John McCombe

Football player infobox
playername = John McCombe


fullname = John McCombe
height = height|metres=1.88
dateofbirth = birth date and age|1985|5|7
cityofbirth = Pontefract
countryofbirth = England
currentclub = Port Vale
clubnumber = 5
position = Centre back
youthyears = 2001–2003
youthclubs = Huddersfield Town
years = 2003–2007
2006
2007–2008
2008–
clubs = Huddersfield Town
→ Torquay United (loan)
Hereford United
Port Vale
caps(goals) = 14 (0)
00 (0)
27 (0)
06 (1)
pcupdate = 11:08, 18 September 2008 (UTC)

John McCombe (born 7 May 1985 in Pontefract, West Yorkshire) is an English footballer who currently plays as a centre back for Port Vale.

His elder brother Jamie plays for Championship side Bristol City.

McCombe joined Huddersfield Town as a trainee, making his league debut on May 3, 2003 as a late substitute for Jon Stead in the 1–1 draw at home to Oldham Athletic. He then had to wait until September 2004 for his next first team appearance.

McCombe's only appearances 2005–06 were against Blackburn Rovers in the Carling Cup, where he only played because of injuries and suspensions, against Boston United in the LDV Vans Trophy, when manager Peter Jackson rested all his first-team players and on the last game of the season against Swindon Town. In between he spent February on loan at Torquay United, but didn't appear in the first team for John Cornforth's struggling side.

On 15 March, 2007, he, along with Hartlepool United's Michael Proctor, agreed to join Boston United on loan but, due to Boston's financial state, the then Boston Chairman James Rodwell was unable to sanction [cite web
url=http://www.bostonstandard.co.uk/ViewArticle.aspx?SectionID=757&articleid=2136096
title=Confusion over United loan deals
date=21 March, 2007
accessdate=2008-05-29] the deals and the players returned to their clubs.

On 9 May 2007, he was released by Huddersfield, and on 4 July, 2007 he signed for Hereford United.

He began the 2007–08 season as third choice centre back, but an injury to Dean Beckwith gave McCombe his chance. He turned in a number of impressive performances, preserving Hereford's unbeaten record and scoring his first professional goal against Hartlepool United. McCombe made 29 appearances as Hereford gained promotion from League Two, but was dropped for the run-in, in favour of Karl Broadhurst. This coincided with McCombe's mistake in a match against Chester City when he conceded a penalty in the last minute for handball, which enabled Chester to draw the match 2–2. He was to make only one more appearance for the club, as a second-half substitute on the final day of the season.

On 17 May, 2008 it was revealed that McCombe wasn't going to be offered a new contract by manager and chairman Graham Turner after only one season at the club. On 29 May 2008, Port Vale announced that McCombe had agreed a two-year contract to join the Valients. [cite web
url=http://www.port-vale.premiumtv.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10381~1320797,00.html
title=More good news
publisher=Port Vale F.C. Official Web-site
date= 29 May, 2008
accessdate=2008-05-29]

References

External links

*soccerbase|id=35010|name=John McCombe