844 Jon Otsemobor

Biography

Pacy full back Jon Otsemobor joined Hull City on loan in March 2003 and spent two months with the Tigers as Peter Taylor considered squad options ahead of launching a successful promotion challenge in the 2003/04 season. While it turned out that Otsemobor would not be a part of that squad, he did impress during his two months at Hull City with his willing running, defensive solidity and an eye for goal that yielded him three strikes – a towering header against Rushden & Diamonds on his debut, a bursting run and close range shot against Shrewsbury Town and a nifty shot from a crossbar rebound against Wrexham. He returned to Liverpool at the end of the 2002/03 season.

Jon Otsemobor was born and raised in the Speke area of Liverpool and came through the Reds’ youth academy in the late 1990s – in August 1998 he was chosen to train with the England under-15 squad at Lilleshall. He signed his first professional contract in March 2000 but it took two and a half years for Jon to rise from promising Reserves team player to his first team debut, which came in a November 2002 League Cup tie against Southampton. This game was Jon’s only first team experience prior to his loan spell at Hull City.

The 2003/04 season proved eventful for Otsemobor. He began the season on the fringes of the Liverpool first team before coming to national attention in October 2003 when he was inadvertently embroiled in a gunfight in a Liverpool bar and took a stray bullet to the backside. Following a full recovery he started for Liverpool in a December 2003 League Cup tie against Bolton Wanderers and followed this up with four Premier League starts over the festive period. In February 2004 Jon made a loan move to Premier League rivals Bolton Wanderers but he returned injured after only 1 appearance for the Trotters against Manchester City. Jon spent the first half of the 2004/05 season on loan at Championship side Crewe Alexandra where he scored one goal in 15 appearances before returning to Liverpool in January 2005. He had previously refused an extended contract at Anfield so left the Reds in the 2005 close season having made just 6 senior appearances for the club.

His subsequent nine year career then featured what appeared to be long periods of unfulfilled promise. He joined League One side Rotherham United in July 2005 but he struggled for first team game time and after one goal in 14 first team appearances he signed for Championship strugglers Crewe Alexandra in January 2006. For a year Jon was a first team regular for the Railwaymen as they were relegated to League One in May 2006, until injury ended his 2006/07 season at the end of February 2007. Nevertheless his 50 appearances for Crewe Alexandra, added to the 15 he previously made on loan at Gresty Road, encouraged Championship side Norwich City to offer Otsemobor a three year contract in July 2007.

Jon made his Canaries debut in August 2007 against Preston North End and missed only three League games in his first season at Carrow Road, scoring his first goal for the club against Colchester United in March 2008. He remained a first team regular during the 2008/09 season as the Canaries slipped to relegation to League One, then when Norwich began their 2009/10 League One season with a withering 1-7 defeat to Anglian rivals Colchester United, it was Otsemobor that took some of the blame. However he remained a first team choice for much of the next four months as the Canaries compiled a series of wins that took them to the upper reaches of the table. By his final appearance for Norwich City on Boxing Day 2009 Otsemobor had scored two goals in 104 appearances.

In January 2010, with Otsemobor’s contract coming to an end in five months’ time, Norwich accepted a transfer request and he joined League One rivals Southampton for the remainder of the season – he made 19 appearances for the Saints as they narrowed missed out on qualifying for the end of season play-offs. In July 2010 Jon again was on the move, this time to League One side Sheffield Wednesday – he missed a large chunk of the 2010/11 season due to injury, a problem that dogged the last three years of his playing career, and as the Owls powered to promotion from League One in the 2011/12 season Jon was used in an occasional supporting role at both right back and right midfield. His two seasons at Sheffield Wednesday yielded 37 appearances, he left the club in the summer of 2012.

In July 2012 Otsemobor joined League One side Milton Keynes Dons, where he spent the last two seasons of his career. After an August 2012 debut against Bournemouth Jon was a first team regular during 2012/13 season, scoring an infamous winning strike against bitter rivals AFC Wimbledon in an FA Cup tie that was dubbed by Dons’ fans as the Heel of God goal. However Otsemobor struggled with injuries throughout the 2013/14 season and a short November 2013 loan spell at League One side Tranmere Rovers failed to assist him in regaining fitness, Jon made just 2 appearances for the Wirral side. In January 2014 Otsemobor agreed to terminate his MK Dons contract, he scored two goals for the club in 53 appearances.

The toll of past knee injuries was significant and after unsuccessful trials with San Jose Earthquakes and Doncaster Rovers Jon retired from playing in the summer of 2014 having scored nine goals in 310 senior appearances during a twelve year senior career. Following his retirement Otsemobor worked in the property management and personal training industries while coaching his son’s youth team, a move that led him to take his football coaching badges.

During his formative years at Liverpool Otsemobor was a regular presence in England under-age squads. In July 1999 he made his debut for England Under-16 against France and by May 2000 he had made 6 appearances for the Under-16s. During the 2000/01 Jon made 5 appearances for England Under-17s following his September 2000 debut against Czech Republic. In February 2002 Otsemobor made his debut for England Under-19s against Germany and took his tally to 3 appearances with July 2002 matches against Germany (again) and Ireland. In November 2002 he was fast-tracked to the England Under-20 squad and made his debut against Italy, ending up with 6 Under-20 caps by June 2003. His international career ended at that time.

Details

Nationality: England
Date/Place of Birth: 23 March 1983, Liverpool
Hull City First Game: 15 March 2003, Rushden & Diamonds A (League Division 3), 19 years, 357 days old
Hull City Final Game: 3 May 2003, Swansea City A (League Division 3), 20 years, 41 days old

Clubs

Liverpool (2000-2005), Hull City (2003, loan), Bolton Wanderers (2004, loan), Crewe Alexandra (2004, loan), Rotherham United (2005-2006), Crewe Alexandra (2006-2007), Norwich City (2007-2010), Southampton (2010), Sheffield Wednesday (2010-2012), Milton Keynes Dons (2012-2014), Tranmere Rovers (2013, loan)

Hull City Record

Career: 9 apps, 3 goals