Biography
Irish wideman Hunt joined the Tigers in August 2009, bringing Premier League experience with him. He announced himself with a goal in the first game of the season at Chelsea and went on to provide much entertaining forward play, knocking in a further five goals along the way until he succumbed to a foot injury in February 2010. The season ended in relegation and Hunt perhaps Hunt’s absence late in the season was a factor in that demise. But he was too good for a return to the Championship, so he moved on to maintain his top flight status.
Born in Portlaoise but raised in Waterford in the south of Ireland, Hunt was a multi-sportsman in his teenage years who excelled at football and hurling. At 16 he joined Crystal Palace but by the age of 20 Hunt had not established himself in the Eagles’ first team and moved to Brentford. His impact at the Bees was instant and sustained, over four years he scored and created goals. By 2005 he rejected a new contract and joined Reading, changing his mind late having previously decided to join Bradford City. His form continued to during four years at Reading, which included two seasons at Premier League level. He scored plenty more goals at the Madjeski Stadium, but Hunt’s most infamous moment came when he challenged Chelsea goalie Petr Cech for a through ball, clattered the netminder in the nut and gave him the skull fracture that prompted him to wear a mask during matches from that day onwards.
Hull City’s relegation prompted a rapid move for Hunt, who joined Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Summer of 2010. His time at Molineux was punctuated by injuries and he rarely held a regular first team place. In November 2013 he signed a short term deal at Ipswich Town, which was then extended for a further season. But the injuries had caught up with Hunt and after a short spell at Coventry in 2016 he jacked in his playing career. By 2018 he was a player’s representative and occasional columnist for the Irish Independent newspaper.
Hunt form at Reading attracted the attention of the Ireland national team management and he made his senior debut in 2007, adding to a solitary under-21 cap he earned seven years previously while in Crystal Palace’s reserves. In total he won 39 international caps, scoring just one goal against Poland in 2008.
Details
Nationality: Ireland
Date/Place of Birth: 1 August 1981, Portlaoise
Hull City First Game: 15 August 2009, Chelsea A (Premier League), 29 years, 14 days old
Hull City Final Game: 20 February 2010, Liverpool H (Premier League), 22 years, 166 days old
Clubs
Crystal Palace (1997-2001), Brentford (2001-2005), Reading (2005-2009), Hull City (2009-2010), Wolverhampton Wanderers (2010-2013), Ipswich Town (2013-2015), Coventry City (2016)
Hull City Record
Career: 27 apps, 6 goals
Stephen Hunt| Season | LGE App | LGE Gls | FAC App | FAC Gls | FLC App | FLC Gls | EUR App | EUR Gls | OTH App | OTH Gls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009/10 | 27 (0) | 6 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |