | ||
| Place of birth | Eye, England | ||
| Height | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) | ||
| Playing position | Midfielder | ||
| Club information | |||
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Current team
|
Cardiff City | ||
| Number | 22 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Scole Lads | |||
| 2001–2007 | Ipswich Town | ||
| 2007–2008 | Southend United | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2008–2010 | Southend United | 10 | (0) |
| 2010–2015 | Crystal Palace | 36 | (1) |
| 2014 | → Blackpool (loan) | 4 | (0) |
| 2015– | Cardiff City | 38 | (2) |
| 2017 | → Milton Keynes Dons (loan) | 18 | (4) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 15:58, 30 April 2017 (UTC). |
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Stuart Antony Alan O'Keefe (born 4 March 1991) is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for English Championship side Cardiff City.
He began his career with Ipswich Town, spending six years in the club's youth academy system, but was released as a teenager without making an appearance for the first-team. Following his release, O'Keefe joined the academy at Southend United, making his professional debut for the club the following year in 2008, during a Football League One match, at the age of 17. In 2010, he completed a move to Football League Championship side Crystal Palace on a free transfer and went on to make over 50 appearances in all competitions for the club during a five-year spell, helping the club gain promotion to the Premier League via the 2013 Football League Championship play-off Final, also spending a brief period on loan at Blackpool in late 2014. In January 2015, he moved to Cardiff City for an undisclosed fee.
As a child, O'Keefe grew up in the village of Gislingham, Suffolk and attended Gislingham Primary School and later Hartismere School. He is a supporter of Arsenal.
Having attracted the attention of scouts from several clubs whilst playing for local youth side Scole Lads, O'Keefe was invited to train with Norwich City's under-9 team. However, he later signed a youth deal with their East Anglian rivals Ipswich Town, joining the club at the age of nine, playing alongside Jordan Rhodes and Ed Upson in the academy during his time at the club. However, he failed to make an appearance for the first-team and was released at the end of the 2006–07 season after the Tractor Boys decided against offering him a scholarship, believing that he would be unable to compete physically at under-18 level. O'Keefe later commented on his release "It was disappointing to be released by Ipswich, especially since I had been there from such a young age, but I always kept believing in myself". Following his release, O'Keefe spent one month on trial at Aston Villa and impressed the club's coaching staff, including youth coach Gordon Cowans, but was forced to leave the club, who were only willing to offer him a one-year youth contract, after struggling to travel to the Midlands based club on a regular basis as he continued to prepare for his GCSEs. He was also offered a trial with Nottingham Forest, scoring during a friendly match with the club but O'Keefe again moved on after the club stalled over offering him a contract, the Reds again only willing to offer him a one-year youth deal.
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