| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Joseph Anyon[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1986-12-29)29 December 1986 (age 39) | ||
| Place of birth | Lytham St Annes, England[2] | ||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)[3] | ||
| Position | Goalkeeper | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Blackburn Rovers | |||
| 2003–2004 | Port Vale | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2004–2010 | Port Vale | 109 | (0) |
| 2005 | →Stafford Rangers (loan) | 5 | (0) |
| 2005 | →Stafford Rangers (loan) | 5 | (0) |
| 2005 | →Harrogate Town (loan) | 2 | (0) |
| 2006 | →Harrogate Town (loan) | 9 | (0) |
| 2010–2012 | Lincoln City | 59 | (0) |
| 2011 | →Morecambe (loan) | 4 | (0) |
| 2012–2014 | Shrewsbury Town | 11 | (0) |
| 2013 | →Macclesfield Town (loan) | 0 | (0) |
| 2015 | Crewe Alexandra | 0 | (0) |
| 2015–2017 | Scunthorpe United | 16 | (0) |
| 2017–2019 | Chesterfield | 16 | (0) |
| 2019–2020 | Chorley | 4 | (0) |
| Total | 240 | (0) | |
| International career | |||
| 2001–2002 | England U16 | 6 | (0) |
| 2002–2003 | England U17 | 3 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Joseph Anyon (born 29 December 1986) is an Englishfootballer who played as agoalkeeper.
A youth player atPort Vale, he turned professional at the club in 2004 and wasloaned out tonon-League sidesStafford Rangers andHarrogate Town to gain experience. He was the Vale's first-choice goalkeeper from his debut in December 2006 up until a clash that saw him break his leg in March 2009 – later in the year he was votedPlayer of the Year. He failed to regain his place following recovery from the injury and was released in the summer of 2010, whereupon he signed with Lincoln City. At City, he was loaned out toMorecambe. He was voted Lincoln's Player of the Season in 2011–12. He joinedShrewsbury Town in July 2012. He joinedMacclesfield Town on an emergency loan in January 2013. He left Shrewsbury in the summer of 2014. He returned to the game withCrewe Alexandra in January 2015 before he signed withScunthorpe United later in the month. He joinedChesterfield in May 2017 and spent two years as a backup before joiningChorley in July 2019.
Born inLytham St Annes,Lancashire, Anyon grew up supportingBlackpool.[4] He played in theBlackburn Roversyouth system before joiningPort Vale. He joinedStafford Rangers onloan towards the end of the2004–05 season, making five appearances.[5] He rejoined Stafford on loan in August 2005,[6] again making five appearances.[7] At the end of the season he was voted Youth Player of the Year by the Port Vale management.[8] After winning a first-teamcontract with Vale, Anyon spent time on loan atHarrogate Town, making two appearances in November.[7] He rejoined Harrogate in February 2006,[9] making nine appearances before returning to Vale after breaking hisjaw in April.[7][10]
He made his first-team debut for the Vale in December 2006, after first-choice goalkeeperMark Goodlad ruptured his rightachilles tendon againstBristol City in December 2006 and had to have reconstructive surgery. He then played the rest of the2006–07 season, with only 25 goals scored against him. Goodlad was forced to retire due to his injury and Anyon then established himself as the first-choice keeper,[11] and was voted Young Player of the Year by the Port Vale management.[8] He was also rumoured to have had his progress tracked by bothLiverpool andBirmingham City.[12] In August 2007 theDaily Mirror reported that his club had rejected a £250,000 bid fromFulham.[13]
Following a 3–1 home defeat toMacclesfield Town in theFA Cup on 28 November 2008, Anyon blasted his teammates, labelling their performance as "a disgrace".[14] Hefractured histibia after clashing withDrew Talbot in a 2–1 defeat atChesterfield on 28 March 2009, bringing a premature end to his season.[15] Despite this, his performances that season earned him the 2009Player of the Year Award, as well as the award for the best player away from home.[16] The season began with a disagreement with then-managerLee Sinnott,[17] but Anyon was #1 underGlover and conceded sixty goals in his 39 appearances, giving Vale one of the better defensive records in the lower half of theLeague Two table.[18] In May 2009 he signed a new one-year contract with the Vale.[19]
He returned to fitness to play areserve team game on 23 September 2009.[20] His next challenge was to displace teenagerChris Martin.[21] He wastransfer listed in late September, along with the entire Port Vale squad, after managerMicky Adams saw his team slip to a third consecutive defeat.[22] He said he did not intend to move out on loan to aid in his comeback, despite admitting he had "itchy feet" over a return to first-team action.[23] In January 2010 he stated that he was willing to join another club on loan in order to get some games.[24] However, he returned to the starting line up atVale Park the next month, after young rival Martin was rested.[25] He performed well over seven games, but made two costly errors that resulted in two goals and dropped points in theplay-off hunt.[26] Thus he was consigned to the bench until the season's end, at which point he was told he would not be offered a new contract at the club.[27] However, he was told that if he failed to find a new club then he may be offered a new contract at Vale Park on reduced pay.[28]
In May 2010 he signed a two-year deal withChris Sutton'sLincoln City.[29] GoalkeepingcoachPaul Musselwhite said of him "he's a very good keeper, he's still very young but with a lot of talent, a lot of potential and experience".[30] He had only came to the club's attention when Musselwhite spotted on television that he had been released by Port Vale.[31] Anyon replaced the popularRob Burch, who had signed withNotts County.[32] He started well at his new club, putting in some match winning performances.[33] He made a costly error during a heavy home defeat toBury on 23 November, but four days later put in a 'heroic' display againstHereford United to keep the club in theFA Cup.[34] On 17 January he made another 'howler' in a 2–1 home defeat toWycombe Wanderers.[35] Lincoln bottom of the Football League, new managerSteve Tilson signedTrevor Carson on loan fromSunderland, who immediately took Anyon's place in goal.[36] In March 2011, Anyon joined fellow League Two sideMorecambe on an emergency loan, following an injury toBarry Roche, who wasSammy McIlroy's regular custodian.[37] He made a costly error in his first game for the club, giftingBury a 1–0 win on 8 March.[38] He recovered five days later tosave aGareth Evanspenalty, and was praised for his overall performance in the 1–0 defeat toBradford City at theGlobe Arena.[39] After two further appearances he returned toSincil Bank, where he faced a new rival inAston Villa loaneeElliot Parish.[40] In May 2011, the club wasrelegated out of the Football League, and Anyon was made available for afree transfer.[41]
The "Imps" had a poor season in2011–12, finishing just outside the relegation zone. Along withJosh Gowling,John Nutter andAlan Power, Anyon was one of the club's rare permanent features throughout the campaign, keeping his first-team place under both Steve Tilson and new bossDavid Holdsworth. He beat Gowling and Power to the Player of the Season award, and was also voted as the Away Player of the Season.[42] During the season, he regularly issued an "inspiring battle cry" in the local press,[43] talked up "the biggest club in the Blue Square Bet Premier",[44] and also attempted to bring unity between the club's disgruntled supporters and embattled management.[45] Holdsworth described Anyon as a "big voice",[46] and praised his "impeccable" attitude.[47] On thepitch his performances were seen as a "huge ray of light" from the start of the season,[48] and coach Neil Gardner told theLincolnshire Echo that he believed Anyon could go on to play atChampionship level.[49]
Anyon joinedGraham Turner'sShrewsbury Town in July 2012, arriving at theNew Meadow on the same day as rival goalkeeperChris Weale.[50] He made his debut for the "Shrews" on 9 October, in aFootball League Trophy clash withCrewe Alexandra, but had to leave the pitch due to injury on 19 minutes.[51] On 25 January 2013, Anyon joinedMacclesfield Town on a seven-day emergency loan afterLance Cronin broke a thumb in training.[52] His debut came one day later atMoss Rose, in a 1–0 defeat toPremier League sideWigan Athletic in the fourth round of theFA Cup; Anyon's first touch for the "Silkmen" was to get a hand toJordi Gómez's penalty, which he was unable to save.[53] Anyon finally made his league debut for Shrewsbury on 15 February 2014 in a local derby with his former clubPort Vale, keeping aclean sheet in a 0–0 draw.[54] He went on to make 11 league appearances in the2013–14 season under new managerMichael Jackson, but could not prevent the club from being relegated out ofLeague One, and was released at the end of his contract after new managerMicky Mellon finished evaluating his squad.[55]
Anyon was in talks to joinCardiff City. The move was delayed whilst he underwent three operations to correct hisWolff–Parkinson–White syndrome. After he recovered, the deal was cancelled because managerOle Gunnar Solskjær was no longer with Cardiff.[56] He instead joined League One sideCrewe Alexandra on non-contract terms on 16 January 2015.[57] Ten days later he signed a contract with League One rivalsScunthorpe United to run until the end of the2014–15 season.[58] ManagerMark Robins found Anyon through goalkeeping coachPaul Musselwhite, and said that Anyon would be back-up for fellow new-signingLuke Daniels, withSam Slocombe andJames Severn both out injured withbroken arms.[59] He did not make a first-team appearance. However, he was still signed to a new two-year deal in May 2015, whilst Slocombe and Severn were released.[60][61]
He made nine appearances in the2015–16 season and was praised for his professionalism by managerGraham Alexander.[62] Luke Danielsbroke his ribs at the end of March 2017, leaving Anyon to fill his place for the rest of the2016–17 season.[63] He immediately won a place on the Football League Team of the Week following aman of the match performance in a 1–0 win overBurton Albion atGlanford Park on 9 April.[64] The "Iron" went on to qualify for the play-offs. Alexander praised Anyon for keeping a clean sheet in the semi-final first leg atThe Den, however,Millwall won the return leg 3–2 to eliminate Scunthorpe.[65][66] He was released in May 2017.[67]
Anyon signed a two-year contract with newly relegatedEFL League Two sideChesterfield in May 2017.[68] ManagerGary Caldwell said that he had been keen to sign Anyon due in part to his ability to play the ball out with his feet, which suited the style of football Caldwell hoped to instil in the "Spireites".[69] On 5 December he broke his arm during a 2–0 defeat atFleetwood Town after a collision withAlex Reid; this left managerJack Lester having to search for an emergency goalkeeper to come in on loan.[70] Chesterfield had been relegated out of theEnglish Football League by the time Anyon had returned to fitness at the end of the2017–18 season. The new managerMartin Allen made him available for a free transfer in May 2018.[71] He remained at theProact Stadium however, featuring just twice at the end of the2018–19 season after new managerJohn Sheridan decided to "repay" him for his positive attitude in helping new goalkeeperShwan Jalal in training, saying "I don't care what other people think of him, I believe in him".[72][73] Anyon was also chosen to carry the coffin ofGordon Banks at his funeral in March.[74] Anyon was released by Chesterfield in May 2019.[75]
Anyon joined National League sideChorley in July 2019.[76] He made just four appearances for the "Magpies" in the2019–20 season, which was permanently suspended on 26 March due to theCOVID-19 pandemic in England, with Chorley bottom of the table.[77]
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Port Vale | 2004–05[78] | League One | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2005–06[79] | League One | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2006–07[80] | League One | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1[a] | 0 | 23 | 0 | |
| 2007–08[81] | League One | 44 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1[a] | 0 | 49 | 0 | |
| 2008–09[82] | League Two | 36 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 39 | 0 | |
| 2009–10[83] | League Two | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | |
| Total | 109 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 118 | 0 | ||
| Stafford Rangers (loan) | 2004–05[5] | Conference North | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| 2005–06[7] | Conference North | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | |
| Total | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | ||
| Harrogate Town (loan) | 2005–06[7] | Conference North | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 |
| Lincoln City | 2010–11[84] | League Two | 21 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 0 |
| 2011–12[85][86] | Conference National | 38 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3[b] | 0 | 42 | 0 | |
| Total | 59 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 67 | 0 | ||
| Morecambe (loan) | 2010–11[84] | League Two | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Shrewsbury Town | 2012–13[87] | League One | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1[a] | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2013–14[88] | League One | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1[a] | 0 | 12 | 0 | |
| Total | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 13 | 0 | ||
| Macclesfield Town (loan) | 2012–13[87] | Conference National | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Crewe Alexandra | 2014–15[89] | League One | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Scunthorpe United | 2014–15[89] | League One | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2015–16[90] | League One | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | |
| 2016–17[91] | League One | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7[c][d] | 0 | 15 | 0 | |
| Total | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 24 | 0 | ||
| Chesterfield | 2017–18[92] | League Two | 14 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4[c] | 0 | 20 | 0 |
| 2018–19[93] | National League | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 16 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 22 | 0 | ||
| Chorley | 2019–20[86] | National League | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Career total | 240 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 18 | 0 | 274 | 0 | ||
Individual